Chatting to Hannah Barnes

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One of the country’s top female riders is multi circuit race champion Hannah Barnes who is starting her second season for United Healthcare. Hannah was at the Eddie Soens last Saturday so we stopped by for quick chat.

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Chatting to Hannah Barnes

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Hannah sitting in the wheels at the Eddie Soens last Saturday

One of the country’s top female riders is multi circuit race champion Hannah Barnes who is starting her second season for United Healthcare. Hannah was at the Eddie Soens last Saturday so we stopped by for quick chat.

The 21 year old who has won many a British title (see below) got back here last Thursday and admitted she’s always wanted to do the Eddie Soens. “I entered this when I was 16” Hannah explained “and then went on a training camp in Majorca so missed it. My dad was like why don’t you do it this year so I thought why not, it’s fun and will get the legs going”.

Hannah went on to finish in the second group at Soens after the race became very brutal at the end and the big peloton split. First woman for the rider who earlier this year won the Grand Prix San Luis Femenino in Argentina.

After many years of trying get a chance in the GB team and being ignored by the pro teams, Hannah finally got given a chance by the US outfit United Healthcare which could offer her a race programme which would suit her strengths, sprinting and crits!

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Success for Hannah in America has followed her success in Britain

“It’s was very good and I enjoyed it a lot” Hannah said of her first season. “It was a good experience to get over there and experience the American racing because everyone was saying how different it was.”

The big highlight though was returning home to compete in the Women’s Tour and get the chance to sprint against the Worlds best and Hannah did not disappoint! On stage 1, the young lady from Towcester was third with former World Champions Emma Johannson and Marianne Vos ahead of her.

“That was a big highlight for me last year. The team were originally umming and ahing because it’s a lot of money for all of us to fly over from America but thankfully they decided that it was going to be worth it and it certainly was so we’re coming back!”

There is a cliché in cycling about ‘Living the dream’ and when asked is she, Hannah replied “It’s really a good life as a bike rider!” I’ve just come back from a winter in Girona which was nice and it’s good to now just ride my bike and not worry about waitressing. I have had the best winter I have ever had so hopefully this season will show that. It’s nice to have got in the routine of getting up, riding my bike and chilling.”

Having already had a victory in 2015, Hannah has some important goals for 2015 as she explained. “The Women’s Tour is a big goal for me as is the Tour of California this year. The British Road Championships as well. I’m still under 23 so to win that jersey would be nice and hopefully get top five or podium would be great”.

A familiar sight in Britain at races was Hannah winning the circuit races such as the Women’s Tour Series organised by Sweetspot who also organise the Friends Life Women’s Tour. Is Hannah missing the crits?

“No, not at all! I’m getting enough of them in America too. My next road race is the 29th of April so I’ve got four crits before I take part in the US Team Time Trial championships so I could win an American title which is cool!”

“So I have quite a few crits in America. There are a few clashes early season between stage races and crits and the team wanted a sprinter at each so I said I’d quite like to stay on the East Coast for as long as I can before I have to go to the West Coast”.

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“I live in North Carolina, on the East Coast in the South and will also be going to Boulder for a few weeks soon to acclimatise as quite a few races are at attitude this year.” Hannah then admitted when it comes to equality in America, the racing certainly is. “We do stage races where we are also doing the same distance as the men so we did 80 mile stages last year but the Crits are still my favourite”.

Good luck to Hannah in America and we look forward to her returning to Britain for the Friends Life Women’s Tour in June.

Hannah’s Career Highlights
2008
1st Blackpool Grand Prix Des Dames (aged 15!)

2009
2nd British National Madison Championships (with Corrine Hall)

2010
1st British National Circuit Race Championships
1st British National Madison Championships (with Hannah Walker)
1st Junior British National Cyclo-cross Championships
1st British National Track Championships (Junior Scratch race)
2011
1st British National Circuit Race Championships
1st British National Time Trial Championships – Junior
1st British National Track Championships (Junior Scratch race)
1st British National Track Championships, (Junior Points race)
1st Criterium, 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games
1st Time trial, 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games
1st Team road race, 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games (with Lucy Garner & Harriet Owen)
1st Peterborough Johnsons Healthtech Tour Series
1st Smithfield Nocturne

2012
1st Elite Women’s Criterium at the IG London Nocturne
1st stage 3 Essex Giro

2013
1st Woking Johnsons Healthtech Tour Series
1st Redditch Johnsons Healthtech Tour Series
1st Colchester Johnsons Healthtech Tour Series
1st Elite Women’s Criterium at the IG London Nocturne
1st Overall Winner Johnsons Healthtech Tour Series
1st Overall Sprint Jersey Johnsons Healthtech Tour Series
1st Curlew Cup Road Race, British National Series
1st Oakley Team Series
1st Ryedale GP
1st Stage 3 City of Perth Grand Prix

2014
1st Stage 1 Tour San Luis Feminino

2015
1st Grand Prix San Luis Femenino
1st Stage 1 Tour Femenino de San Luis

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