Lee Valley Winter Circuit Series, 14 Dec 2019

I didn’t pre-enter as I was a bit unsure about my energy levels but decided to enter on the day as the weather slightly improved and I knew I could do with some more practice anyway.

This race really reinforced the level of strategy involved in taking part in criterium races. Given the weather it was quite unlikely that a breakaway would happen, so I knew that I had to preserve my energy for an all-out sprint at the end. I wanted to make sure I took my turn on the front (ended up doing more than my fair share) and during the race I tried to figure out what the other girls’ strengths were so I was prepared for any attacks and for the final sprint finish.

The windy conditions were a bit unsettling at points especially at the top of one of the short upward sections which involved a turn across the wind, so it was useful to give each other space and slow down. Straight after this was where you’d be faced by an extremely strong headwind which lead to where the finish line was. Each lap, I was trying to work out where the best place to start sprinting for the finish line was, for the final lap.

When it came around to the final lap I was at the front (not normally where I’d want to position myself) but it meant I could control the pace. I tried to hold off the sprint for as long as possible as I know I’m quite explosive and was worried I’d burn out before the end if I went too early. When the first person started to increase the pace I increased mine slowly trying to make sure I stayed just ahead until the attack had built up so much that I decided to go all out and managed to increase the speed and maintain it until the end. Crossing the finish line was a great feeling – my first win at a criterium race! After coming 2nd in 2 of the races I did last year (I did 3 in total) it felt amazing to finally win one!

Maddie Heywood