BUCS 10 mile TT, 27 Apr 2025

Having woken up to some stunning and still weather, I was already a lot more positive about this year’s BUCS 10 than last year’s race in the hail. I had a rough plan for power, aiming to not die in the second half as I had the year before. I perhaps slightly undercooked it, realising at about mile 6 that I had quite a lot more left in the tank. Luckily, just as I started smacking it, I spotted my best mate and teammie in the distance, so getting to her was a nice focus to keep me motivated. I was only around half a minute quicker than last year in far better conditions with far better legs, so pacing is definitely still something to work on. That being said, I had a super fun day out, felt great, PBed, and got a bronze medal for fastest female team for Cambridge with Lucy - so no real complaints from me!

The difference in how I felt from this year to last year is the big takeaway for me. It shows that the structured training from Tim is really paying off. I went out with a plan of a power that seemed ambitious - and would have been ambitious a few months ago - that now felt almost comfortable. I’ve seen a pretty major improvement in the numbers, and I’m sure once I get the pacing sorted, the times will follow suit. Turns out intervals really do work - who would have thought!

Freya Taylor