Emilly Johnston was wondering if she was going to have a team for her first Elite season when she got a call from Scott-SRAM team director Thomas Frischknecht. Shortly after she signed a contract with the team, she placed third at Worlds, rounding out a triumphant 2024 season that marked her as one of the most promising up-and-comers in the women's field. Emilly sat down with Payson in Girona earlier this week to talk about landing a spot on her dream team, the chaos of racing last year’s combined U23 and Elite World Championship, and throwing down tricks mid-race. She also talks about sharing an apartment with two of cycling's most fashion-forward men (longtime teammate Bjorn Riley and XC photographer Piper Albrecht), and why they describe her first and foremost as “very Canadian.”

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