Time to journey
Each race journey begins with a journey day, so on Thursday fifth December I packed my luggage and hit the highway, making my approach to the Lee Valley Velodrome for Rounds 4 and 5 of the UCI Monitor Champions League. Upon arrival I checked into my resort for the weekend, grabbed some dinner, and headed straight to mattress to get some sleep for the upcoming days of racing.
Friday sixth (Spherical 4)
The following day marked the primary of the two London rounds, the racing didn’t begin till the night so I had a couple of issues to do beforehand. I had breakfast on the resort, which consisted of plenty of carbohydrates to gasoline my physique properly for the racing. I then headed into the velodrome to do some media, this concerned myself and Sophie Capewell doing an ‘different commentary problem’ while watching a match dash between Emma Finucane and Martha Bayona. As soon as that was accomplished, I took the time to get on observe and get a really feel for it, this was my first time using at Lee Valley so I needed to get a couple of laps in earlier than we began racing. Following this I did a brief spin on the rollers with a couple of revouts, all simply to wake the physique up and get neurally switched on for the racing.
Now we have been completed on the velodrome, we determined to go for a fast espresso and I additionally grabbed a slice of banana bread, after that we then headed again to the resort, the place I had a fast bathe earlier than having some lunch. My lunch included plenty of carbohydrates (once more), primarily rice with a little bit of pasta, some hen breast, and a pleasant tomato sauce. As soon as I’d fuelled up, I headed as much as my room the place I might sit back for a few hours earlier than heading again to the velodrome to start out the primary evening of racing! Earlier than leaving I needed to pack my bag, this included; my skinsuit, leg heaters, a protracted sleeve jersey, footwear, spare footwear, coronary heart price monitor and liquid chalk. Alongside my bag I additionally needed to take my aero helmet and observe pack, my observe pack is a bag stuffed with chainrings, sprockets and instruments, which I exploit for altering the gear on my observe bike. With all this baggage, I made a decision the 15 minute stroll to the velodrome was not for me, so I discovered a close-by Lime e-bike, the basket on the entrance helped with my baggage and with the help of the battery I arrived on the velodrome inside a couple of minutes.
Warming up
The stage was set, the velodrome appeared superb, it was basked in a deep blue mild and you may inform the environment was going to be unreal. The observe opened up for an hour simply earlier than the racing started, with none turbo trainers our choices have been restricted so all of the sprinters adopted an analogous heat up plan. As soon as I’d squeezed into my skinsuit, obtained my bike prepared and located somebody to pin my numbers on, it was time to get on the observe for our warm-up. We began with a 30 lap wind-up, which included sprinters from GB, Australia, France and New Zealand, it was gradual to start with however within the closing 10 laps or so it actually ramped up in pace. The goal of this was to get the legs shifting, get the blood flowing and lift our core physique temperature. We often placed on a really small gear, I rode a 92” gear however there have been folks using a lot smaller than that, this promotes a very excessive cadence which helps with every little thing we have been making an attempt to attain throughout this a part of the warm-up.
Following this I did a leap on that very same small gear, this may often be a rolling 3/4, that is the place you roll into the 50m line comparatively slowly after which go as arduous as you may to the end line. It’s not a really lengthy effort, but it surely’s nice for warming up as a result of it will get you to hit a excessive peak energy and likewise switches you on neurally due to the excessive cadence. After that, I might come right down to the observe centre and ensure I’m fueling properly with carbs (often by way of gels or bananas) and take some caffeine to ensure I’m switched on for the racing.
Then I might change to my race gear, for the 3-up match sprints at TCL I rode a 118” gear, this gear supplied the most effective versatility for me, it was sufficiently small to have the ability to speed up rapidly and sufficiently big to maintain pushing it at prime pace. As soon as this was modified, I might exit and do one other rolling 3/4 simply earlier than the observe closed, this time on the larger gear it’s a significantly better illustration of what it’s going to really feel like in the course of the race. Now the physique was primed, the group had arrived and we had lower than half-hour until we raced.
