Yessica Pérez, winner of Desafío Doñana, signed by the Bizkaia-Durango cycling team

Yessica Pérez won last year's Desafío Doñana and we wanted to know her a little more thoroughly

 

Yessica Pérez was born in the province of Jaén, has a family in Villacarrillo but lives since she was little in Linares. She has 24 years, is a student of Geology at the University of Granada and combines her studies with her work in Decathlon in the cycling and triathlon section. His coach is Adela Salcedo González, graduated from CAFyD, national director of cycling RFEC and Francisco Árbol cycling team.

How were your beginnings in triathlon?

Everything started around the back of my Erasmus, just one day back in a popular race I fell and broke my collarbone. The convalescence process in the hospital made me think of new personal challenges, and three weeks after the operation, I contacted a triathlon club, the Triatomix, a team that I am part of from the first day to today's date.

 

What are your most outstanding results and / or competitions that you feel most proud of?

 

I am proud of every race that I have completed, for me it takes a lot of effort, studying, working and training. The fact of crossing the finish line again and again is my greatest satisfaction, since all the sacrifice made to get there has been proven.

 

Some of the competitions that I remember best and happiest were when I won the Andalusia Road Cycling Championship, the Spanish middle distance championship in GGEE, or qualify for the World Cup in Hawaii ... as they were unexpected results.

In August you were 2ª in 18-24 in the Ironman of Maastrich, you got a place for Kona but you rejected the slot. Could you tell us a bit how was this Ironman and why could not you go to Hawaii?

 

At first, I never thought that in my first Ironman I would qualify for Hawaii, it was a pleasant surprise, but I think I do not have the resources or the right material to face that type of test, since I do not even have a triathlon bike , I made my first Ironman with some couplings.

You have to be honest with yourself and know what I can and can not allow, in this case it was neither the triathlon bike nor the trip to Hawaii. For this reason I will wait until the day when the opportunity presents itself again, training with perseverance and without stress, because I am sure that day will come sooner or later.

Weeks later you won the Doñana Challenge. How was this competition?

The Ironman left me very touched and after all, it is a very tough test and it took me a long time to recover although I never thought that my result in the Challenge would be so good, I was very calm during the whole race, and except the race on foot , which I guess was not easy, the rest the sensations were very good.

Desafío Doñana is a different triathlon because it has a different order of the segments. Could you tell us how each of them is and how did you face them?

 

It starts with 100km of cycling in Cadiz, the slope is minimal, in my case and used to train in Granada, was the most feasible part of the race.

Swimming I took it quite calmly, my goal was to recover pulsations, lower body temperature all thinking about the race on foot. The remaining 30km were the real challenge, a race under the sun, dodging the dunes, with loneliness as the only companion.

Finally, you have signed up for the Bizkaia-Durango cycling team for next season. Did you expect to be able to race with them in 2017 or was it a surprise? How did they tell you?

 

It has been quite a surprise, they called me on the phone a week after the challenge, and good because of my latest achievements and my great physical capacity at the moment, they wanted to count on me this season for a final test. The Summer Series of South Africa that starts in a few days.

Besides running with the Bizkaia-Durango next year, can you combine it or play some triathlons as well?

 

The truth is that there is nothing that I would like more, to be able to combine them, for the moment I am going to focus on the bicycle, which is what I like the most, and maybe in the preseason do some duathlon. Next season is full of surprises and new challenges for me.

 

 Thank you very much for the interview, and we wish you the best in South Africa and for the next season.

 

Many thanks to you!

 

Photo: Desafio Doñana