So, let’s focus on the positives. Firstly the approach to the race was good. Worlds are a big deal and when it’s at a venue like Koksijde, it’s really important. It’s in the top 2 venues of my hit list. Koppenburg is the other one, so this is kind of the one that remains un-ticked on my bucket list. The British team was dismantled with food poisoning, but thankfully I missed that, although when you are sitting in your room, hearing tales of other peoples sickness, you do wonder if the butterflies in your stomach are normal or an indication of a long night ahead in the toilet. Anyway, the positive was I didn’t get sick and I feel so sorry for all of those that did. They all put some much effort in to be there and didn’t deserve for that to happen.

The other positive was my start. I led the World Champs and had my start back to where it was earlier in the season. That’s escaped me in recent weeks following the illness I’ve been fighting. But I’ve been getting stronger every week and I think there’s no reason why I can get a 12th win of the season before it finishes in a few weeks. But that sickness left me not riding my bike too much over Christmas and the New Year, and it’s very clear that rest brought on my best form very early. Read More→

Helen rode a strong race following an early head first crash into the sand, eventually riding into the top 10 before finishing 13th. The race, held in Northern Belgium, was a hilly, sand dune filled affair. Nearly 50,000 spectators came out to watch as the worlds best battled for the coveted Rainbow Stripes. Read the complete race report over at cyclingnews.com