May was a month where sleep held even greater value, due to the demands of racing and travelling yet, was hard to come by. I got the chance to race South of the border in my first ever Tour Series. This was a series of city centre circuit races across the UK, with pro riders from teams such as NJC-Biemme Echelon, Team Breeze and Storey Racing. I chose to ride 5 of the 9 rounds in the series, and this proved even more demanding than I had ever imagined. I did the series opener in Redditch, followed by my two home rounds in Scotland (Motherwell and Aberdeen) before heading south again for Durham and the eventual final round in Salisbury.
The first round in Redditch was a real eye opener for me, being my first ever race at that level. I was very nervous prior to the start, so when it came to warming up I decided to ride off away from the circuit and find some quieter roads where there was less people around. I hoped this would help me calm the nerves and get me in the zone, but it proved a bad decision and only heightened them. I was riding back past the place where my team was set up and they had all disappeared. Panic began to grow as I feared I had missed the start, I sprinted off up to the circuit and saw that the team presentations were taking place across the other side of the barriers. But the crowds were so big I had to push my way through and that's when I heard over the microphone "Torelli Brother." My team were getting called up to be presented to the crowds and I had missed it. There was no time to get over there. Fear was spreading through me like vines now. Was that my race over? Had I messed up that badly in my debut at this kind of racing that I wouldn't even be allowed to start as I missed the presentation? I went on the hunt for an official and eventually found one. He told me I didn't actually have to go up and I was still allowed to race. Relief flooded through me and I rode to the start with the other girls and lined up.
The racing was quick from the word go. I hadn't done a crit race for a while so the sharp bends along with the constant sprinting proved really challenging for me and what's more short steep climbs are not my forte. After a back injury last year, that meant I missed a chunk of training time on this kind of terrain, it's taking a while to get the strength back that I need.
I finished way down the field in this. But it was a truly valuable experience which I learnt loads from. It is essential that you make mistakes. They form a huge part of who you are, you learn from them and become stronger, better and smarter. Mistakes give you the knowledge to become wise.
The next two rounds in my home ground of Scotland was a totally different experience again. The first of these in Motherwell. Friends had been racing in the support event before hand and I had time to see them before my own race which made me really relax, compared to the round in Redditch a few days earlier. Knowing people who were there, giving them support and congratulating them on their results as well as receiving support in return really helped me get in the zone and I tried to see it as just any other race. Forget about the crowds, race your heart out and do what you love. Of course, the racing kicked off straight away again and I immediately slipped back through the bunch and dropped. But this time I wasn't the only one. A few others eventually got shelled from the group too. And when the bunch flew past us to gain a lap, I actually managed to fight the pain that was burning in my lungs and legs to hang on like mad to the tail of them for a few laps. This was a significant improvement for me and I was totally thrilled to be able to do this. As an athlete progress is the thing that makes you thrive and gives you that confidence you need to keep pushing forward.
The next round up North in Aberdeen just two days later was pretty similar. The same buzz of having friends you have known for ages lining the crowds and sharing support was an amazing feeling, even more so that Aberdeen is so close to my home town so it felt like racing on home roads and the familiarity of this was very comforting. However, this did not change the fact that I was, once again, going head to head with some of the best riders in the UK and I was determined to try and prove myself against them especially as I could hear so many people shouting my name in the crowds, willing me on. Only people who have experienced this can truly understand how incredible it is to hear your name being called in the midst of hundreds of people. Instead of being afraid of the watching eyes this time, I was spurred on and it gave me the confidence to fight for what I wanted. I thought I had dug as deep as possible in the previous two rounds but somehow felt myself pushing above my max heart rate again here. I kept hanging onto different groups as they flew past, burying myself to hang on. My cornering was improving dramatically in this round and helped me to stay in contact. But the seriously high speeds and constant up and down sprinting was too much for my legs, lungs and heart to keep up with. I finished down the field again as expected but that didn't matter to me. I knew I was progressing now and I knew I had given it my all. This effort had left me on the ground and the first thing I saw and came into contact with, was the floor. I don't remember much else except the pain and the elation of being able to come up for air, as if i'd been drowning in an ocean of lactic acid.
The round in Durham followed this effort just a few short days later. With the demands of racing at this level, the effects of travelling and such little time to recover meant that I could feel the fatigue really setting in by this point. I made the decision to keep going though. While there was risks of knocking myself backwards on the progression ladder by enforced rest, I figured I would gain much more from the experience and truth is I was absolutely loving it too so nothing was going to convince me otherwise of competing in the rounds I had set my mind on. Durham was the toughest circuit of all. A fast down hill with some sections of cobbles before a sharp right hand bend which immediately led onto a steep cobbled climb about 800 meters long and back onto the finishing straight. Once again I dug deep to hang onto various riders wheels which I achieved to some degree, however the steep climb on already tired legs meant I was dropped each lap and spent much of the race on my own hopping between wheels. My head was clouded from the effort. When you put yourself in the hurt locker for so long it's hard to really focus on anything at all. I collided with someone and broke my glasses just to top everything off. It was a relief to put this one behind me.
