BUCS Hill Climb

So last Saturday was my first competitive event since the 15^th September which was the BUCS hill climb. I turned up relying on the form from my road season having not trained specifically for the event. As I got to 2 minutes into the climb I hugely regretted this decision as there was no power as I got out of the saddle and despite the amazing support nothing could summon my legs to deliver the required result. This left me with the very disappointing time of 6.26 and a harsh lesson taught. I thought I would be able to rely on my strong road season to find a result but as it happens I was left with a highly embarrassing 47^th place, not what I was looking for. Next year I will train and get on the podium, you heard it here first!

Alongside posting about my result at the BUCS hill climb I thought I would share a bit about my background in sport. The stereotypical cyclist seems to have had a shockingly bad childhood: Greg LeMond being sexually abused, Bradley Wiggins having an alcoholic dad and David Millar having to endure the difficult break-up of his parents being just some examples. I think the reason why a bad childhood gave these great champions success is down to them wanting to get away from the reality of life. I find a little bit of this in myself although, I will emphasis, for much less serious reasons. Another element in becoming a competitive cyclist seems to be sporting/competitive parents. Again I lack any sort of racing pedigree from my parents as I have probably cycled more miles in one training ride as they have in a life time! I have thankfully had a very stable upbringing however and have found the sport naturally from trying a bit of everything. Since a young age I have been involved in competitive teams yet didn’t find something I thought I excelled in or something I was confident playing.  

I had always cycled but more for enjoyment than competition and this was until I joined the Colchester Rovers. I began cyclo-cross training and then started racing in the discipline and before I knew it I was hooked. I found I was able to progress very quickly and that hard work actually paid off. Whereas in team sports where you are reliant on other people to fuel your success in cycling it’s purely down to your hard work and your ability to read what is happening in the race.  Obviously when it comes to higher levels of racing a team becomes more and more important but at a lower level the harder you train the more results you gain.

The next 2 months for me is where the hard work really begins. I now have a nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach thanks to the support of the university so there is no excuse for not having a fantastic winter. Next event for me is the BUCS cyclo-cross (if I can get a bike sorted!).