Back with a BOOM

This month’s highlight was getting back to racing  XC, with two Junior World Series events now in the bag. Alongside that, I spent two weeks training in Spain—an excellent opportunity to rebuild strength after my broken leg. 

The month began with standard training and race prep ahead of my two-and-a-half-week trip to Spain. We flew into Barcelona for my first cross-country races of the season. After a 2h30 flight and a 3-hour drive, we arrived in Chelva, ready to kick things off. 

The Chelva XCO course is technical and demanding, with every descent featuring challenging rock slabs and rough, dusty terrain. I loved the course’s punchy nature, which suited my riding style well. 

Gridded 8th on the second row, I got a solid start but took it easy on the first half of the long start-lap climb. This shuffled me back toward 20th, but, as expected, riders who had gone out too hard started to fade, allowing me to move forward. The first corner onto the main course was a steep, dead turn on loose gravel, where many riders had to dismount. Anticipating this, I quickly ran through the pack, regaining a spot in the top 10. 

Over the next two laps, I steadily moved into the top five, overtaking those who had gone out too aggressively. I found myself in a battle for 3rd, but on the final lap, I got stalled behind another rider and lost the chance to challenge for the podium, finishing 4th. Despite just missing out, I was ecstatic with my first Junior World Series top-five finish—something that felt almost unreal after my injury. 

After a 5-hour road trip, we arrived in Banyoles to meet the British Cycling Olympic Development Squad (ODS) team for my second race. 

The Banyoles course is much tamer than Chelva, featuring long climbs, dead turns, and far less technical descending however appalling rain made the course extremely hard. I was gridded 6th for a front-row start. Off the line, I was 3rd around the first corner and moved into the lead shortly after. I pushed hard on the start-lap climb but was overtaken into 5th as we hit the first descent. 

With heavy rain making conditions abysmal, I took advantage of the slippery corners, moving back into 1st by the end of the start lap. However, visibility was a huge issue—I had to remove my glasses at the top of a descent, and with them in my hand, I struggled to control my bike properly. This led to two crashes on the first downhill, causing me to drop back to 10th and allowing the leader to break away. 

Determined to fight back, I kept pushing and gradually moved through the field. By the final lap, I was battling for 2nd place. Toward the top of the main climb, I launched an attack and managed to gain a small gap, which I extended while chasing 1st. Although I couldn’t quite close the gap, I secured an incredible 2nd place—my first Junior World Series podium! I was absolutely ecstatic and can’t wait to carry this form into the upcoming season. 

Following Banyoles, I stayed on for a week-long training camp with British Cycling. It was a great opportunity to continue building fitness and learning from the team. Training camps like this are always a fantastic experience, both for development and for spending time with an amazing group of riders. 

A massive thanks to the GB ODS XC Team for the trip to Banyoles, my SORT Support Team for the incredible help at Chelva, as well as to Pedal Potential for their continued support in getting me to these incredible events. I cant waito for my next tip with the ODS Team to Marseille in a couple of weeks! 

Photo Credit to @internacionaleschelva, @ocisport, ODS XC Team and SORT Support Team