Cycling didn't find me until my mid-20s. At the time, I was a secondary school teacher on the hunt for a new sport to throw myself into, and it all started with a 300-mile charity ride where my enthusiasm certainly outweighed my knowledge! Despite a bike that was far too big and some very un-aero clothing, I discovered the incredible warmth of the cycling community. I was hooked. A few years later, I found myself in a Pro Continental racing team, racing road and criteriums across Europe and beyond and absolutely loving it. Towards the end of my racing career, I started a family and navigated the challenges of time-crunched training. Since then, I've hung up the racing wheels and now enjoy a lot more cafe stops, and also like to get out trail running in the North Yorkshire countryside. 

While I was racing, the guidance of great coaches like Tim Cusick taught me how to tease out peak performance by applying the science and data behind the training while pushing mental and physical boundaries as far as possible. I loved to learn and overcome challenges as an athlete, delving into the details of exercise physiology and sports psychology and how the latest research could boost performance. This love for learning naturally led me on to coaching.