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A Week In The Sun

During a cold week in February I was lucky enough to be asked to go along to a Cycling Weekly “Health & Fitness” photo shoot. This is a great new magazine, designed especially for cyclists, with an emphasis on how to reach your potential. It includes menu ideas, information on how to use training equipment and some sample training plans.

There were 8 of us in total including editorial staff and photographers; we all stayed in a Villa in the Seirra Espuna region of Spain which is fantastic for riding. The National Park there is stunning and there were some really quiet roads. All in all, we had a successful few days getting some really great shots. The magazine goes on sale 17th March- well worth checking out!

First Race

It has been a while since I’ve raced so I was really looking forward to seeing what my legs had to offer. I drove down on Friday to practice the course- I had a taster of what the weather would be like by driving through several hailstorms on the way there. By the time I reached the race venue there was a break in the clouds so I made a dash to registration- collected my number and got a quick lap in. I’m pretty glad I took the chance because within moments of getting back the heavens opened and we were greeted with heavy rain, thunder and lightening!

A quick clean of the bike, and I decided not to get any wetter so found where I was staying. One of the good things about returning to a race venue each year is knowing where offers good food- and where doesn’t! I chose to eat in the same restaurant I had last year.

On Saturday- race day I was feeling relaxed and not half as nervous as I expected to be! I had nailed my warm-up, and was happy with the set up of my bike. The start was a bit of a muddle, and we seemed to be held for ages before the gun was fired, but we were all set off in the end. I had a terrible gridding because of being ill last year, but with a course like Thetford there is always good opportunity to pass on the long straights before the twisty single-track.

All was going well for the first half of the lap, and I wasn’t experiencing any of the symptoms I’d had last year (my health was still something I wasn’t 100% confident about) and I was just settling into a rhythm, riding my own race, when I felt like I was losing air from my rear tyre. I stopped, checked, and sure enough there was a leak somewhere, so I got my foam out and inflated the tyre again. Back on my way, I knew it was a long race and if I was sensible I could make up that time over the next 4 ½ laps.

However not long into the second lap- and the second foam canister, my rear tyre deflated again; this was unfortunately going to be the end of my race. So I limped to the arena feeling dejected; but not defeated. My main aim of this race was to feel healthy, and alive- basically like myself before my year of illness. I’m quietly confident that I’m back on track!

Finally Mended

The doctors have finally given me the A-OK! My last set of blood tests came back showing that I’m completely over my virus, and as far as they’re concerned I’m back to being healthy again. This only means one thing- that I can get back to serious training again!

I’m over the moon with the news, the forced break has given me the chance to re-focus and I’m really determined to get a good winter in my legs and make next year my best.

As far as the plan for winter goes, I plan to combine training with lots of cross racing- just because I’ve missed so many races this summer. It will be a good opportunity to re-familiarise my body with the pain and stress of a race situation, without the added pressure of wanting to get a result.

To combine a fresh start with my riding I have also moved house, so I’m really looking forward to the next chapter!

Illness

After a few bad races and feeling unusually fatigued after short periods of high intensity training I decided to visit the doctors to seek medical opinion to what I was experiencing. I’ve over-trained before, and knew this was not the same kind of fatigue, yet at the same time it was having the same devastating effect.

After a couple of weeks traipsing in and out of the doctors and giving them copious amounts of my blood I was told that I’ve been suffering from glandular fever. This is a nasty virus that saps the body of energy; because I have a good base fitness I was told that the virus is not affecting me on a daily basis when undertaking normal tasks, which it would ordinarily do to an “average” person. This would explain how I can feel healthy right up to the point of high intensity exercise.

I have been told not to race for 6 weeks; so it is unlikely I will be able to race at the National Championships in late July. This is a huge disappointment to me as this is my last year in the U23 category; and the national championships was my last chance of being able to qualify for the world championships.

I have decided to take a leaf out of Gunn Rita’s book and put my health before my racing and follow the doctors’ advice. There is still a healthy portion of the season left after July; which I hope to be fit enough to race; so all my efforts are being put towards getting better.

By catching such a nasty virus makes me realise that everyone is at risk to illness, even athletes; despite a healthy exterior. There are in fact more professional sports people who have suffered glandular fever or another serious virus than you may think. I often look up to athletes in a way that makes them almost super-human, and it seems impossible that they could suffer from the everyday illnesses you hear about. Having something like this happen makes me realise everyone is vulnerable and good health should not be taken for granted.

I shall keep you posted with how my recovery is shaping up! (fingers crossed).

Season Opener

On the sunny day of 6th April I headed down to Thetford, East Anglia with a feeling of excitement and nervousness. A feeling accentuated by the fact it was the first big race of the season; you can never replicate that feeling, and it really hits you when you first feel it.

It was Easter weekend and traffic was bad, everyone seemed to be heading in the same direction, the direction I wanted to go! Finally arriving at the race, a bit flustered but in one-piece, I was greeted by a great course which was really fun to ride, it flowed really well and I felt strong.

I was happy with the course and my bike, so I headed to the B&B to rest up! I was lucky to have my mummy and daddy come and watch this race, so I would have someone able to hand me bottles in the feed zone, and generally be an extra pair of hands. On race day, it was sunny and I was still feeling fresh. I had a good start, it was fast but then you always expect that at Thetford.

Unfortunately I was involved in a bit of a crash on the first lap and the seal broke between my saddle and seat-post, this meant that no matter how much I tightened it, the slightest bump made the saddle move so the nose was pointing in the air. Thanks to the technical zones I was able to stop and pick up the necessary tools, but I had lost valuable time and used up lots of energy riding a whole lap out of the saddle! From the second lap onwards my saddle started moving more regularly and I had to stop on a more frequent basis. In the end I had lost so much time I decided enough was enough and called it a day on the 4th lap. To be honest I was furious with this incident as I knew I had good form. Hand on heart I think I could have been up there at the front of the race.

Trek-VW

This year I will be joining some of Britain’s best riders at Trek-VW; a well established and respected team both in the UK, and abroad.

This is a great opportunity for me, and I’m really excited about working with such a professional team.

I’ve been incredibly lucky, and given the hugely popular 9.9 carbon fibre hard-tail to race.
This rides really well and I’m really looking forward to racing it. I ordered my name decals yesterday, something I always look forward to doing each year.

I think it’s the final touch to making your bike look the best it can!I’d like to wish all of the team good luck this year, lets hope we all achieve our goals, and most importantly enjoy racing!

My Up & Coming Races:

April:

12th National MTB Rd 1
20th Team Road Series
27th National Road Series

May:

10th National MTB Rd 2
18th National Road Series
25th Giant Marathon ESP

June:

1st National Road ESP
14th National MTB Rd3

22nd National Crit Champs

July:

5th G2 Revolver Enduro
19th National MTB Champs

27th Team Road Series