2006 saw Wigan’s
Lucy Ayres of Sportcity Velo develop into a world class sprinter. Often
overlooked by many due to the World Championship winning performances of
Victoria Pendleton and Anna Blyth, Lucy quietly had her best ever season,
winning two silver medals in the British Junior National Championships and two
bronze in the Seniors.
Coming from a tennis background, Lucy
started cycling in 2004 when she was tested by the North West talent team. Despite failing the
endurance aspects of the test she passed the sprinting test with flying colours
and was consequently fast-tracked into the Talent Team.
It didn’t take long for Lucy to become the
princess of the track and at the junior national championships in 2005 she took
the silver medal in the Sprint, Bronze in the 500m time trial and finished
sixth in the Scratch race.
These achievements led to her being selected
for the Olympic Development Programme from where she progressed to the Academy
Programme in late 2006.
“It felt so good to know that all my hard
work had paid off and I’m really proud to represent my country at something I
love doing”
Lucy puts her success down to the setup at
British Cycling, which enables her to dedicate all her time to cycling.
“Without the Olympic Academy Programme I
would have to go to University, which would not allow me to dedicate the time
that I need to get where I want in a sport that I love” commented Lucy.
Lucy is proud to represent Great Britain
“I used to play tennis at a high level, but
in Britain
tennis players just don’t have the support that cyclists receive, so its
virtually impossible to progress to the top”
“My main aim for 2007 is July’s European
Championships, which are being held in Cottbus, hopefully if I’m successful
here this will result in selection for the 2007/08 World Cup events” Lucy stated.
Each day starts with a 9am road ride to
Manchester Velodrome for a gym session, followed by three hours on the track in
the afternoon under the guidance of BC Sprint Coach Iain Dyer, before riding
home in the evening.
“I don’t really enjoy the road rides, apart
from downhill sprints in summer, as I’m a tracky at heart and to be honest I’m
a bit of a girl and don’t like getting muddy this time of year!”
Lucy takes the Bronze at the 2006 National Keirin Championships
“Even though sessions in the gym are tough,
I really enjoy them and I can feel that I have already got a lot stronger,
especially in my favourite event, the sprint”
It is clear to see that apart from being a
professional cyclist, Lucy is also a huge fan of the sport, and whenever not
‘at work’ and racing, she tries to get to as many events as she can.
Lucy particularly admires the achievements
of the Meares sisters and Natalyia Tyslinskaya, but most of all team-mate and
training partner Victoria Pendleton, however she also considers John McEnroe as
one of the most inspirational sporting figures in her life.
Lucy is passionate about getting cycling
into the British mindset with increased promotion and raising the profile of
the sport by broadcasting the major events on terrestrial television.
Lucy is currently training hard for the European Championships
Whilst not cycling Lucy holds the life of a
typical teenager and enjoys going out with friends and watching the OC and her
favourite films Good Will Hunting, Parent Trap and How to Lose a Guy in 10
Days. She likes listening to music by The Kooks, The Zutons, Jet, Aaliyah and
Razorlight.
I thank Lucy for taking the time out of her
heavy training schedule to complete this interview with The Velodrome.
I wish her the best of luck in attaining
success at the European Track Championships in July.
You can keep up-to-date with Lucy’s season
by reading her exclusive monthly diaries for the Velodrome, but right now she
is off to attend the afternoon Sprint session under the guidance of Iain Dyer.
