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European Junior Cycling Tour Assen

Stage 1 – Prologue

                                                                                                                                                            

The first stage was a 1km prologue with a tricky 180 degree bend which, annoyingly, we weren’t allowed to recce before our timed attempt. My preparation leading up to my prologue wasn’t the best, as up until an hour before, I was lying in bed because I was ill. I still gave the prologue my best shot but my time wasn’t reflective of what I should have got if I was feeling well. So a bit of disappointing and annoying start to the week of racing by being ill.

Stage 2 - Criterium Goudkust Vredeveldseweg

Today’s crit race was fast and furious from the start. We had 22 laps of a 1.8 km course to do, which had a few tight corners and a section of road which was tiled. In this tour, they grid riders by a lucky dip of the second digit of the bib numbers, to each row at the start line. Today I was gridded around the middle and so in the first few laps I was able to move myself up into a good position in the top third of the peloton, trying to conserve my energy. Next though, there was a crash right in front of me which completely slowed me up and I had to chase back onto the peloton. By the time I got back into the peloton I definitely had begun to tire and I found myself at the back of the peloton for the next few laps, before eventually dropping off. I was quite surprised at the time that I had dropped off as I believed that I was in good form, so I assumed that having to chase on after the crash had completely drained me. After I was off the main group I found that I was still struggling to keep up with a group of other riders who had dropped off, this made me realize that there must be another problem. I stopped at the pits and yes I had a slow puncture on my back wheel. This explained why I had dropped off the main group as when I checked my inner tube the hole was sooo tiny that I must have had the slow puncture for the majority of the race as it was rather flat when I stopped. So today was annoying as I lost time on the GC but it taught me that I need to be much more aware of problems to do with my bike as if I had realized earlier, when I was in the main bunch, I would have most likely lasted the whole race in the main bunch! I hope, my teammate, Paige, you recover quickly from breaking collar bone on the final corner on the final lap!

Stage 3 – Klassieker

                                                                                                                                                             The Klassieker was a 40 mile road race, with a technical 4.4 km cobbled section to contend with! The cobbled section was 10 miles into the race and leading up to that the race pace was set high as everyone was moving around the bunch to get to the front of the peloton; the safest place to be leading into the cobbled section as you were less likely to be stuck behind splits within the peloton. Last year I really struggled with the cobbled section as it was very damp and I was scared. This time I had gone to recce the cobbles and so I was much more comfortable riding them at race pace. However it didn’t go to plan as I was caught behind a split in the peloton before the cobbles!. I went through the cobbled section pretty smoothly (!) with two other riders. On emerging from the cobbles, there was a group of riders between us and the main peloton, which we caught within a few kilometres. At this point there was still over 25 miles left of racing and as a group we worked very well together and were eventually able to catch the peloton. I managed then to move my way back into a good position in the middle to front of the peloton. Then, with 10 km to go, there was a crash in the middle of the peloton just ahead of me. I had to come to an abrupt stop causing the person behind me to bang into the back of me and my back wheel. I was in the middle of the crash scene, still upright, but with no easy way out and not much room to quickly untangle someone’s rear gear cable from my Garmin cadence sensor. So it took quite a while for me to get going again, but I had someone else with me and together we managed to chase back onto the peloton, though exerting lots of energy in that attempt. There wasn’t very long to recover as by that time there was only 5km to the finish, but I managed to move into a decent position with the main bunch and I finished 14^th in the sprint finish! Definitely very pleased with that result, in such a tough race and especially as I had to use so much energy chasing onto the peloton with 10km to go.

Stage 4- Omloop Kostvlies

Today’s stage was early in the morning and I was also still very tired after yesterday’s tough stage. It was another fast race which was going well for me. I stayed in the main bunch, which was gradually getting smaller and smaller. Then, on the corner, with 1 lap to go, I was cut up going round outside of the corner and consequently pushed into a small ditch by the side of the road. By the time I got myself back onto the road the peloton was long gone and I had no energy left to chase on. This was very annoying as because it was just outside 3km to go I lost more time on the GC. I finished 28th as quite a lot of riders had already dropped off the main group. So another frustrating stage as I could have finished a lot higher if I had been there at the sprint finish. This has taught me to be a stronger rider, to stop the foreign riders from feeling as though they can push me off the road!

