SportsShoes Blog

I’m now back in training after breaking my left femur and right wrist 4 months ago, and it feels great! As was reported on the site, on the morning of Friday 7th May myself and my teammates set out on a normal training ride of three hours when our group was involved in an accident with a car. Basically, to cut the long story short, the car hit me directly and the outcome was the two broken bones. Obviously I was absolutely gutted, but 4 months on it’s time to get over it and I’ve now been back on the bike for 6 weeks!
I started off slowly, literally doing 30 minutes of riding at a time but now I’ve built up to just over 15 hours a week on the bike, aswell as 2 sessions in the gym.
Obviously I know there’s a long way to go until I’m even properly fit again but its so encouraging that everything is going in the right direction and I know its just a matter of time, hard work and being patient!

I’m back out in Belgium now and training and racing on the road! Late March and April has seen me enter the start of a huge block of racing, starting with the first World Cup of the road season, Trofeo Binda in Varese, Italy. Being my second World Cup on the road, in addition to Plouay GP at the end of last season, I knew what sort of standard to expect, as all of the big hitters would be there! As there isn’t a U23 category on the road for females, all of the road racing we do is senior women’s so the standard is always pretty high! The race included a large lap of about 60km with 2 nasty, steep climbs and a long dragging ascent, then continued on to an 18km finishing circuit with more climbs to complete the race distance of 136km! After the first steep climb the race split into about five groups and I ended up in the third group of about 20 along with my team mate Katie. From this point we rode on towards the finish circuit, keeping the pressure on along the flat to try and catch the group in front but the group was simply too big to work together and there were only about 5 of us doing any turns on the front, so we never made contact with the main bunch again. When we entered the finish circuit we were told we had to stop and were pulled out of the race. This can sometimes happen in road racing, as the commissaries (race organisers) have to stop the traffic for the race, so if the race is too split up then this makes it difficult. So, in the name of safety anyone who is too far back has to stop. In fact, over half of the field didn’t finish. However, Nicole finished in 6th which was a good start to her World Cup campaign.

The next weekend, Sunday 4^th April brought the second World Cup to Belgium! The 118km course for Tour of Flanders looped in and around the Oudenaarde area for the first half of the race, then ended up in Ninove. Again, it was a tough course but in a completely different way to Binda. There were lots of long, flat cobbled sections, ranging from about 500m to 2k and also 9 climbs. However, none resembled the climbs from the first World Cup, in any way shape or form! Some were cobbled, such as the Bosburg and the Muur - the last two climbs - and others were on normal roads but ranged from in distance and gradient. The race started off well and I fulfilled my role for the team which was to be active at the front of the bunch for the first 26km before the first cobbled section, then lead Nicole into the cobbles as far up in the group as possible. I managed to take her into the cobbles in the top 10 so was pleased to have got my job done, but keen to stay in the top group as long as possible. I got over the first climb, the Kluisberg, in the main bunch, which showed a definite improvement in my climbing, but on the flat roads after the climb, misfortune struck as my chain snapped in two! We race with radios so that we can have contact with our manager and coach, Simon and the mechanic, Martyn who ride in the convoy of cars that follow the race; so I called over the radio that my chain had snapped so that they could give me a spare bike. Unfortunately, as my teammate Lucy had crashed a little while earlier, the car was at the back of the convoy so it took quite a long time to actually reach me. By that point, not only had the first group completely gone past, but the second group, third and fourth, as well as other small groups of riders… so it was pretty much race over by then. I wanted to finish as far up as possible though, so I kept moving myself up and finished 108^th. I was pleased to have made it to the finish of such a tough course but disappointed that my chain had snapped on a day when I had good legs.

The day after Flanders was GP Dottingies, which was again quite local to our Oudenaarde base. The field contained a lot of riders from the World Cup so that fact, combined with a race distance of 121km, cross winds and tired legs meant that it was to be another hard day in the saddle! I made a lot of stupid mistakes, such as getting caught near the back in the cross wind section and starting the climb at the back of the bunch, meaning that fairly soon I was gritting my teeth and struggling to stay with the race! I didn’t end up finishing the full race distance, as I ended up too far back so consequently was pulled out. Again, disappointing, but not really that surprising considering my bad positioning and fatigue from the previous days efforts.

