Back to the Lake District for some base miles...

After the national hill climb I started off with great enthusiasm for winter, wanting to be even more improved for next years racing and seeing my Maxgear RT team mates, Nicola and Melissa, brought back memories of racing and keeps up my desire to progress.

The eagerness dwindled somewhat when I realised it was back to the cold, wet Lake District!

My spirits are still fairly high for now though because there is no ice/snow on the roads (yet) meaning my training can still progress without shivering on rollers with 3 jackets on and a steamed up garage window! This winter I'm racing at track league as well on a Friday night to keep my sprinting and track abilities, although I won't be seen crashed out in a muddy field doing cycro cross (once is enough!). I'm also doing some road rides and a bit of turbo. Today I went on a cold, very windy bike ride with Luke! Wore my Maxgear Champion Systems Tech Fleece Thermoshield jacket, which has windproof sections on the front, so at least I was warm! I was a little bit tired, as I got back late last night after going to see Dirty Dancing at the theatre in Manchester with my school friends - which was AMAZING! I also met up with Nicola and Richard a couple of weekends ago when they came up to the lakes, so it was nice to catch up with them and show Nicola the Capernwray circuit!

My Dad has kindly made this years training harder, he keeps adding bits to my winter bike and I'm sure its just to weigh it down - maybe its so he can keep up with me easier ;) !

Life's hectic at the moment, generally with A-Levels coming up and Christmas round the corner so going to plenty of parties! I'm still working and training more and harder than ever! 

Junior Womens National Hill Climb Champion 2011

Having chocolate profiteroles the day before a hill climb is not the best preparation but it seemed to work for me! This hill climb was 4.44 miles on an average gradient of 3% and time trial equipment seemed to be the preference for most cyclists. There were a lot of fancy bikes around so I was a bit apprehensive that my Cannondale and Mavic extra light wheels would be enough. However, it seemed to work with my style of hill climbing. Setting off I measured my effort not trying to go too hard but still trying to smile at the camera men! The atmosphere on route was brilliant seeing lots of cyclists out to watch the event and spectators at every corner. I was feeling reasonably good coming up to the finish I picked it up for a sprint knowing every second counts (which proves on the results, only being 2 seconds behind my nearest competitor). After the event I was left thinking that I would be 8th woman overall and later found out I had actually won the Junior Women’s prize!

Eve

The Ramsbottom Rake Hill Climb

As the second hill climb I have  ever competed in,  it was most certainly one of the steepest hills I have EVER cycled up, despite living in the lake district! On the steepest part of the course people were running faster than I could cycle - truly demoralising! I still managed to complete it in 3 minuites 47.4 seconds which was good considering I had never been up the hill before, so lacked the knowledge of where to use my effort and where to back off a little. I know next year the national hill climb championships are on the same course and I would like to really improve my time. The atmosphere was amazing with the load speakers, commentary and many locals supporting the event and shouting as I climbed! I’m really looking forward to the national hill climb championships next weekend because the gradient is only 4% which I hope will suit me better.

Eve x

My ride in the National Senior Track Championships Points Race!

Feeling excited to be riding in the senior track nationals, I had no idea how the race would develop, but being on the track made me feel slightly more confident and once racing (after the gun had made me jump like usual) I started to follow some good wheels and made my way slowly to the front. All the other cyclists were watching each other so I managed to sneak off the front, amazed by my own cycling I got over half a lap on the bunch and was starting to get in the same straight as the peleton, just when the whistle for a sprint was blown.  The peleton started to contest the sprint but due to the large gap I won the first sprint and collected the first 5 points. I glanced at the leader board saw my name at the top. I was feeling so pleased but with 110 laps remaining, decided ease up and re-join the bunch to conserve my energy for later in the race.  After each sprint I was slowly seeing my name drop down the leader board although I did get one more point. I was still feeling strong but too tired to go for a lap like some of the other riders, namely Lizzie Armitstead (pro). I am just a first year junior - I may try that next year! When I came off the track with 6 points I was still feeling elated to have finished 7^th overall.

Tywyn Crit & Abergavenny Road Race

After a great result for Maxgear the day before with Mel coming 5^th and me 6th in Tywyn criterium and each of us winning a prime, I was hoping to ride this race as well as Naseby, although there were quite a few inexperienced cyclists with some being dropped in the neutralised zone and the bunch was extremely sketchy in places. On the first lap I decided it needed to be broken up a little more so I attacked and got over a minute off the front of the main bunch (they were unable to see me on the duel carriage way!). I decided to slow as nobody had come with me and I knew I wouldn’t last the 40miles on my own. I should have stayed away, as when the bunch caught me they were going not much faster, as there had been some attacks off the front in an effort to catch me. I settled back into the bunch spending a bit of time on the front to catch Sarah Byrne (who solo’d a 2 minute lead) and trying to liven up the pace of the race, although it didn’t really ignite like I’d hoped.
On the sprint up to the finish on the lower slopes on the final climb we were in a bunch of 30 on Hannah Walker’s wheel coming up the outside with just 800 metres to go when I heard a scream and crashing from the other side of the bunch. I pulled over to the other side of the road to safety. The crash rippled through the bunch in a domino effect and Ruby Millers head came down just in front of me. I swerved off into the bush to avoid the crash and wrapped myself around a tree in the process. Once I’d gotten out of the tree with only minor scrapes and bruises, I found my chain had come off so I pushed my chain back on and rode up to the top of the hill. I came 17th because a few dropped cyclists had passed the crash and came ahead in the standings. It was a very bad end to the race with my team mate Nicola (also from Maxgear) hitting the deck pretty hard and unfortunately broking her collar bone. There were many other bad injuries and the scene has been described as like one from M.A.S.H with only 7 of the bunch managing to avoid it.

Duncan Murray Wines Road Race (Naseby) - Womens Team Series

Looking at fast riders on the start sheet I soon realised that I needed to race up front, not wanting to get caught behind riders. At the debrief they told us there was going to be a neutralised section although I soon realised after half a lap that this wasn’t the case, so I worked my way through the bunch to the front where I followed the wheels of Sarah Byrne and Hannah Barnes. The pace was reasonably slow so I tested the waters, attacking off the front a couple of times, as did a few of the others, but there was no chance of anyone opening up a gap. There was no dominant team and cyclists were willing to chase to stay in with a chance for the win. Luckily I had most of the other Maxgear cyclists there to help when there were attacks.
Coming up to the finish was reasonably slow. We were all looking at each other and for the best position for the finish. The pace picked up and strung out into a line, then we started to sprint for the up hill finish. Unfortunately I never saw Laurie bun starting her attack but the pace she came past the front of the bunch made sure no one was going to catch her. She had lots of spare energy from sitting in for most of the race and had a great leadout from her team.  Hannah Barnes then attacked from just behind me with another rider on her wheel, taking me by surprise. So it left me to crawl past Sarah Byrne to take 4th position just in time for the line. 

Stratford Road Race - Womens Team Series

WOW! I wasn’t expecting the race to start straight out of the Head Quarters, not good when you start the race in the worst position possible – THE VERY BACK! I spent the first section on the race fighting to move up through the bunch. The bad start resulted in me missing the main break and I was left trying to get off the front with no teams working as they all had a rider away. It was a windy and a very open course and For-Viored, the biggest team on the day, had a rider away and settled for minor placing in the bunch. I was third in line to the sprint although it was further to the finish than I though. Rohan Battison attacked and I jumped on her wheel - into a position where I would be dragged up to the Finish. Luckily I succeeded in getting 5th in the sprint so overall 8th position, a brilliant result for me as I don’t consider myself the best sprinter!!