Stage 5- Criterium door het Asserbos 

I was really looking forward to this last crit stage as I quite liked the course. It was another very fast race and I found myself towards the back of the group most of the time which wasn’t the best place to be as it meant that I felt the elastic band effect going round the corners. However, as it was a slightly shorter race and I was on good form I still had energy left at the end of the race. With 2 laps to go I moved up into the top 20 in the bunch and by the final corner on the last lap I was in at least the top 15, so in a good position to be competitive in the sprint. However, I didnt anticipate that the line I was taking round the corner was going to be my downfall .... as there was a crash at the front of the peloton, going round the final corner, with the riders sliding round the outside of the bend, directly in the line I was taking. I had to slow down to get through the small gap between the riders and the barrier. Unfortunately, this meant that all the riders who had taken the inside line went right past me! Well done to my teammate Lucy for taking the inside line and coming 4th J

Stage 6- Individual TT

After a long busy week of racing, today was the final stage, and unusually it ended on TT. Annoyingly for me the TT was very short (like the prologue) and was a total of 1.9 km. A longer TT would have suited me much better. Anyway, I managed to pace myself better than usual as normally I completely fade in the second half. I did better than I did in the prologue but short TT’s like this are something I really need to work on!

In the end I finished 35^th in the General Classification with my best result being 14^th in the Klassieker. All in all, I had a really great time racing in Assen. The races were much shorter than I was used to, but much faster as well. It has certainly given me a lot of experience and I hope to go back again next year and use what I’ve learnt to do even better. Well done to all my teammates! 

Essex Giro 2 Day- part of the National Women’s road race series

Unfortunately, my lead up to this race wasn’t what it normally was leading up to a major event, as the crash the week before meant I had over a week off the bike. Anyway, I went into the weekend with a positive attitude, excited for a tough weekend of racing with my teammates! J

The first stage was a 2 lap TT of the Redbridge circuit, which I found particularly difficult to pace myself as I had to go up the major hill 2 times. I started off well, but in hindsight I went too fast in the flatter sections. This meant that I had little energy left to go up the hill and so I lost a lot of time there. Not a good result in the TT, but I put it behind me and looked forward to the next stage as it would suit me better.

By the second stage, the sun was out and it was extremely hot!! I therefore had to ensure that I kept on drinking water constantly to make sure I didn’t get dehydrated before the race had even started! The race was really tough because of the hot conditions, but it was going well for me, sitting in the middle of the bunch, until I had some mechanical problems with my bike; my chain jammed solid so I couldn’t pedal! This happened twice and both times I had to quickly sort out the problem and chase on. I was successful chasing on, but the next lap there was a sudden increase of pace up the hill, which I was unable to keep up with because I’d used too much energy chasing back on and hadn’t fully recovered. I also made the mistake of being on a wheel of a rider who was dropping off and I didn’t have the energy to get around her. I then rode round the rest of the race at a steady pace, catching up with other people who had dropped off and then dropping them myself. Exhausted after the race and rather annoyed that mechanical issues hindered me.

The third stage was a 75 mile road race with a 7 mile neutralised section before that! So a very long race, the longest I’ve ever done by quite a distance and it was made even harder as it was a rather hilly course as well! The weather was completely contrasting to the day before, horribly rainy and it had caused flooding across the whole road at some sections. The race was fast from the start, and for the first lap of 4, I maintained a very good position within the bunch, always in the top 10, so having quite an active start of the race. For the next laps, I settled within the middle to front of the group, constantly finding that each hill and the race distance was really getting to my legs. The main group was certainly being whittled down, so with 1 lap to go there were just over 30 of us left. On the hill up to the finish line with 1 lap to go, my legs were sooo tired so I dropped off the main group. However, on the flat section after the hill, I put a lot of effort in and I managed to chase back onto the group; I then stayed comfortably in the group for the rest of the lap. In the sprint up the hill at the end, I had nothing left so I finished last in the main group, 32^nd. However I am really pleased to have lasted 75 miles in the main group on a tough circuit in horrible conditions! 

