Sports
From Heavy Cruiser to Elite Cycling: Maíra's Journey
After fracturing her spine early on the road, the cyclist overcame adversity to embrace an elite training routine.
Maíra turned to cycling as a postpartum outlet, evolving from neighborhood rides to the high-performance peloton. Between a severe road crash and grueling events like L'Étape and the Haute Route, she details her transformation on two wheels.
Maíra's (known as Japa) start in cycling began as a quest for balance and well-being right after the birth of her second daughter, Francesca. Navigating postpartum pressures and pregnancy weight gain, cycling emerged as an opportunity to get out of the house and claim some personal time. The start was unpretentious: she rode a heavy commuter bike gifted by her husband, Pavani, for quick trips around the neighborhood.
The push to transition to road cycling came through her friend Adriana Lobo. With no prior experience using cycling shoes or clipless pedals, Maíra bought a Specialized Roubaix and began taking lessons with coach Jojo. The routine demanded extreme discipline: waking up at 4:10 a.m. to train on the bike path and at USP, returning before 7:00 a.m. to get her daughters ready for school.
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A baptism of fire and a spinal fracture
As she gained confidence, Maíra joined women's cycling groups and accepted an invitation for her first long road ride. Unaware of the endurance, nutrition, and peloton dynamics required for a challenging route like the so-called Roller Coaster in the Jundiaí region, the physical strain took its toll. Roughly 40 kilometers in, exhaustion dulled her reflexes, resulting in a crash into a highway road sign.
The impact caused fractures in her L1, L3, and L5 vertebrae when Francesca was only four months old. It led to three months of being unable to walk and an extensive physical therapy process before full recovery. Six months after the accident, Maíra decided to get back in the saddle, this time joining the Personal Team coaching group with coach Arthur to learn proper technique and safe peloton riding.
The turning point to high performance
With more structured training and demanding cycling trips—such as climbing Valle Nevado in Chile—her drive for physical breakthroughs solidified. In 2018, Maíra lined up for the long route of Le Tour in Campos do Jordão, finishing 7th overall despite not having specific high-performance coaching at the time.
The result drew attention to her competitive potential, leading her to team up with coach Ronaldo. While between 2019 and 2022 the sport served as personal fulfillment and challenge, competing in the 2022 Haute Route Alps definitively shifted her mindset. From that milestone onward, her routine embraced elite athletic rigor, featuring strict nutritional management and training weeks reaching up to 20 hours.
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