After a recovery ride on Tuesday and a 4 hour drive to Holland, the next race was Drentse 8, a 141km race in the Drenthe region of Holland. With the next World Cup, Ronde van Drenthe taking place two days later, the field contained most of the World Cup riders, plus a few others from Dutch teams. It was quite windy again with cobbles and crosswinds to catch you out but this time I was prepared! Having learnt from my mistakes on Monday in Dottingies I fought my way to the front of the bunch and managed to stay there – finding that it makes life a whole lot easier being in the shelter of the top 20 rather than hanging on at the back as there is a lot less physical effort required! It was a good race and I was pleased with how I rode, keeping a good position, going with attacks and even picking up 3^rd place in one of the ‘primes’ (sprints within the race, usually for points or money.) With around 25km to go, a group of 11 riders, including GB rider Lucy Martin, attacked and gained a 15 second advantage on the main bunch. This gap fluctuated between 10-20 seconds but was still maintained until the finish. I was hoping to be competitive in the bunch sprint, but with around 15km to go the effort of the race really caught up with me and I was cramping up big style! There was no way I could do more than 2 pedal revs out of the saddle, so tried to sprint in the saddle and rolled in at the finish for 49^th place. However, this was the best race I have ridden so far this year so was really happy and also chuffed to bits for Lucy who came 8^th and got the prize for the best young rider.

21/09/09

Well I’ve now moved into my new flat in Manchester and I’m back into track training for a competition in Barcelona later on this week! After Trophee d’Or stage race I flew back home for a 12 day break from the bike! I was pretty busy, seeing friends and family, shopping, going out etc.  I also went to Barcelona for a 3 day holiday, it was really nice to get a bit of sun and see the sights! I’m sure my next experience of Barcelona will be a bit different though, a lot less lazing around in the sun and eating tapas and a lot more hard work!!

I’m really enjoying being back on the bike though and getting back on the track.  I’m sharing the flat with another cyclist, Dani King at the moment until the other girls get back from the World Road Race Champs in Mendrisio.  It’s really nice, situated in the student area of Fallowfield, Manchester.  It’s pretty busy around Fallowfield at the moment as its Freshers Week- we’ve stayed away though- don’t want to be catching any freshers flu!

Training on the track has been pretty mixed really, on some sessions I’ve felt quite good and on others, terrible! I guess it’ll take a while for my legs to adjust to riding the track again and get used to pace judgement necessary for individual and team pursuiting. I’m going through the motions though and hoping I’ll be able to do a decent time for the 3k individual pursuit in Barcelona.

I’ve been getting in the miles on the road after the National Senior Track Champs. The Nationals went really well, I came away with 3 silver medals and 1 bronze and a new PB for the 3k pursuit, 3.43.3

After then it was back on the road for a 24 hour week of road and rollers! My new flatmate Katie had moved in so we did some really good rides, occasionally getting lost as we explored! One particular 5 hour ride turned into a 6 hour epic where we only just got back before it got dark!!

We’ve also been doing quite a bit of test work at the moment, with ramp tests, skinfold measurements and submaximal power tests at the EIS, with the aim being to repeat them in 6 weeks time to test for specific improvements.

27/09/09

Just arrived back from Barcelona again where I was competing in a European Track Cup meeting at the Olympic velodrome.  We arrived there on Wednesday night and were pleased to find it was a lot hotter than Manchester!!  The next day was spent on the track, where I did a couple of rolling efforts and a standing effort to open up the legs.  I was pleased to find that my legs had finally woken up after feeling rubbish the past couple of days! We then rested up during the afternoon, we were staying in the Barcelona University accomodation which was just across the road from the track, so was pretty handy!

Friday was the first day of competition, with the 3k individual pursuit in the morning. I qualified fastest in 3.49 so was in the final for gold and silver in the afternoon, against a Spanish rider.  I was pleased to do a decent time after so little preparation and on an outdoor track.  The final didn’t go to plan, as I’d decided to ride a bigger gear, which I never really got on top of so ended up finishing 2nd.  However, I was still glad I’d tried out the new gear, as there is so little racing opportunites for the pursuit so its important to try new things, especially with the Nationals coming up in a few weeks

After the pursuit final was the scratch race, so I was pretty knackered by then! I rode ok and kept myself in a decent position throughout the race until the last 6 laps when I made a few mistakes, meaning I lost my position and so was never in contention for the sprint at the end.  Came 11th. 