Oakley Village Women’s Team Series Race

Today’s race was another round in the Women’s Team Series and it was a 51 mile race on a flat course which I knew would suit me very well. I made the mistake of having my tyres pumped to 120psi which certainly made it more difficult going round the bends once it started pouring down with rain.  The race started off very well for me, I found the race pace very comfortable and I spent most of the time in the top 15 in the main group. The weather conditions however completely disrupted the race, the torrential rain made riding in the group very sketchy and gave the 2 riders off the front even more chance to stay away. I still maintained my good positioning within the group but unfortunately my race ended abruptly when I fell heavily off my bike. As there was lots of running water on the circuit, I couldn’t see  quite a big pothole and therefore went straight into it at about 27mph! Because I hit the pothole with such force my hands went straight off my bars as they were wet and slippery. I was therefore thrown headfirst over my bike and onto the road, landing rather heavily, and then sliding because it was so wet. Thankfully though no broken bones, but the usual road rash, bad cuts and bruises. The 70 or so riders behind me in the group somehow managed to avoid me, so my crash could have been a lot worse. This was the end of my race as my bike had quite a lot of damage and I hit my knee very nastily so it had swollen up and was very bruised with a nasty cut which needed attention. Overall, it was not the best turn out for me today, and very disappointed. However, well done to the Bike Pure girls for a team win!! J

Just before the rain!

Win at Hillingdon Women’s Race 25^th June

There was a decent turnout of 8 women for today’s race which overall was a well paced race with a number of attacks making it a quite interesting. I went on 2 attacks with Annabel, though neither of these stuck. Towards the end of the race, I rested within the group in order to get myself ready for the sprint finish. Jasmijn attacked up the hill on the last lap, with Annabel and me joining her. Annabel overtook Jasmijn, giving me a lead out on the final bend and I sprinted to win. Very happy to take the win with a strong sprint, and Annabel taking second J

Wednesday 18^th June- Eelmore men’s race

In order to get some practice in for fast crit-style racing, I decided it would be a good idea to do the men’s race at Eelmore. It was a fast, tough race from the off, with an average of 27mph for the hour long race. I was very pleased to stay in the main bunch for the whole race. I kept myself well positioned in the bunch which certainly helped reduce the elastic effect from coming out of the 2 tight corners. This circuit is really good for practice at attacking out of the corners and therefore it has been a very good training race for me. As a bonus, I was second of the ladies with Lucy Chittenden winning and only Lucy and I finishing in the bunch with the men.

Surf n’ Turf 2 Day National Women’s Roads Series Race

The level and quality of riders entered for this round of the National Women’s Road Series, far exceeds any other race I’ve entered;  there were 2 Olympic Champions (Laura Trott and Dani King) and 1 Paralympic Champion (Sarah Storey) as well as other members of the GB Team Pursuit Team, Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker!!! As expected, this made the racing faster  and tougher and was a really great experience.

I really enjoyed the crit race, it was certainly fast from the go, but I felt comfortable riding in the main group. I even followed one of Katie Archibald’s attacks, maybe not the best idea as it took a few laps back inside the main group for me to recover from that effort. I was unfortunately rather unlucky in this race as I got stuck right behind a crash towards the end of the race. I had to break suddenly to a complete stop, immediately  behind it. I was therefore one of the last riders to get around the crash and begin chasing back to the main bunch. The bunch seemed soooo far ahead but I put in a really big effort and somehow managed to catch up the bunch after 2 laps of chasing. I was one of few who actually managed this, so I was very pleased with that. It took me a while to recover from this effort and there weren’t many laps to the end now; so I wasn’t in the best position (literally within the bunch and physically) to be as competitive as I would have liked in the final sprint. I managed a decent 26^th in the end which I’m very pleased about, because I was glad that I even made it back into the main group!

