Arm injury puts the brake on my season after crash in Scotland

Last weekend saw me make the 270-mile trip to Peebles, Scotland to compete in round three of the HSBC National cross-country championships.

After making the journey on Friday, I awoke refreshed on Saturday morning to beautiful sunny conditions – a dream for any cyclist! After breakfast I made the short eight-minute journey to the event headquarters located on the outskirts of the stunning Glentress forest.

Having arrived much earlier than anticipated, I was able to inspect the course on foot and formulate a strategy for Sunday’s main event.

The course started with a long, root infested single-track climb, something right up my street! It then flattened out into fast flowing single-track which would make for enjoyable, competitive riding.

A steep hill at the back end of the course was also to my liking… but the sheer drop immediately after had me worried (despite riding something very similar at home the week before).

The next A line was a perilous descent that was not to my liking. The corresponding B line was much safer and not that much slower, so I made a mental note to take that route when practising on my bike later.

The rock garden looked highly technical, and given my lack of specialist training this year due to university commitment, I once again opted to avoid this hazard in favour of a different route. Apart from that, the rest of the course looked manageable. Even the infamous steep rocky descent known as the ‘b***h’ was something I would enjoy riding.

12 o’clock rolled round and it was time to kit up and pre-ride the course. After walking it two hours previously I wasn’t too worried because I knew what to expect.

The first section of the course was enjoyable riding. However, half way round I froze at the top of the steep A-line that worried me earlier. With a little bit of coaxing and heckling from both my sister and a marshal I plucked up the courage to ride the drop-off without damaging myself or the bike!

The rest of the course was challenging, but great fun. I relaxed in the evening by taking a stroll around Peebles with my sister and boyfriend.

Waking up to grey clouds and rain was not the best start to Sunday morning. However, by the time we arrived at race headquarters in the mid morning, the miserable weather had been replaced by warm sun and blue skies.

After a thorough warm up I arrived on the start line feeling positive and ready to go. I had a strong start and was in fourth place going up the first climb out of the arena. However, as the course went on I started to feel fatigued and unwell, likely a result of being poorly in the lead-up to the race.

I eased off the gas and decided to enjoy myself, rather than wreck my body, thinking ahead to future races. I found myself sitting comfortably in seventh, and set my sights on finishing the race in a competitive position. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst on lap three.

While attempting to navigate a nasty A line, I went straight over the handle-bars and onto my shoulder. Unfortunately, the pain was so intense that I could not continue racing.

A quick trip to A&E resulted in a diagnosis of a torn rotator cuff, but I am still waiting on a scan. I am remaining positive and will be back to my racing best as soon as the pain has subsided and my arm strength has come back!