Podium at The Newport Nocturne!!

The very first Women’s Newport Nocturne arrives! I find out with four weeks to go it’s going to be run. At this time I was in America training and racing hard, which had set me up ready for it. The four weeks had soon passed; I was more than ready to race, kept focused and couldn’t wait!!
Before I begin on how I rode the race to gain my podium position.. A few years ago my Uncle, Mike Jones raced the men’s Newport Nocturne, to which I went to watch him at one. It was amazing! The crowd and set up was an insane atmosphere!! Not to mention the racing was on a whole other level of experience... this was just watching the race! So this encouraged me to start racing and ever since I’ve wondered if there would ever be a women’s race at The Newport Nocturne.

So I’ve just turned 21 and being told there’s going to be a women’s race in The Newport Nocturne after watching my Uncle race it at a young age, great news!! Happy as I knew what this race was like and how big it was so it was brilliant to know I’d have the experience to actually race in it myself!

Ed Rollason Photography

I arrive, warm up and race head on!! Race starts... I knew where I needed to be, up the front, stayed up there the whole race. I won myself two primes within the race so I was feeling very on form. Legs felt good and so did my head; I was thinking where to position myself throughout the race and what primes to go for. With five laps to go I just won my second prime, knowing at this point I’ve still got the legs to pull something out the bag with this race. I’ve trained hard over in America for five weeks, so this was my chance... one lap to go coming down the finishing straight I was there in the right position, no holding back, sprinted with everything I had left in the legs finishing a successful 3^rd across the line!!...
One VERY HAPPY girl!!!


Ed Rollason Photography

 It felt amazing after a very long and hard few seasons, to feel that achievement was over whelming!! Best of all, to come home from America achieving the goal I had set in my head for the past four weeks! Not only coming home to race The Newport Nocturne, it was coming home achieving this result in The Newport Nocturne in front of a home crowd, family and friends. I would like to thank them all for the best support, along with a big thank you to Nick Jeggo and the organisers for putting on such a fantastic Nocturne!! I hope this won’t be the last.

Now it’s still on the bike prepping for the Senior British Cycling Track Championship Nationals.

Big thanks to Richard Bennett and Ed Rollason for the photos!

Hayley x

America!

“What happened to you out there??” a question I’ve been asked countless times in the short week I’ve been home. A question just as hard to answer as where to start writing this blog... My five weeks in America were the fastest and toughest weeks of my life. I made a family of friends and unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. The racing and training in America redefined how I view myself as a cyclist and what I am truly capable of...

The day to day routine of training built my confidence without me even knowing come the third week out there. Double sessions each day, track and road, the best training I’ve done, more so the HARDEST. Here is some of what we (myself and Charline Joiner) did... Motorpacing, standing starts, road rides, mountain climbs, derby rides and most importantly the track and crit racing! Full on and hard work put in!!

To add to this... I turn up on the first week to race the World Series of Bicycling Track, racing with the pro/international women’s field against, New Zealand, Poland, America and Scotland. This was a big night of racing each Friday with crowds of 2,500 to 3,000! This was one of the best experiences to be able to compete within this race series. 
 
Throughout the hard weeks of training I put in mentally and physically, it started paying off with results... Top ten in the women’s crit , 5th overall in one of the Omniums, just pipped to 4th in the women’s big event the kieren and finally a big win on the Friday night (World Series of Bicycling) this was in the women’s scratch race, report follows... 
 
“In the ten lap scratch, Nadia Latzgo made a move with four to go and brought England’s Hayley Edwards with her. Edwards was able to hold off a hard charging Latzgo to take the win, while Colleen Gulick won the field sprint.” The Valley Preferred Cycling Centre.

This was then the start to a rider introduction on the last week I was out there. I was asked alongside the pro/international riders, men and women to do a rider introduction to the crowd. This was a lot of fun!! Your name along with an introduction and country your from is called out whilst riding round the track waving to the crowd. A very rewarding and fun experience after a long five weeks of racing and training at my hardest!...

Through all the hard full on racing and training I’m not missing out the fun and CRAZY cherished memories! Though it’s hard to explain every best one, as there were so many!! Instead I’ve got photos, so here are the BEST memories of ‘Summer 2012 in America!’...

The Valley Preferred Cycling Centre

The BEST International family... English, Scottish, New Zealand and American, all in one house!

 

The one of many scary storms!!

The ‘very’ burnt pizza... we attempted to play frisbee with.and managed three throws, RESULT!

I experienced some creek walking with machetes and FROGS!!! (I fear for)

I found the chocolate all in one place in New York!!

 

I experienced some creek walking with machetes and FROGS!!! (I fear for)

Just completed the derby training session, celebrating the tough average 30mph effort!!

Rocking the sunset whilst out training

I wanted to take the sun home to rainy England...