The road race the following day started off very fast from the go and there were lots of bends, twists and turns, so it didn’t help that I wasn’t in the best positon within the group. Due to being really tired after yesterday’s race, I unfortunately eventually dropped off and found myself with a group of 4 riders. We rode well together for the majority of the race but soon there were only 3 of us. After I recovered I did a lot of work on the front and found myself picking up the pace. I knew that Laura (in our group) was a couple of seconds ahead of me in the GC so I realised that it would be a good tactical move to drop Laura at some point so that I could move up a place in the GC. So with 6 miles to go I attacked just as Laura was finishing her turn up the drag hill. Laura dropped off our group so now there were only 2 of us. I then managed to win the sprint against the other woman at the end, so I came 1^st out of our group. It was definitely a tough and long race and so I was relieved when it was over! A really great weekend though racing against lots of top riders!

Wednesday 11^th June- Women’s race at Hillingdon

There was a better turnout than the last Wednesday night’s at Hillingdon, 9 women. Before the race, Annabel Fisher and I had a chat about trying to get away together on a break 30 minutes into the race. Until the point that we had planned the move, the race was steady, riding at a constant pace with no attacks. We attacked and stayed away for about a lap but the group behind us worked well to bring us back. I then rested in the middle of the group, recovering from the effort and to prepare for another  attack. Annabel attacked with 5 laps to go but unfortunately a rider got in the way so I couldn’t go with her without risking bringing the whole group with me. I therefore stayed in the middle of the group, conserving my energy, letting the others try to bring Annabel back. With 2.5 laps to go I realized that the gap was now bridgeable so I decided to attack in the trickier s-bend section of the circuit where I was very confident that I could break away quickly from the group. I managed to bridge the gap quickly. Great, with 2 laps to go Annabel and I were off the front. We worked well together and I just managed to outsprint Annabel at the end. Really pleased to get the win today. 

London Nocturne – Elite Women’s Criterium

Today we travelled to the centre of London for a fun action packed evening of racing at the Smithfield Markets. There were all sorts of races before my race, the Elite Women’s Criterium, such as a Penny Farthing race, “Boris bikes” races, folding bike races, track bike race, retro bike race etc. Lots of people had come out to watch and so the atmosphere was amazing. The course was rather bumpy and had lots of tight corners. Unfortunately, I was a few lines back at the start line and this really didn’t help as the race was so fast from the off! The whole time everyone was riding in single file as it was so fast, which made it hard to move up and so eventually the elastic band effect caused me to drop off the main group. Also, recently I have had a problem with my left knee and so kicking out of each corner was made painful and so I couldn’t put down as much power as I would have liked. I joined another group, just resting in the middle for a few laps in order to recover from the chaotic and tiring start. Eventually I recovered and moved up to the front of this group. In the end I managed to finish 3^rd in this group. Overall I’m really pleased I raced in this event, as it was such a great atmosphere. It was a tough race, but great experience!

Hillingdon Grand Prix (part of the National Women’s Road Series)

I was really looking forward to this race as I knew I was on good form and I’ve ridden the Hillingdon circuit so often that I know it suits me. The race was 47 laps; however the race was shortened slightly as one rider crashed midway in the race, after colliding with someone crossing the circuit. She was taken off in an ambulance and the race restarted shortly afterwards. Throughout the whole race I felt strong and comfortable riding consistently in at least the top third of the group. I went with a few attacks off the front, but I was mainly conserving my energy for the sprint at the end. I managed to get into a good position for the sprint and I came 8^th (2^nd junior). I’m really pleased with the result as it was a very good race for me and I managed to finish that off with the strong sprint at the end. 

 Hillingdon Wednesday Night Women’s race

For a change, there was a very small field of 5 women for today’s race, and as 3 of them rode for Bonito Squadra Corse, it made the race very different to usual. Throughout the race there were several attacks made by 2 of the Bonito Squadra Corse riders. I also made a couple of attacks, but neither of these stuck. One of the Bonito Squadra Corse riders managed to get away and stay away; their team worked well together tactically and had made me do a long turn on the front before one of them attacked, followed by another which was the one that stuck! It was impossible to work together as a group to catch the leading rider as her teammates kept on getting in the way and obviously wouldn’t do any work to help us catch her teammate. So this was very frustrating, however I’m pleased as I had a very strong sprint at the end which I won to come 2^nd overall. It was a very good training race, and hopefully setting me up nicely for the National Women’s RR on Sunday.

