Over the weekend, the blockade of COVID-19 was eased in Spain, and Ashley Moolman Pasio (CCC-Liv) went out for the first time and went straight to Roca Corba, a local climbing course near Girona. She climbed three and a half minutes faster than ever before.

The South African native summited the 9.9-km climb in 31 minutes and 9 seconds, averaging just over 7%, further boosting Strava's "Queen of the Mountains" ranking.

Considering the length of this climb and the fact that she has run this climb countless times, this was quite a jump up.

The secret to her success was riding indoors.

Speaking to reporters after winning two stages in this week's Zwift Tour for All online race series, Moolman Pacio described herself as a "real Zwift convert," explaining that she initially snubbed the idea of riding a stationary bike.

"I had a little mental block against Zwift. Why would I need to use something like that? I live in Girona, which is cycling heaven.

"But when it was blocked, I decided I could either dwell on the unavailability and make my life miserable, or I could embrace it, overcome my weaknesses, and make the most of it."

While the Zwift platform attempts to replicate the feel of real road riding and racing, many professionals have noted differences in riding styles and results. Mourman Pacio, a lightweight climber, said he felt more powerful as a result.

"In the beginning, the intervals I had to do on Zwift were really hard and painful, but I tried to overcome them.

"The reality is that when you're training indoors, you rely on brute force techniques like torque and power. So I just accepted that and tried as hard as I could.

"I was relieved to see that my numbers were up on the power test. I kept realizing the benefits of indoor training. And the first day after the lockdown restrictions were lifted, I went straight to Roca Colva and did some pretty awesome times there, which made me realize that I had a place in both Zwift and the real world."

Mourman-Pasio is now able to train in the real world, and according to the 2020 calendar released by the UCI on Tuesday, he should be able to race in the real world by August.

In fact, the announcement came as she was winning the second stage of the Zwift Tour for All and riding the first few kilometers when her husband broke the news of the women's Paris-Roubaix in October.

"Wow, that's really amazing," she said. From the beginning, I realized that there are always opportunities in these difficult times, but sometimes you have to change your mindset to be able to see them."

"After the lockdown, it proves that there are opportunities in women's cycling. The women's peloton is definitely ready and we are hungry to prove ourselves in a really tough race like that.

"As for the calendar in general, I managed to find my place and enjoy myself. But I am really happy to hear that the calendar has been announced and that we will be racing outdoors towards the end of the year. I hope it comes to fruition