MK Bowl Crits, 4 & 18 Mar 2023

With 2023 being my first year in bike racing, my two back-to-back races at the MK Bowl were the third and fourth races of my cycling career. In both races, my primary goal was to stick to the front of the pack, wait for the break, go with it, and experience the race.

In both races, I was able to do that, and in the second race, I was actually able to make the break myself and split up the pack, eventually creating a 90-second gap to the chase pack. Making a break like this is something that I have wanted to try and by my fourth race, it was something that I felt confident to achieve. 

Throughout my training, progressively building VO2max sessions mixed in with threshold sessions have really given me the confidence to try and make moves in races. As a result, I managed to place 9th out of 18 ladies in the first MK race, and then second in the second MK race.

I am looking forward to seeing how I can bring the lessons of my first four Crit races to the road scene this summer!

Anna Brearley