Banbury Star Road Race (part of the Women’s team series)

I can easily say that this course was rather enjoyable until….the hill Then it’s a completely different story! The pace within the bunch was fast from the go, but a pace that I was comfortable riding at. I stayed within the top third of the bunch and ensured I was in the top 5 going into a sharp corner at the bottom of the hill. All too soon we arrived at the start of the hill which was definitely going to be a defining section of the race. The hill was long and steep - could be considered an understatement! I was able to ride within the main bunch for the first half of the hill but then my legs completely died and I crawled up the rest of the hill, unfortunately losing sight of the main group. I recovered relatively quickly after the hill and I managed to catch a group of about 15 with two of my teammates, Sophie and Frankie. The race was 3 laps of the circuit and so we still had to go up the hill another 2 times! Considering that I had struggled sooo much the first time when it would be considered I was relatively “fresh”- the next 2 times were a nightmare for me. Anyhow, I ploughed through it and finished 3^rd within our group at the sprint at the end. I’m not going to deny that I was extremely glad when the race was over- it completely shattered me!

Thanks Huw for the photo :)

First ride on my new Bike Pure bike

                              Today I went on a little spin on my new Bike Pure bike, in order to get used to riding it (eg. Shifting from small to big chain ring, cornering etc.) before my first race on the bike on Sunday at the National Women’s Team Series round at Banbury. I most certainly love the look of the bike …. matching the team kit perfectly! More importantly it is also superb to ride; it’s light and it certainly feels like a much stiffer and responsive frame than my last bike, so probably really great for sprinting! Can’t wait now to start racing with it. 

Andy Morrison Memorial RR

4 out 6 of the team decided to head back to Bedford the following weekend for another road race. This time a slightly less hilly 30 mile race, on a simple triangle shaped circuit, with a long slight downhill, then up a long drag with a bit of a kick at the end, and then along a short straight with the finish line at the end of this road. The circuit was made tougher by rather strong winds, especially down the finishing straight. There was a decent sized field of 40 women and the pace of the race was quite high. It was a relatively uneventful race, with one attack halfway through the race which stuck. The group was unable to pull her back as many of the riders didn’t even know that someone was off the front! The race for me went fine, it wasn’t necessarily my favourite circuit and going up the hill 15 times certainly began to hurt at times. I finished 7^th overall after coming 6^th in the final chaotic bunch sprint. Fortunately I didn’t get caught up in the crash in the middle of the group, but unfortunately my teammate Lucy did and took a nasty tumble – get better soon! Well done to Frankie as well finishing 12^th. 

Bedford 3 Day – 3^rd to 5^th May  

This weekend was the biggest women’s stage race in the women’s calendar, the Women’s Team Series event at Bedford; this definitely looked like an action packed weekend of racing with 5 stages in just 3 days!! It was a really fun weekend with all my teammates (lots of time to bond – such as whilst waiting 2 hours for our food to arrive in a restaurant on the Saturday night!) , combined with lots of fast tough racing up and down hills - you could definitely say I was shattered by the end!!!... however, very glad I did it and I can’t wait to come back stronger next year and do it all again!

The first stage was about 35 miles, on a relatively flat circuit (there were some hills but they didn’t hurt your legs too much so they were fine). This race went well for me, I felt comfortable sitting in the top third of the group (a total of 90 women in the race) and still had enough energy left in my legs at the end to be competitive in the sprint finish! I was in a good position in the group going into the final corner before a long-ish drag hill up to the finish. Unluckily for me there was a crash which happened right in front of me. Luckily I didn’t get caught up in it but I had to brake and therefore lost my good position within the group. In the end I finished 25^th out of 90 which I was really pleased with! However, I was slightly annoyed as I did have energy left over after the sprint at the end. I overtook lots of riders in the finish but as I started from too far back, because of the crash,  I couldn’t get a better result. So ensuring I’m in a better position at the end is definitely a high priority for me. Well done to all my teammates!! We all managed to finish in the top 60, so a great result for the team today, definitely one of the top teams in the GC.

