American Lily Williams has signed a contract extension with Human Powered Health through 2026.
An integral part of the Classics squad, in her time on the team Williams has finished on the podium of Danilith Nokere Koerse and in the top five of La Classique Morbihan as well as in stage of the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche and Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana.
Alongside her achievements on the road, Williams has been an anchor in the USA team pursuit squad, winning the world championships and an Olympic bronze medal during her time on the team.
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- Williams takes to the start of the Tour of Flanders.
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- On the move at Nokere Koerse. Photo: Getty Sport
Williams is emblematic of Human Powered Health’s growth from the continental level to a sustainable Women’s WorldTour team.
“We’ve grown together and we’ve learned together,” Williams explains. “It’s been so fulfilling to be part of a process where you get better together. Every year I’ve been on this team I’ve gotten better. In the past months, we’ve seen the first consistent results since we’ve been on the WorldTour but that’s just the surface of what’s been evolving behind the scenes.”
Having joined in 2020 amid COVID and immediately racing the Spring Classics, the then 25-year-old was thrust straight into the theater of European racing. Since then, she has been a linchpin in the team.
“I’ll forever be thankful to the team for supporting me during that time,” she says. “The team is helping me as I aim to compete to Paris this summer. These are the goals that make you more than just a rider. To be supported by the team in all of these personal goals and through injuries and rehabilitation is so important.”
The Human Powered Health Pillars of Performance – movement, fuel, mindset and recovery – are key mantras that Williams has followed.
“Fuel has been the biggest change for me this year,” she says. “We have a performance nutritionist [Erica Lombardi] and cook [Pablo Salas] now. I’ve had plenty of struggles with this throughout my time as a performance athlete so when you learn how to do it correctly in a sustainable way that isn’t hard and you’re eating the right things and you feel good without craving foods you feel you’re missing out on has been a huge boost in my performance.”
After Paris 2024, she will be coming straight back to the road, something she says not many may do but that will be an important part of her mindset and recovery. On a more day-to-day basis, movement has been the pillar that connects Williams road and track ambitions.
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- Williams leads Chloe Dygert at the Tour of Flanders.
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- Thorne help Williams on every step of her Olympic and road ambitions.
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- Embracing Daria Pikulik at Ronde de Mouscron.
“When you have goals throughout the season you have to focus on keeping healthy movement in your routine because cycling is so hard on your body,” she says. “Making sure to take care of those pieces throughout the year is key. Human Powered Health prioritizes our bodies, minds, and wellbeing and not just the outcome of the races.”
Her goals beyond the Olympics highlight the growth in her performance.
“I want to see continued consistency and show that I belong in the WorldTour,” she says. “Whatever that looks like, whether it’s me getting the result or helping someone else it doesn’t matter to me. It’s a whole team effort and I feel valued on Human Powered Health no matter what I’m doing. Results would be great but feeling good about my progress is just as, if not more important.”
Saturday’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift will be the first race day of a new era for Williams and Human Powered Health as the pair go from strength to strength.
