Looking back to my first race of the season, the Scottish Cycling women only APR at absolutely baltic Garlogie (Aberdeenshire) seems like so long ago!! A lot has happened since then...Not long after that was my first National Series race, the City of Perth GP. I was pretty much bricking it before stage 1, the road race. I think I'd put all the other riders on a bit of a pedestal and was worried that I wouldn't be able to hack the pace and get dropped. Even now I think it's important not to get complacent no matter what's gone before. I didn't get dropped that day, although a mechanical with half a lap to go put paid to any hopes of a decent result and I finished 44 seconds down. The following day was a crit in the city centre of Perth. This was a bit of a baptism of fire, having never done a crit before. Let's just say it wasn't one of the most favourite hours of my life but I finished it, with a touch of hypothermia thrown in for good measure!
My first win of the season came quite soon after Perth. This was at the Glasgow Wheelers/Thomsons Cycles women's road race at Garelochead. The course for this one suited me quite well, finishing up a nice brutal climb with a gradient of 15% or something like that. Maybe my card was a bit more marked after that, especially with the "hilly" Scottish champs the next month!
So to the Scottish champs. Not sure how best to describe this race, bit of a strange one I think. After having our race stopped for the men's race to overtake us (they started 30 minutes after us...) we eventually got to the Suie, the infamous hill near Alford. I attacked at the bottom of the hill and Jen Taylor came with me. It was then a 2-up TT to the finish, going right to the wire and a photo finish. Jen took the honours that day, but I was happy with silver knowing that I'd given it everything in that last few miles and sprint for the line!!
Training was then focused towards the British champs in the city centre of Glasgow, held on the course to be used for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. I've blogged about this race already so will spare you the gory (car towing) details. I absolutely loved this race, definitely one of the highlights of the season and the atmosphere of the crowd will stay with me forever!! As will learning that wee pre-race adrenaline kicks maybe help my performance, but maybe not Peter's sanity!..
Other highlights have to be racing in France and finishing my first two UCI stage races: The Tour de Bretagne and Tour Feminin en Limousin, where I was invited to guest for DID Electrical Racing Team. I think it was here I learned the most about racing and returned from France feeling like a completely different bike rider, as cheesy as it sounds! I took that new found confidence in my racing, positioning and going on instinct into the penultimate race of the Women's National Series, the Ryedale GP. It was here I got my best result of the National Series finishing 5th.
Local races provided good training opportunities to practice things I'd been working on in training and that I'd learnt in France, which took me up to September and the Ras na mBan in Ireland. I loved this race and guesting for DID made it even better! The highlight, attacking from the gun and being in the breakaway for half of stage 5. The low point or harsh lesson, changing gear in the last 200m of the sprint, having my chain come off and losing time, which probably cost me my GC. I won't make that mistake again, so I guess some good came out of it!!..The Ras definitely reinforced to me that I just need to believe, no negative self-chat and it's good to mix it up!
Returning from the Ras and it was straight into another stage race the following weekend, the Bike Station Ballater Falling Leaves 2 day stage race. It's funny seeing guys reactions sometimes having a girl racing with them in the bunch and this year I was determined not to get dropped! I finished with the bunch on stage 1 and the following day won the bunch sprint in the chase group to finish 11th on the stage. That meant I was 19th overall and pretty happy with the result. I think it was down to a combination of factors, the main one probably just having that little bit more confidence and I have a few people to thank for helping me with that over the course of the season.
As much as I absolutely love riding my bike, by the time the end of September came I was feeling pretty tired but thankfully training took on a different focus than what I'd been used to, geared towards the Scottish hill climb champs. I really like hills and so this helped to keep motivation levels up for the 3 weeks before the Scottish Champs. The hill was a really good one and it turned out to be a very close result, with Kerry MacPhee taking gold and me taking silver only two seconds separating our times! That was a very nice way to end the season on the podium, although I will admit to being a wee bit gutted to miss out on the top step. I don't think I could have given it any more than I did though and it was great to see fellow Gold 4 Glasgow cyclist Kerry going so strong! Chapeau Kerry!
Doing my best impression of a drowned rat in the Scottish hill climb champs...
Now its time for some recovery off the bike. As much as I hate to admit it, I know its definitely needed to have a few weeks down time. That's been just over a week now and I am starting to miss my bike!! Not long till winter training starts though and time to get reacquainted with my shed...
I guess I just want to wrap up by saying a big thank you to everyone who has supported me this season. Its definitely made a massive difference to my racing! I've loved riding for Granite City this year, training with you guys has certainly toughened me up and I've learnt a lot from you so thanks! I'd love to name everyone and say thanks individually but it would make for a pretty lengthy list so I'm sure you know who you are and see you next season! A few exciting things have happened in the past few weeks so another blog will follow soon to update on that! Until then cheerio for now,
Jools.
As much as I absolutely love riding my bike, by the time the end of September came I was feeling pretty tired but thankfully training took on a different focus than what I'd been used to, geared towards the Scottish hill climb champs. I really like hills and so this helped to keep motivation levels up for the 3 weeks before the Scottish Champs. The hill was a really good one and it turned out to be a very close result, with Kerry MacPhee taking gold and me taking silver only two seconds separating our times! That was a very nice way to end the season on the podium, although I will admit to being a wee bit gutted to miss out on the top step. I don't think I could have given it any more than I did though and it was great to see fellow Gold 4 Glasgow cyclist Kerry going so strong! Chapeau Kerry!
Now its time for some recovery off the bike. As much as I hate to admit it, I know its definitely needed to have a few weeks down time. That's been just over a week now and I am starting to miss my bike!! Not long till winter training starts though and time to get reacquainted with my shed...
I guess I just want to wrap up by saying a big thank you to everyone who has supported me this season. Its definitely made a massive difference to my racing! I've loved riding for Granite City this year, training with you guys has certainly toughened me up and I've learnt a lot from you so thanks! I'd love to name everyone and say thanks individually but it would make for a pretty lengthy list so I'm sure you know who you are and see you next season! A few exciting things have happened in the past few weeks so another blog will follow soon to update on that! Until then cheerio for now,
Jools.
