STUDENT STORIES
5 Perseverance Lessons from Alex Volstad’s Journey to Pro Cycling
Dylan M. | May 20, 2025
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When you think of professional cyclists, you probably picture world tours, sleek bikes, and champagne showers on a podium. But every ounce of glory in bike racing costs nine more in grit, bruises, and heart.
At just 19 years old, Alex Volstad traded a university engineering offer for a plane ticket to Europe—and a chance to chase her dream of going pro. Speaking to students at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) forum, Alex pulled back the curtain on what perseverance in sports & building mental toughness really look like.
Here are five lessons that stuck with us—straight from a world-class athlete who's living them every day.
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1. Don’t just dream your future—build it
Dreams are great. But one without a plan is just a daydream.
Alex didn’t just hope she’d go pro—she worked with her coaches to set clear, specific goals for her strength, skills, and even her mindset.
“When you combine support, lifestyle, mindset, fuelling, and learning, you don't just have a goal—you have a blueprint for achieving it.”
Want to achieve your dreams? Bring method to your magic.
2. Adopt a growth mindset
You're racing overseas for the first time, barely hanging onto the back of the pack while more experienced riders fly past you. What do you do?
If you’re Alex, you study. You observe. You learn. Every mistake becomes a lesson in how to do better next time.
“Growth mindset is taking in as much as you can from other people.”
“You can learn so much just by watching others: how they prepare, how they analyze, how they recover.”
Being a "sponge" might not sound glamorous—but that's how champions are made.
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3. Remember why you love it
When the rain's pummelling down, the crashes are piling up, and you're thousands of miles from home, it’s tempting to wonder: ‘Why am I even doing this?’
For Alex, the answer was simple: she held onto the love she felt for cycling as a kid. That memory of pure joy kept her going when things got tough.
“Setbacks are all opportunities to learn.”
They aren’t signs to quit—they're reminders of why you started on this path.
4. Balance passion with practicality
We’ve all heard motivational phrases like ’lock in’, ‘grind or die’, and other ‘hustle culture’ expressions. But Alex’s take? Sometimes, to excel at one thing, you have to let another rest—and that’s okay.
In high school, she carefully balanced cycling, schoolwork, and a social life by knowing when to shift gears.
“At some point in the year, you'll need to put one or two things on hold to find success in the third.”
Balance isn't about doing everything all the time. It's about doing the right things at the right time.
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5. Bet on yourself—even when it’s scary
Imagine you get accepted into one of the top engineering programs in the country... then turn it down.
Alex knew the window for chasing a pro cycling career wouldn’t stay open forever. University could wait. Her dream couldn’t.
“I knew I could come back to engineering, but I might never have another chance to live overseas doing what I love.”
Taking a leap of faith means believing in yourself, even when the only guarantee is being able to say “I went for it.”
What does success look like?
Alex Volstad’s story isn’t just about medals or contracts. It’s about what happens when you stay stubbornly in love with your dreams, even when the road gets messy.
Success doesn’t look the same for everyone. But if you build your blueprint, stay open to growth, balance wisely, remember what you love, and bet on yourself—you're already halfway there.
“Everybody's success looks pretty different, but I hope you can learn something from my experiences.”
See what Alex is up to
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