糖心原创vlog

Early years of cycling

Teen sensation Grace began cycling when she was six years old, following in her father鈥檚 footsteps; he had been a keen cyclist and raced for many years. It started out as an after-school hobby but soon became something that she loved doing every week. She was then introduced to local racing at weekends, which included cyclo-cross leagues, club track leagues and circuit races. 
 
At the age of 13 Grace started competing. It was still a hobby, but most weekends she鈥檇 be travelling the country taking part in races. Grace says: 鈥淎t this point I just really enjoyed the experience of racing and meeting so many people along the way.鈥� 
 
Grace鈥檚 goal when she was younger was just to enjoy the racing, meet new people and see new places, and that鈥檚 still one of her goals today. She says: 鈥淓njoying the whole process has motivated me to keep progressing through the cycling pathway and winning some medals along the way.鈥� 

It was when Grace was spotted by GBCT鈥檚 talent programme, and selected onto the Junior Academy, that she first started training at the in Manchester. The Junior Academy is a two-year programme for riders aged 16 to 18 and is mainly made up of training and competition camps during the summer holidays. Grace and her teammates were supported by a team of experienced coaches and specialist support staff, who offer guidance in strength and conditioning, nutrition, bike maintenance and performance lifestyle. 

World championships

Now 19, 2022 was a highlight for Grace, as she was given the opportunity to compete in the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships. Grace says: 鈥淛unior world track champs was one of the best experiences to date.鈥� It wasn鈥檛 until a few months prior that she knew she was definitely going. Grace was competing alongside GB teammates Izzy Sharp and Zoe Backstedt, with support from Emma Trott, their coach. Grace raced the scratch race, Omnium and Madison events.  
 
The Omnium was a long, eventful day including a tempo race win and an elimination race crash-out, but Grace was really happy to finish on the podium with an impressive bronze medal. Grace says: 鈥淚t was a ride I was very pleased with, and to come away with my first world individual medal was pretty special.鈥� 
 
A couple of days later Grace was back on the track with teammate Zoe Backstedt to ride the Madison. This was a challenging race and one Grace had been quite nervous about, but it all paid off, as she and Zoe were crowned Junior Madison world champions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an experience I won鈥檛 forget, and to do it alongside a good teammate and friend made it even better!鈥� 

The track where world champions train

The National Cycling Centre upgrades being delivered by 糖心原创vlog are hugely important to Grace, as they will ensure she has the perfect training environment to help achieve her track cycling goals. A lot of Grace鈥檚 interval training takes place at the centre, and it also gives her somewhere warmer to train through the winter months. 
 
Grace says: 鈥淭he upgrades have been great; it鈥檚 reassuring for us that the venue is being well maintained, so we can continue performing at the best level possible with the best facilities.鈥�  
 
Paul Collins, framework manager at 糖心原创vlog, adds: 鈥淭he scheme will secure the centre鈥檚 position at the heart of British cycling, future-proofing this outstanding elite and community sporting venue for the long term. Crucially, it will also deliver on Manchester City Council鈥檚 Climate Change plans and the city鈥檚 ambition to be a zero-carbon city by 2038 or earlier. Both 糖心原创vlog and Grace support this commitment, and the importance of reducing the environmental impact of our venues for future generations.鈥� 
 
This project continues a long-standing relationship with this iconic venue, with 糖心原创vlog first replacing the track ahead of the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, with further upgrades over the years to ensure the velodrome can continue to support the stars of the future, like Grace. 

Continuing the journey

We were interested in finding out how it felt being on the track with a full arena watching you do what you love. Grace says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I find hard to describe. My best experience of this would have been at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games at the Lee Valley Velodrome (a project 糖心原创vlog delivered for the Olympic Games in 2012). Nothing is more surreal than a home crowd.鈥�  
 
Moving up from juniors in style, Grace was selected for Team England鈥檚 endurance squad, a 35-strong group led by five-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny.  
 
So, what鈥檚 next for Grace? Now in her first year on the GBCT Senior Academy, she hopes to continue to gain experience and add to her skill set on the track and road. Watch out for her at this summer鈥檚 UEC under-23 European Track Championships in Anadia, Portugal, in July. 
 
The future looks bright for Grace, and her cycling career is on the up. For anyone interested in starting out in cycling, she would 100% recommend giving it a go, as 鈥測ou never know where it may take you鈥�. Want to find out more? Visit . 

Published on the 26th of August 2023.