Team Launch 25-26^th January

Saturday

I was really excited for this weekend as I was going to have my Team Launch with my new team for the 2014/2015 season, Bike Pure/LeMond/Aspire Velotech. It was an early start on the Saturday morning as we all had to travel from various areas across the country to Bike Science in Bristol where we were going to stay the whole day, each in turn having our bike fit with Andy. I was the first to arrive, ready to start my bike fit at 9!! Before that though, it was great to meet our Team Manager, Karl Nielsen, making a grand entrance into the car park in his bright white Bike Pure car!! One by one, all of us girls arrived and it was great to meet and catch up with all of my team mates for the next 2 seasons.
 

Andy did a great job in my bike fit, thank you!! It was good to know that my position on my bike was good and he was extremely helpful in giving bits of very useful advice. After my bike fit finished I could now relax for the day, just chatting and having a laugh with the other girls, whilst we took turns having our bike fits.
 

For lunch, all of us girls were given instructions to meet in the cutest cycling café across the road, to meet up with our parents who’d left to go to the café earlier. So we all set of in our lycra kit, most of us with bare legs as well, strolling through Bristol and somehow we got completely lost, despite the fact that the café was supposedly just across the road. Eventually we got back on track and entered the cutest cycling themed café I’ve ever seen. There were wheels hanging from the ceilings, it was so individualised and we all loved it!! We then had a bite to eat, before shortly returning back to base for today, Bike Science.
 

A lady from Women’s Cycling Magazine came along and we all had individual interviews with her, which will be published in the next edition of the magazine so look out for that!! I’ve never had to do an interview before so it was a great new experience for me!!

We then all headed outside for a quick photoshoot in front of Bike Science. We honestly could not have picked a better moment to head outside, as soon as we went out the wind picked up and it started to rain heavily L We were all absolutely freezing and as soon as the pictures were taken we dashed back inside into the warm and dry. This was the conclusion to our day at Bike Science, we changed out of our kit and headed to our Premier Inn rooms in Newport, Wales.

We all met downstairs in the restaurant for a team meeting about the season ahead. We were all very excited about this to find out more about the ins and outs of the team. It was really great as we were able to openly discuss our plans for which races we’re going to enter, what we expected from the team, our concerns etc. It was great and I found the meeting really helpful as we managed to sort out lots of important things.
 

It was getting rather late now, and so it was dinner time!! We all had a lovely meal as a team, which was a great conclusion to the day and ready for some sleep!!

Sunday

We had another early start but I was particularly excited for the day ahead, especially for our photoshoot with Huw Fairclough first thing in the hotel. We all had some individual shots taken and then some team shots. All of these were very sensible and professional looking photos. As it was raining outside, we had time to have some more “fun” shots of us all which, which was a great laugh.

The rain didn’t look like it was going to stop so we had to continue onto our next destination which was the amazing looking Celtic Manor. As soon as we went inside there was a Ferrari parked inside on building on the left. Of course we did not miss a photo opportunity as great as this!

 

Next we went to a more rural area for a short bike ride, to take some moving shots of us on our bikes. Despite the weather, and getting absolutely soaked and muddy, this was great fun! Following on from this we went on a 35 mile road ride in hilly Wales, finishing at the Premier inn, where we all rushed inside to have a shower!

And our amazing team launch weekend came to a close and we all had to say goodbye. I had such a fun weekend and I can’t wait until we next all meet up!

Thanks to Karl, our Team Manager, for organising such a great weekend, and also thanks to all our sponsors for their support.