The points race the next day was even more disappointing.  I didn’t score a single point, despite trying a few times to take a lap and attack the sprints.  I simply didn’t have the legs, and the fact I hadn’t ridden a bunch race on the track for almost a year definitely showed.

So…a mixed bag results-wise! Pursuit was promising but bunch racing definitely needs more work! Got another hard week of training though so I’m hoping that my fitness will improve and better results will come!

Raced a lot since my last post! After Germany the next big race was Holland Hills, a UCI race which was really tough….basically, anyone who thinks Holland is flat would definitely change their mind after looking at the course! After only 4km disaster struck as there was a crash, which brought down my team mate Katie, who crashed into my back wheel.  Thinking I was ok I carried on, then realised that my wheel had been damaged in the crash so I had to wait for a replacement. This took longer than expected as the car was back at the crash sorting out a spare for Katie, so in the end we both had to chase back on to the main group for a good 45min! I spent pretty much the rest of the race in the main group then after leading out my teammate Sharon into one of the climbs I finally cracked and was dropped, finishing in the second group in 50th place.

After Holland Hills, we had a hard week of training, with 3 races and hard training days in between to try and simulate the sort of fatigue we would be feeling in a couple of weeks time when we did Trophee d’Or, a stage race in France.  In one of the races in Hoeleden I got another 2nd place to GB rider Joanna Rowsell, which I was fairly pleased about but disappointed I didn’t win. 

After a tough week it was time to ease off a bit then make the very long journey to France for Plouay World Cup. On the way, during one of the service station stops I managed to get in touch with school to get my A level results! I got an A in Psychology and 2 B’s in Human Biology and English Lit, so was really happy…..and celebrated with….a Magnum ice cream!!

Once we got to our hotel for the race we met up with Olympic and World Champion Nicole Cooke who was also riding for GB that weekend, and went to look around the course. It was basically a 19km circuit which consisted of climbs and descents with very little flat in between, which was to be completed 6 times - so I knew it was going to be hard once it got to race day!

Saturday came and it was as expected - hard! It rained early on in the race which was pretty scary once it came to descending the hills! I finished the race after getting dropped in a group of about 20 riders - but we were too far down on the winners time to be given a placing.

From Plouay it was another long drive to Bourges where we had a couple of easy days then into Trophee d’Or.

Well I’m now back in Oudenaarde with the other Academy girls and its going well.  I can feel myself getting fitter and its meant I can ride more aggressively and get more out of the racing.   The last couple of weeks have seen me get my first podium placings out here, with a win too!

My first result was in Diksmuide, which was a criterium race.  I broke away with Emma Trott and Dani King, both British riders who had come to race in Belgium, with Emma being based here full time.  Myself and Emma stayed away to gain about a minute on the main bunch.  In the sprint, I attacked too early, so Emma could come round me and go first into the last corner.  Out of the corner there was only 100m until the line and so I was beaten!  A couple of days later though I managed to get a win in Herentals, also a criterium. With my parents and sister watching, as they had come over from the UK, I really wanted to do a good ride and was aggressive in the first few laps.  Eventually, having attacked into a corner which lead out on to a cobbled section, I managed to get away.  With my teammates helping to chase down attacks from the main bunch, I spent the rest of the race riding on my own to take a solo win!
 
From Herentals it was straight to Germany for a crit in Dortmund on the Saturday night.  With a UCI race, Sparkassen Giro the next day, it was a quality field and a bit of an eye-opener coming in for the bunch sprint and surrounded by so many riders! With a lap and a half to go I had managed to get myself in the top 6 but then I hit a stone in the road, and looked down at my wheel for a couple of seconds and found that I had completely lost my place. Finished at the top end of the bunch.
The next day it was Sparkassen Giro, an 88km race which was ‘lumpy’ with one main climb.  I climbed okay and managed to keep myself in the main bunch. Unfortunately I couldnt get myself to the front of the group again but managed to get 18th place, which upon reflection I decided wasn’t too shabby.

After we came back from Germany, my family were still around for another couple of days so I spent my rest day with them which was really nice. Had a look round Oudenaarde and sampled the local cakes which I have to say aren’t too shabby either!

