Olympic Gold medalist London 2012 3 x World Champion Ex professional Track & Road Cyclist Mum Cycling coach for ‘Rowe & King’
Yes, five watts per kilo is considered a professional athlete FTP for women. Transcript: "So my best ever FTP was around five watts per kilo, I'm just over. So yeah, I guess that is considered a pro-athlete FTP for women."
I enjoy being a role model and being approachable to younger people. It's nice to inspire the next generation. Transcript: "Yeah. I'd say I do enjoy it. I think it's really important to be approachable. Obviously, I'm a role model now and I remember when I was younger. And I think it was really nice if athletes were approachable and you could go up and speak to them. So yeah, I do enjoy it. And it's nice to be able to try and inspire the next generation."
My morning routine when I was a professional cyclist was to wake up without an alarm around 8, check my training plan for the day, and sometimes have a no carb breakfast. Then I would generally start training around 10. Transcript: "So when I was a professional cyclist, my morning routine would look like waking up whenever my body did. So I never set an alarm, but generally, I would wake up around 8 o'clock. And then I would feel for whatever training I had for the day. So that would be specific for the efforts that I had. Sometimes I'd have no carb breakfast to make sure I was burning different fuels, essentially. And then I would generally start training around 10."
The best skill to have in cycling is bike handling skills. It helps you move up through the peloton and stay safe, as well as conserve energy. Young cyclists should work on developing this skill before they start racing. Transcript: "So I think the best skill to have in cycling, which is my sport, would be, basically, bike handling skills. I think without bike handling skills, you really are going to struggle in any discipline of cycling, really. And I think, by having good bike handling skills, it means that you can be where you need to be. You don't waste energy. You can descend at the front of the Peloton, you can move up through a Peloton, whether that be on the track or the road. And I think it just gives you so much advantage. It also keeps you safer, being able to handle your bike, get out of sticky situations. So yeah, that's actually one thing I lacked slightly as a bike rider, the bike handling skills. And it meant that I ended up having to expend a lot more energy than I needed to. So it's something definitely that young children, especially, should work on to make sure that they've got those bike handling skills before they start racing."
I have retired from professional athletics, and now commentate on the women's Road cycling season for Eurosport. I am married to Matt row, who is part of the Swift power up cycling podcast, and we have a 17 month old son called Ted. Transcript: "So I've actually now retired, so I'm not a professional athlete anymore. I commentate on Eurosport, for the women's Road cycling season, which I absolutely love. I married to Matt row, who is a very keen cyclist himself and is part of the Swift power up cycling podcast, and I have a little boy called, Ted, who is 17 months old."
My eating routine now is different from when I was a professional cyclist. Now it's about making sure I have dinner ready for myself and my family, getting my little boy to bed, and then tidying up the house. Transcript: "So my eating routine now, is very different to what it was as a professional cyclist before it would have been just having dinner. Making sure I'm fueled properly for the next day of training and then go to sleep. But now, I'm not a professional cyclist. It's about getting my little boy into bed and then my house out and making sure I've got dinner ready for this."