The Racing (spherical 4)
These final half-hour consisted of some mild spinning on the rollers, going by way of totally different tactical situations in your head and placing on among the closing touches (like aero overshoes). As I used to be placing on my liquid chalk and on the point of race, one of many GB ladies obtained their title introduced as they headed up the road, the group roared, it was simply the loudest crowd I’d ever heard and actually obtained my coronary heart racing. A couple of minutes later I headed up the road for my match dash, it was an incredible expertise having the help of a house crowd, particularly in a packed Lee Valley Velodrome.
The race was a nervy one, it began out very cagey and half a lap in all three of us went into a really tight observe stand, at one level I believed I used to be going to crash as I used to be sandwiched between the rider beneath me and the perspex across the prime of the observe, however fortunately my pedals fell into the fitting place on the proper time and I managed to carry it. The next few laps have been quick and sadly I crossed the road in third, narrowly lacking out on 2nd.
I cooled down by spinning over on the rollers and flushing the lactate out of my legs, I then modified my gear in preparation for the keirin. For the keirin I made a decision 122” was the gear for me, barely greater than the match sprints as a result of it’s far more quick paced so that you don’t must speed up as a lot. I had a very good chunk of time till the keirin heats, so once I was requested if I needed to fireplace a t-shirt cannon on the crowd I after all accepted.
I had a tricky keirin warmth, however then once more there have been no simple heats. I drew place 2, I knew an enormous transfer was going to come back from behind however I didn’t know when, sadly it got here as quickly because the bike pulled off. This caught me abruptly and earlier than I knew it I’d gone from p2 to p5, however there have been nonetheless 3 laps to go. With about 2 laps to go the rider in entrance of me made his transfer, pushing up spherical the surface full gasoline, I caught on his wheel and with a lap to go it appeared prefer it may work. However sadly it wasn’t to be, we didn’t handle to get spherical and each obtained caught on the surface, I crossed the road in fifth simply lacking out on 4th.
That signalled the top of my racing for the evening, I completed Spherical 4 sixteenth total, so I packed up my stuff, discovered a Lime e-bike once more and went again to the resort to seize a bathe and get some meals. At this level it was very late, so me and a buddy rapidly ordered a pizza on-line, and eagerly awaited its arrival. We scoffed the pizza down and went to mattress, and regardless that I used to be knackered I discovered it powerful to sleep due to the caffeine nonetheless circulating round my physique.
Spherical 5 (The Finale)
I awakened very leisurely at round 10:30 am, my mother and father had come down to look at so I went to breakfast with them. I had a really carb-heavy breakfast, pancakes, maple butter and banana, with freshly-squeezed apple juice. Saturday was a number of the identical, for lunch I had plenty of rice once more after which on the way in which to trace I finished for a cheese toastie and a espresso.
The GB riders needed to get to trace a bit sooner than everybody else as a result of we had some media to do with Sir Chris Hoy, he gave us a motivational speech for the finale and it was simply superior to have the ability to chat with him. Following this it was time to start out gearing up once more, so I did the identical heat up because the day earlier than and ready in precisely the identical method. The group was bought out for the finale, and it sounded prefer it, the roar everytime a GB rider was introduced was unbelievable. I attempted to get pleasure from each second of it, my dash warmth went properly, I managed to complete 2nd, dropping out to the Olympic Champion Harrie Lavreysen, however this obtained me some good factors and moved me as much as 14th total.
Similar to the day earlier than I used to be gearing up for the keirin earlier than an unlucky crash within the ladies’s keirin noticed the occasion come to an finish early. It was an unlucky finish to an important occasion, however fortunately everybody concerned was okay. As soon as everybody was knowledgeable that there could be no extra racing, all of us packed up our stuff and headed again to the resort, there we ordered pizza (once more) and with that the 2024 season of the UCI TCL was over.
It was an incredible expertise for me, it was such an incredible occasion and I treasured each second, with the ability to race in opposition to the most effective riders on the planet in entrance of bought out crowds.
I’m actually grateful for all of the help Yellow Jersey has given me all through the occasion, not having to fret about something occurring to my bike all through TCL was superb and relieved a lot stress, it allowed me to totally concentrate on the racing and helped me obtain the most effective outcomes I may.
You may observe Harry’s progress on his Instagram web page right here