Salisbury, the Grand Final of the Tour Series was a fantastic night of racing. I loved this round. While it took the longest to get to, a full eight hours from where I stay, it was totally worth travelling down to. I had a decent warm up and was positioned right in the middle of the bunch for the start. Sadly, I wasn't brave enough to hold that position and when the race commenced I quickly slipped back as riders pushed through. I got stuck behind a crash and had to sprint very hard to keep in contact. I stayed with the bunch 2 or 3 laps though which I was pleased with but as the race drew on that same burning fatigue was rising in my legs and the group slipped further and further away. However, this time I hadn't been the first to go and to my amazement 2 riders caught up to me from behind and I worked with them for the remainder of the race. They got the better of me in the end and gained a pretty big gap. But I was over the moon to have worked with these riders and not finished shamefully on my own.
While the tour series were the toughest races I had ever done, I had an amazing time and I'm already looking forward to going back next year and trying to do better. I've learnt loads and found that I had moved up a couple of places in the results each time. This has left me with a fire in my belly and I'm determined to come back stronger next year. During this month I also did a couple of races in Scotland. Where I raced a round of the Scottish Road race series which saw me spectacularly come 8th in a sprint finish. Prior to that I raced in the Scottish 10 mile TT champs where I came 5th, remarkably not far from the podium which I couldn't believe since I had been doubting weather I would even make top 10.
June then began with the Scottish 25 TT champs. While I got a new PB by a whole 49 seconds, 1.03.11, I couldn't help feeling hugely disappointed at the result. But then again I had just had a demanding month of racing in the tour series where my body was only used to accepting 45 minutes of pain. I had indeed blown up with about 8 miles to go so the fact I still pulled off a PB was quite astonishing and I tried to convince myself I should be happy about it.
My attention then turned to my first ever British National Road race series event. This was the beautiful 2 day tour of the Reservoir, known to be one of the toughest races on the UK calendar and set in the heart of Northumberland. My goal was to follow one of my team mates wheel who was experienced and knew how to ride well in the bunch. I found her wheel straight away and focused on that and nothing else. One of the only good things I acknowledge about myself is that when I set myself a goal I commit to it 100% and 9/10 times it pays off. This meant my determination ensured that I lasted a whole 20 miles at the front of the bunch in with these incredibly good riders in such a tough race. I stayed right up near the front moving about more confident than ever in the bunch. However, with each climb we flew over my body was becoming more and more drained and my heart rate was taking longer to drop back down. Each time I slipped back through the bunch on a hill, I used the descent to my advantage and made my way back up dipping in between gaps riders had left so that I could find my team mate once more. Frustratingly though I just didn't have the strength to keep this yoyo effect going and eventually the group disappeared over the hill without me. The convoy of cars tailed it and I tried to fight over the top and get back on but I didn't quite manage it before the next climb came and eventually I was on my own. Then after another half lap on my own another rider caught up with me and we worked together for the remainder of the race. Taking it in turns to set the pace and determinedly fighting hard to make the time cut so we could start the next stage. But while we suffered alone and the bunch fought for the top honors the time only grew and eventually we were so far behind it wasn't clear where the next turn off was onto the second circuit and we both got completely lost. My companion eventually dropped me on a 20% climb and I didn't have the strength to chase her down. The road seemed to go on for ages and I had covered nearly 60 miles when I began growing seriously concerned that I was completely off route. I turned back thinking hard about where I should have gone, but decided the best thing was to just head back the way I knew. I preferred the idea of that than facing another 40 miles and finishing 3 hours behind the winner. I headed back to the HQ and got changed, letting the disappointment sink in. One day something has to go right surely? It's about focusing on the things that make you feel strong when everything else is trying to break you.
Having not finished the official route of the previous days stage we were unable to start the second day of racing. While I was really upset by the decision I also understand and in some part believed it was a blessing. Me and a couple of other riders headed out and recced part of that days route instead just as an extra training ride since we couldn't race. And the pain engulfed me immediately as we hit the first climb and I realized then I wouldn't have got far during the day's racing anyway and perhaps the organizers had spared me that humiliation. But the day improved dramatically from there. One of my amazingly talented team mates, Sophie Wright, went and won the 2nd stage taking the overall victory in the race. She now leads the British National Road race series, and it is one of our biggest results as a team to date. We were all completely buzzing! She had worked so hard for it and the team plan had worked out to perfection. The team had all helped play their part in some way. But while I had helped fill some bottles in the morning for them, I couldn't help feeling guilty basking in this beautiful victory when I had hardly been any good to them at all. I really wish I could have been more useful. We celebrated the day with the most wonderful double chocolate milkshakes you could possibly imagine courtesy of our team manager at the Boat Shack Cafe by the Glampsite, Derwent view. Go check them out if you're ever there! Just what us tired cyclists needed after a tough wkd in the saddle and a lovely way to end a very special wkd.
Thanks for reading! Sorry for lack of recent updates and posting it all at once ;-) I'm going to be focusing on training for a little while but have a couple of races coming up in Scotland soon so stay tuned.
G
