Interview: Women’s 25 Champion Hayley Simmonds

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Winner by over a minute, Hayley Simmonds added another 25 title to her growing list of honours including three comp records! We talk to her…

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Interview: Women’s 25 Champion Hayley Simmonds

The Results – Women & Junior 25 Championship | The Photos Here 

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Hayley Simmonds smashed the victory in the Women’s 25 mile Time Trial Championship to add to her growing list of titles and successful defence of titles as well. Afterwards, we spoke to Hayley who said her race was tough.

“I knew it was going to be slow because I only live about a 25 minute drive away and an hour’s ride and have ridden out here twice in the last two weeks, first time on the road bike and then last week on the time trial bike. I also saw they resurfaced a section of 3.5k that we did four times”

“The surface they added had chippings and it doesn’t look that bad but to ride it, it felt bad, a completely dead surface!”

Asked to describe her form after three comp records in a week, Hayley says, “I can’t believe it to be honest. The 50 was great especially since I hadn’t done one for a while because I don’t really like them LoL, then the 10, I knew I was going well over that distance so was quite confident I could maybe break my 10 record again. The ‘49’ for the 25; I felt that was a long time coming and glad it was a decisive 49 being a 49.28 and not a 49.58.”

“So the form is good!”

“I was still nervous coming into today as I’ve been up and down with 25’s and I struggle in the heat too so I found today’s ride mentally quite tough but it went alright obviously.”

Hayley is quite a new name to the top of the championship winning results in the last few years and explained that she is still not quite finished with university after finishing her PHD in April but is riding full time with a view to going professional again in a UCI team.

“I’d like to be doing UCI road races again because I do feel I could make it as a professional road rider. This year was difficult as I was on the shortlist for the Olympics and with hindsight, should have been using that first year as a professional to learn and find my feet and I didn’t feel I had the chance to do that because I was feeling pressure to get results to be selected for Rio”.

“So my long term goal is for the Olympics in Tokyo, 2020 so I have a four year block on the road to get that experience by going to a pro team and being a domestique and building my way up.”

Back to her ride today in the 25, and asked about her bike, Hayley says of it “I love my Cervelo P5! I rode a disc at the back and Pro tri spoke at the front. Today I was using one of the Aerocoach Arc chain rings (54) which is the first time I have raced on it after using it in training and really liking it. It’s slightly ovalised but not as much as the osymetrics.”

“I had Vittoria Chrona tubs with a slightly lower pressure because I knew the surface wasn’t as good. I also had a wireless SRM on the bike but I always trust myself as well so although I do ride to power, if I look at the numbers and also how I’m feeling and if my numbers don’t tie up, I listen to my body first”.

“I am quite lucky I have always been good at pacing a time trial because in the beginning I didn’t have a power metre so I listen to the body first.”

Hayley was also wearing the British champion stripes and admits the buzz of wearing them is still there! “The week before the British nationals, I realised I had not done that many domestic time trials before the championship (BC’s) race this year so the week before, every time I went training, I had my stripey jersey on because I realised it could be the last week I was able to wear it and that made me quite sad.”

“To have it back, and to get to wear the stripes for another year is very special and I certainly don’t take them for granted.”

Finally, I had to ask whether the World Championships was a focus of hers in 2016? “It’s a focus of mine for sure. I’d like to be selected. I rode the Tour of Qatar this year and rode a stage which they said was going to be the course at the Worlds but didn’t know whether that was for the road race or the time trial or both. But if they are using part of that stage for the time trial, there are 17 roundabouts in it so this will have been perfect training! So I’d love to ride the Worlds again having done it last year and this time I’d be more comfortable and confident”.”

Thanks Hayley …

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