A Summer Of Cycling

Check out what Annie Simpson, one of our Cycling Performance Athletes has been up to this summer...

"After my last exam in May I almost straight away moved over to Belgium, where I stayed in my team house. If you want to make it in cycling it's always been thought Belgium is the place to be, it's definitely the hub of European racing and some would argue the world. Every race you can guarantee near 80 riders every weekend and some week days which is amazing in comparison to the UK, where you're lucky if you get 30 showing up. We were racing 2-3 times a week, it was a hectic programme. My team is a British team based abroad, we are all developing riders with the view to moving up to professional rankings.
 

This summer was mainly about getting used to this type of racing. It's much faster than the UK and you ride much closer together, and naturally the competition is very high. I spent the first half of the summer getting used to the change, basically to the lifestyle of being a full time cyclist. This was big step and at times I did think I was in over my head, but I quickly saw progression and was at the front of the races. Many of these races are won in bunch sprints, so with me not being the fastest sprinter in the world (yet),I worked hard to help out my team mates, where we got 3 wins in Belgium which is a big deal, and really kept our sponsors happy. I was eating, sleeping and training...living the dream as some would say :)
 

The second half of the summer was again another step up, I had been selected by my team to ride in some professional women's races! This was quite daunting but I was excited. Our manager told us to go into the races with no expectations, just to learn from the experience ready for next year. I competed in a 4 day tour in France, a 3 day tour in Germany, and a one day UCI race in Belgium where I finished 67th in the main bunch! I was very pleased with this as I know I have to ability to be competitive in these races, with a bit more strength and knowledge.
 

I finished off the year with a 2 week training camp in the French Alps, here I was doing 4-5 hours a day up and down the mountains getting in some really good miles ready for the 2011 season. I got back on the 16th September and almost was straight back up to university.
 
After a season of getting to grips and learning how the road racing world works, I am really excited to get in some strong training this winter so I can return to Belgium next summer and get some results of my own. I have a new coach, who is also the manager of my team, so I'm in great hands and along with Team Northumbria's support I am excited for the year ahead.

 

Back to News