This winter I started 6th Form college which gave me a big shock with how much work I've got
to do. I got myself into a routine of getting my school work done first so that I
can dedicate the rest of my time for Cycling.
In October I had a bit of a rest from cycling but soon got bored so was back on my
bike in no time. I always think it feels weird when the racing season finishes, I
never know what to do with myself.
Over winter I decided to improve on my power as that was my weakness last season.
I started by going to my local gym next to my school twice a week focusing on weight
machines for my legs and arms. It was a nice change to be indoors in a nice warm
room. The only downside was all the men leaving beads of sweat on the mats, which
was very awkward when I needed to go on them. I worked out with my mum and we were
the only two girls doing weights, all the men looked surprised when I whipped out my
guns haha. I must admit my arms looked alot different after a few months.
Then at the weekend I did long hours on the bike. I feel lucky to live
near some of Britains most talented riders such as Russ and Dean Downing, Ben Swift
and Graham Briggs who go out most weekends on our local Saturday run. This is just
over 50 miles and sometimes upto 70 people turn up. It starts off steady then most
people turn off onto a shorter route leaving just the fast men and me. Every weekend
is different due to the weather. Sometimes it's really windy and gets split to
pieces or sometimes there's no wind so it's super fast. The good thing is, the more
I do it, the shorter it seems to get.
Sundays tend to be long steady strength rides and always heading into Derbyshire for
the hills with my dad and brother, the good thing about winter training is it
involves long hours in the hills without competitiveness and speed. The bad thing is
the weather.
Over winter I've also been doing the Manchester Friday night Track League, which
I've really enjoyed. I've not done much racing on track so I've learnt a lot, mainly
to use my arms and be more aggressive when riding.
I'm so excited about being in Matrix Fitness. I was thrilled when I first found out
I was in the team. I love the feeling of being in a team and being independent. I can't wait
for the training camp to the South of France. It will be the perfect opportunity to
get to know all the riders. I feel an important part of racing in a team is knowing
your team mates as much as possible to work well together in races. I'm sure there
will be plenty of laughs in the two weeks we're away.
Jessie
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