Well I’m now a full time cyclist, exams over and done with and no more school…and it feels great! Moving out to Belgium happened a bit later than planned, as I picked up a knee injury whilst studying for my exams….the combination of sitting at my desk for long periods of time, lack of bike maintainance by myself and being in rigid shoe cleates lead to right knee pain.  This meant that, instead of finishing my last exam and getting on a plane out to Belgium I had to go over to Manchester and spend a few days there, going in to see physio Phil Burt at the EIS.  I also changed my pedals to Speedplay which are fairly new pedals which allow greater movement in the cleate so that you can find the right pedalling position…..all very technical…but yeah I’m fine now!

Once I’d got that sorted, it was back in training for 2 weeks, doing a mix of long rides, rollers and 10 minute time trial reps, then to the U23 European Road Championships in Hooglede, Belgium.  I finished 35th in the time trial, with other GB riders Katie Colclough in 10th and Lucy Martin in 37th.

The road race then took place a few days later, and at 135km it would be the longest race I’d done so far (by a good 50km!) and one which my coach said he was not expecting me to finish.  My priority he explained, was to help out riders such as Katie Colclough and Annie Last and finish as much of the race as possible.  Having saying that, I was eager to finish, but in hot temperatures, a fast pace of racing and a high standard of riders my race was over at 108km.  I was disappointed but knew that my preparation hadn’t been ideal.  GB had an excellent result though, with Katie finishing in 2nd place behind Chantaal Blak of Holland, and in front of current senior silver medallist Marianne Vos who came 3rd.

From Hooglede, some of the Academy girls returned to the UK for a mid season break, others to a pre European Track Champs training camp, whilst I stayed in Belgium.  I’m currently staying in Westmeerbeek with some other cyclists but will move back to Oudenaarde in a couple of weeks when everyone else returns.

Last weekend saw me make another trip to Oudenaarde, Belgium for a bit of training and a 100km road kermesse race. I flew out on the Friday night and arrived at the house at about 9pm, tired but glad to be there! Saturday was spent going out for a ride on the nice quiet roads, a brief bit of revision then sorting stuff out for the race the next day.

During the afternoon we all met our coach down in the town, at the Tour of Flander’s cafe to have individual and team meetings to dicuss plans for the rest of the year. The cafe was great, one wall had loads of team jerseys pinned up on it, then there was a table featuring some of the signatures of past Tour of Flander’s winners!

The next morning, we all packed our race bags and drove to Burcht, a town in Antwerp. After signing on the riders gathered at the start line to begin and were told that any groups more than 1 minute 30 behind the lead group would be pulled out of the race…it was then that I realised it was going to be a fast one!

As soon as the race started I knew it was going to be hard, it was the constant change of pace that I struggled with as its something that is achieved by racing frequently. I tried to place myself at the front of the race, but once I got there, I didn’t have the legs to maintain the speed and so dropped back. Myself and a few others tailed off the back and despite my best efforts to stay in contact with the bunch I was dropped and was eventually pulled out.

I then spent the rest of the race riding round the course the other way to get a few miles in and watched my teammate Katie Colclough take a solo win!

After all this the girls went back to Oudenaarde and I went back to the airport and back home to complete the last 5 weeks of school!

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/gbr/EventReports2009/20090511_Academy_Women.asp

Not written for a while, struggled with an injury over winter but everything is okay now.

Just come back from Belgium where I’ve been styaing with the other Academy girls in a house in Oudenaarde. They are now based there so I’ll be joining them as soon as the exams are over…9 weeks and 2 days…not that I’m counting! It was really good to see the other girls and do some good training. Went to watch Tour of Flanders too which was amazing…although I wished I could have been rding! we stood on the Kapelmuur and watched as the womens race came up it! There were crowds all the way up the climb…the Belgians definitely like a bike race!

Did a mix of long rides and turbo sessions whilst I was out there…mostly double days. Went up a few testing cobbled climbs too…the roads around there are brilliant as they are a mix of flat and hillywith cobblest too, so its easy to do a recovery ride but good for doing efforts or a hard ride.

I’ve got my first race in a couple of week which is part of the Women’s National Series, the Cheshire Classic. Looking forward to racing again as thats what its all about!