NATIONAL CHAMPION, months of dedication and hard work went into this. After years of so many podiums at the nationals to finally end the drought and get the win felt great.
So back in September before the cyclocross season started I sat down with my coach Kevin and marked the 11th January on the calendar. I wanted to be in my best possible shape for this day. We made a plan and stuck to it.I knew if i stuck to this plan, went hard when i needed too, and followed every session to the best of my ability i knew that i would be in with a good chance on the day, a little luck is also needed.
The season started off with a slow start, I just came back from an off season after a summer of road and MTB. I didn’t have a lot of form but I did what I could. Had a good battle at the National Series for my first race and just about took the win. Next week at Clonmel I had a disappointing day and came 2nd.
After this disappointing weekend at Clonmel there was a big change, the training load started to slowly increase as the weeks went on. With a few weeks of regional races and taking wins in them all filled me with confidence and I started to approach a bigger block of races. I took the win at the next 2 national series rounds by a comfortable gap in both. Now came the Dublin World Cup, my first real target of this cyclocross season. I was fresh and in good form and there was some good competition with 2 top english lads coming over for the race. It was a tight race for the first half but then I edged clear and took the win at the end by over 30 seconds.
After Dublin i really got a good chance of where my form and my level was, i knew i could now compete for the win against the best in the UK which really helped with my confidence. Now it was the christmas break from racing and i had 2 really good weeks of training, i then enjoyed some VO2 MAX intervals on christmas day and a nice christmas with family.
Straight after christmas i headed to Sierra Nevada for a 1 week training camp. In my opinion this was the week that won me the nationals. Over the 7 days i spent in the mountains i racked up 23 hrs of training, mainly zone2 with some nice race simulation on some of the climbs. I felt fatigued throughout this week and I was so tired when I got home but this set me up with fitness for the week ahead.
It was only on the flight home from Sierra Nevada that I started to think about the Nationals, it was in the back of my head all season but now I knew it was getting real. That week was full focus on recovery and also relaxing the mind. I freshened up with some skills on the CX bike and a hard interval session 2 days before the race activated the legs.
Nerves. This is something that I have learned to cope and deal with over the years. The more you think about the race and get nervous the more energy you are wasting. That’s why I like to keep race day simple and the lead up to the race I take everything one step at a time.
Routine. Another key factor to success. Over the winter I had built up a good routine at each race. Practice, rest and eat, warm up, gridding, and race. For every race I keep the timings the same so that I don’t have to think I just know what is coming next. This helps keep you relaxed and also reduces the nervousness around the race as it feels the same as a normal race.
You get to the start line and there is nothing more you can do or change, you just have to trust the process and focus on the job that needs done. At the start I waited patiently and got ready for the call.
Anytime in the next 30 seconds on the whistle. Once you hear this its go time, staring down the start straight as the people line the barriers watching. The whistle blows, clip in and get going as you sprint down the road towards the first corner. Heart race rising and full gas to try open that little gap. The first lap I was at the front, putting the pressure on and controlling the race. I stayed at the front for the next lap trying to crack the O’Brien on my wheel. Coming onto the road and getting the bell I let Shane through to the front. This gave me a chance to recover. As we approached the pits I attacked Shane through a slow corner and got a small gap. I went into the pit and had a smooth and clean change onto a fresh bike. I had opened a gap of about 5 seconds so I knew now was then time to go all in. The gap opened to around 15-20 seconds and I was approaching the finish, i knew i had it in the bag i just had to get through these last few corners.
Disaster strikes. On the second last corner I come in to fast and bang, bars caught in the tape and over the bars. I get up instantly and start scrambling to get the bike untangled. I ran through the mud and onto the road. I go to remount the bike on the road and realise that my chain is off. I knew Shane was breathing down my neck and the finish was only about 150 meters up the road so I made a run for it. Putting the chain back on would have taken too much time so running was my only option. Those 20 seconds were the scariest of my whole season but I remained calm and i didnt panic.
It’s not over till it’s over. I learned that the hard way but the moment you cross the line you can take it all in. Months of dedication, hard work and sacrifice make it all worth it. It takes a team, so this victory isn’t just mine, it’s everyones. Thank you to everyone who has supported me this season, all of the racing and traveling wouldn’t have been possible without your help.
One last dance next week at the Benidorm World Cup to show off this beautiful jersey.
