English
After the race in France I found extra enthusiasm for training and put in some decent sessions for the last World Cup in Mexico. My preparation wasn’t perfect though as I still couldn’t run as much as I would like, hadn’t done my usual SRM sessions and I couldn’t heat acclimatise. I wasn’t too worried about the weather as I always perform in hot conditions and do not suffer badly with jetlag.
I assumed the bike course would be flat as I haven’t come across a hilly one in Mexico. However I had a bit of a shock when I almost rode the course the day before the race and found it had a steep hill in it and it was to be 8 laps. I say almost rode the course as on the Saturday afternoon it was still being built and !! The run was a tough one too and add to that the temperature of 37 degrees and humidity, it wasn’t going to be easy.
I was chuffed to finish third in the race with the fastest run split but ended up wondering if I could have won if I hadn’t fumbled with my helmet in transition and lost the lead pack. To finish the World Cup season ranked 6th in the world with 2 podium finishes was satisfying.
After the race in Huatulco the plan was to fly directly back to London, stay with my parents for a couple of days and then fly out to Bermuda for a low key race and a holiday. Unfortunately it didn’t go to plan as my British Airways flight was cancelled and I ended up spending a day and half in Mexico City airport. I am scared of flying and after finding out there was a mechanical fault with the plane I didn’t want to board it anyway! I returned home the night before my next flight minus my bike which didn’t arrive. It eventually turned up the day before my race which was a huge relief as I didn’t rate my chances without it!
I finished 5th in Bermuda which was a non-drafting race from one end of the islands to the other. I found the race tough as I was tired and probably hadn’t done enough cycling. I also don’t think I benefited from the race being started with the men as the lead women got sucked along and I ended up isolated. It was a fantastic event and racing in Bermuda was a great place to end my season. Now catching up on all the tv programmes I taped…..!…
Congratulations Andrea! You’ve done us all proud! 6th in the world is totally awsome! Once again a podium in a world cup. You’re the best that Britain has got!
We all agree with Alex. – “You’re the best that Britain has got”. ‘SIMPLY THE BEST’. Only the best athletes in the world can draw upon the quality and experience which you have done after an injury like you had this season, to achieve ‘sixth best in the world’
Without the injury, bet we would have been commenting on a World Champion as well as an Olympic Podium Finalist!