After the first stage

The second stage was a Team Time Trial of about 5 miles; the first TT that we’ve done together. We had a great positive atmosphere within the team, really pumped after yesterday’s good result. We all warmed up together and ensured that we sorted all of our tactics out e.g. starting order, which side we pull off, length of turns etc. The TT flew by as it was only 5 miles, we worked well as a team, as all of us are quite evenly matched. We had a slight hiccup on the last corner, a combination of heading into quite a sharp corner fast and maybe not the best line, causing some pulling on the brakes and unfortunately Sophie had to take her foot out. I was at the back of the group at the current time and I could see all of this happening in front of me so I took a shorter route inside the corner to avoid it. We would have lost a few seconds here therefore but 4 of us managed to cross the line together as we were very close to the finish. In the end we finished 10^th out of 16 teams, which we were pleased with as it was our first ever TT as a team so with more practice we’ll be able to do even better!!

 

Riding as a team to the start of our Team Time Trial

Our Team Time Trial

In the afternoon, we did the third stage, an 80km road. The race was really fast and I had some bad luck towards the start of the race. I decided to have 1 big bottle on my bike which was going to be enough to last me the whole race so I hadn’t arranged with my dad about to use the feeding station. Unfortunately on the first lap I hit a bad pothole and my bottle fell out of my bike!!! Luckily I didn’t puncture or have any other problems from the pothole but it meant that I had nothing to drink and it was a very hot day! As I’d never seen anyone exchange bottles between teammates in these women’s races before I assumed that we weren’t allowed to… and none of our parents were at the feed station so I couldn’t get anything to drink. Also in races usually I eat to keep my energy levels up but I couldn’t do this either as my mouth was so dry I couldn’t swallow them. So this was a major problem for me in this race. The race was fast and I stayed in the group for as long as I could, only dropping off going up the hill with 1 lap to go. I then had to ride a 10 mile lap all by myself which was fun too ... haha. Overall I’m quite pleased with how I did in this race considering I didn’t have anything to eat and drink! Most importantly I’ve learnt from this race, that I need to ensure that my dad is at the feed station so that I can get more to drink if I need to. After today’s stage, all of us girls were shattered so it was nice being able to relax a bit in the evening and watch a movie together.

Warming up as a team before the race

Me by myself on the last lap after dropping off the group

The fourth stage was an individual TT on the same course as the Team TT. Waking up early this morning was very difficult as the first 3 stages had already exhausted me enough … and we still had another 2 stages to go!! My TT started off well but it went downhill when I hit the hill in the course, where my legs suddenly seemed to completely die on me and so it took quite a while for me to get back up to speed. I finished the TT strong, having recovered from the hill. Really spookily, Paige and I got exactly the same time in the TT!! … crazy haha.

my Individual TT

The fifth and final stage was a 74 km race with a rather unfriendly looking hill up to the finish. I don’t usually like steeper hills but for some strange reason, I actually liked this hill as I felt strong going up it comfortably in the top half of the bunch. At one point in the race all of our team were actually riding in a group of 6 (2 rows of 3) which I thought was quite neat, until there was a crash going up the hill and it meant that all but one of us got stuck behind the crash! It was definitely a load of bad luck for us all! Also as it was on the middle of the hill it literally took me several attempts to get my foot clipped in and start riding again. All 5 of us rode together as a group for a while with no chance of catching up with the main group who were way in the distance. I was really gutted being caught up behind the crash as I was feeling really strong. Gradually the 5 of us split up and I caught up with 2 riders ahead whom I managed to work well together with and we kept the pace high. When we reached the hill and the end of the 4/6 lap I assumed that we would be called to finish that lap as if you were 10 minutes behind the lead group you were pulled from the race. As the laps were soo long and it took ages for us to start riding after the crash I assumed we must be at least 10 minutes behind so I semi sprinted up the hill to make sure I was first over the line. I was first … but we were not pulled so we set off on another lap. When we reached the end of the 5^th lap I was certain that now we must be 10 minutes behind …. so I sprinted again! But we were still under 10 minutes behind as we hadn’t lost any more time than we had lost at the beginning because we were keeping up a fast average speed. Ok so now I was getting tired sprinting up that hill but we did end up catching a couple more riders because of this so it did pay off in the end. The last time up the hill I came 2^nd out 6, just pipped on the line! Overall really pleased with how I performed in this race as I felt strong, but just gutted to have my race ruined by being stuck behind a crash so early in the race.