Having spent the majority of the last 6 years as a solo cyclist, I entered my first race last year in January of 2024 for the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, at the time on a gravel bike, with no previous experience riding as part of a group and with a hastily purchased bike computer, to check I could actually make the minimum speed of 26kph!

I finished in the top 35% in my age group, despite having never raced before and achieved an average speed of 36.5 kph, which at the time I thought (and felt) was super fast! (I would learn very quickly how much further I needed to step things up to be in with a chance of qualification!). However, the whole thing lit a fire in me and I was immediately caught by the buzz and addiction of cycling in a competitive environment and vowed I would work towards qualification in the next 12 months.

Cue the purchase of my first ever Road Bike in March of 2024, the first time I'd worn road shoes and ridden with road cleats (my gravel bike, bought 18 months earlier was first time I'd ever ridden clipped in too - I come from riding mountain bikes, on the mean streets of London!).

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that when I set a goal, I tend to focus on it quite intensely and I'm pretty blinkered in my approach to making it happen. However, my first experience with the road bike took some getting used to, with the new position and no focused training, other than my crazy long weekend adventures, I had a lot of fitness to build and things to learn, especially riding in a group and more importantly in a race.

I decided to throw myself into group cycling and following a chance meeting at 4am in the lift on the way to cycle one weekend, I got introduced into the amazing cycling community of Dubai. I've met so many amazing and inspirational people over last 6-8 months through cycling, who have all helped me grow in confidence and fitness and inspired me to keep pushing harder and further to reach my goal.

I entered every race going in 2024 in Dubai to start building up my race fitness, but also, just trying to learn how to race and to see what my baseline was and how much I would need to do. I started with the Al Ain Fondo in October 2024, which was a 100km smash fest and gave me a real taste of what my riding level would need to be if I wanted to qualify - I was actually super happy with my first performance, staying with the lead group at an average of 44-45 km/h for the first 60km, before being unceremoniously dropped at a u-turn and soloing the final 40km! That was a super important lesson in positioning in a race and one which I took into my next races.

I raced multiple races in the back half of 2024, each one teaching me more and more about how to race and, just as importantly, how not to race, but mostly ending up with me getting dropped at some point or other and not being able to finish with the lead group.

Turning points can come when you least expect them and in my case, it was in December 2024, when I had to undergo surgery for a torn meniscus in my right knee. After all the race practice, it was a bit of a devastating blow to have to take a whole month off the bike, whilst I learnt to walk again, through weeks of physio and strength training, to get back on my feet and get my legs moving again.

I love getting out on the bike, so not being able to cycle was a major setback and frustration for me and (possibly) I pushed myself to get back on the bike a little bit too early, but after cycling indoors for a few days, with no real issues, I decided to go for my first ride outside on Christmas day! I didn't push things too hard, but it felt great to be out on the bike again, even though I could tell my fitness was nowhere near where it was before I'd taken the break in December.

Over the coming weeks, I kept increasing my training and slowly, but surely, built up my fitness again, so I decided to take on a group ride I'd had my eye on for a while (and was slightly terrified of!), which was the 'Dubai Roasters' ride, billed as 'The Fastest Group Ride in Dubai'. Indeed, it was the fastest group ride in Dubai, but it was perfect race preparation and after attending my first one, I was hooked. I loved the speed, the adrenaline and the competition and it was the closest I'd felt to a race, outside of racing itself.

Spurred on by my performance on the Dubai Roadsters rides, I took part in the Spinneys Build up Ride 4, which was the last build up ride before the main event and I started in Group 1. Throughout 2024, I was always getting dropped at various points throughout the races I took part in, but this was the first race where everything came together for me - it's not just about fitness and stamina, but also about race craft and anticipating key selection points during a race and making sure you position yourself accordingly.

Following my previous experience of getting dropped on u-turns, I made sure I was positioned at the front of the group, heading into key selection points of the race, and for the first time in my life, I was able to stay with the lead group, finishing 11th in my group with an average of 41 km/h.

The next race, ahead of the main event, was the L'Etape Dubai by Le Tour De France, which was another step up for me - I stayed with the lead group for the entire race and was super competitive throughout, finishing with an average speed of 43.1 km/h, which was another record for me at the time.

Then came the main event, the Spinneys 92 Dubai Cycle Challenge UCI Qualifier - without a doubt, my best performance ever, across all levels. Not only did I feel super strong throughout the race, but I used all the knowledge I'd gained from the season of racing to help myself (and friends I was racing with) stay in contention. From bridging gaps created by competing teams, to making sure I was well positioned at key selection points, I managed to finish with a time of 2:06:33 and average speed of 43.6 km/h, finishing in the top 13% of my age group and qualifying for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Lorne, Australia in October 2025.

I cannot wait to compete in the final, but I know there's a lot of training to do between now and then, but I'm seriously looking forward to it! For those of you thinking about getting into racing, just do it, it's such a thrill and you'll meet so many amazing people on your journey and I guarantee you'll surprise yourself with what you can achieve.

Give it a go and get yourself out there; we're all Born to Breathe!