Cycling Name?
Athena. Quite a lot to live up to though!
Why do you ride your bike?
For fresh air, freedom and friends. I love the open landscapes and sense of discovery. Don’t mind a few races as well!
Favourite place to ride?
Everywhere. In London, Herne Hill velodrome and Regent’s Park, and outside London the empty Welsh borders and Shropshire hills. And the long, long Alpine climbs and mountain scenery
Up or down mountains?
Up up up! I love the view from the tops
Best moments?
The last lap of a race, when everyone is positioning themselves for the sprint. Sitting in the draft in a smooth paceline. A slight gradient, a new road surface and a tailwind. And a long ride in the lanes in the spring sunshine
How long does it take you to change a flat?
I had so many last summer that it’s down to a fine art. Four minutes in warm weather, 15 minutes with frozen hands in the cold and rain. Loving tubeless until I have to seat them or they go wrong
Advice to a new cyclist?
Find a good group to ride with and take things at your own pace. If you are a lightweight, deep-section wheels are not your friend unless conditions are perfect
Steel, Carbon, Alu, Magnesium, or Ti?
Carbon as it is so light and strong
Grand Tours or Classics?
I love the Grand Tours, the climbs, the sprints, the tactics, the teams and the scenery. Watching them with the family is a summer ritual
Gels or potatoes?
Never gels! Real food, flapjacks and jam sandwiches
Fav pro, or retired pro?
Geraint Thomas, what a hero and from the Welsh grass roots too
Headwind or rain?
Used to both and don’t like either. Headwind rather than rain though
Disc or rims?
Neither on my track bike! Rim brakes otherwise, but my first disc-brake bike is arriving this spring – not sure I like the experience of braking on carbon rims in the rain
I wish I had been told that…
….there’s no need to buy any jacket other than a Gabba. And ski gloves work just as well as cycling gloves in winter
What is it like being a Baroudeur? (Not a trick question)
The best group in London to ride with and to chat to, open, friendly and welcoming. Some of my best London cycling memories are from the early-morning pacelines in the summer in Regent’s Park
What advice would you give someone wanting to join the Bs?
Join in a ride and come for coffee!
GC prediction for 2021?
My heart says Geraint but my head says no. Pogacar probably, and Ethan Hayter in 2022,. And so many talented riders in the women’s field, but maybe still Marianne Vos or Annemiek van Vleuten this year.
What’s cycling got for you in 2021
Hopefully a few races, mostly on the track, and maybe a couple of time trials. And when restrictions ease, lots of group rides with coffee.
:: Meet more of the Baroudeurs
