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Olympic Academy rider, Jo Rowsell
February 10, 2008
By Larry Hickmott
Jo Rowsell leads the Women's Team Pursuit into an effort at Manchester recently.
Our final interview during the training camp was with a rider who shot to prominence in 2006 and after a quiet year in 2007 is now challenging for a spot in the Women’s Team Pursuit which GB will contest at the Manchester World Track Championships.
The last time I had seen her, Jo was in a team of Under 23 Academy riders doing Team Pursuit efforts and doing very well considering the lack of training she has in the event compared to the boys.
The Londoner started in the Olympic Academy in November 2006 but was still at school full time until the end of June 2007. So it wasn’t until the latter months of 2007 that Jo had the opportunity to become a full time athlete when she moved up to Manchester.
Looking happy and relaxed in the GB camp, Jo says that getting a ride at the World Championships was always going to be a possibility but that she didn’t know how realistic it would be. “We started doing Team Pursuit work the day after our break last year and it was a new thing for all of us. I seemed to progress well though and I am really enjoying it.”
With Rebecca and Wendy concentrating a lot on the Individual event, Jo’s training is a mixture of work on her own and doing the Team Pursuit sessions when they are held. To help her own training in the Team Pursuit, Jo has been trying to get in extra sessions with the under 23 boys which she admits has helped her a lot.
“I think the World’s is a realistic target now which is exciting.”
Jo came to prominence in 2006 when she won the Bronze medal in the Women’s Road Race championship. She was obviously a great talent for the future but in 2007 remained in the background a lot of the time and failed to make the headlines she did in 2006. Talking about that period of her life, Jo explains why.
“Last year I had my A levels and hadn’t done too well in my AS levels in 06 when I had been racing a lot. So I made a decision to focus on that and was having a tutor twice a week and focused on the exams and trained around that. I did barely any racing until July when I did the Crit champs, then the Euros and started racing more.”
“So last year wasn’t the best of years but that was out of my control. Now the exams and school is out of the way, I am happy and I can focus on the cycling.”
Asked how she felt riding with the Under 23 Men team pursuit, Jo says “when they are doing their rolling efforts under their race pace, which would be my race pace, I can lay off the back or get into the string and ride with them.”
“I think that has helped bring me on a lot especially by following their line around the track and I have now got that drilled into me after doing all those laps with them. Also, when I have been in the string, I knew I had to get the changes right because I didn’t want to ruin it for everyone else so it has helped me both technically and physically.”
Jo leads the male Olympic Academy riders around the track during a Team Pursuit effort.
Whilst talking to Jo, I couldn’t help notice she had lost some skin – a crash I asked? Yes was the answer and her preparation has also been hampered by food poisoning last December. In between these hurdles, Jo has continued doing a bit of work on the track as well as lots of miles on the road. Being at part of the Academy means that when the other riders are around, there is generally a group for her to go out with, even if its just to start off with before going off and doing her own individual efforts.
She says of her early days at the academy, “I found it a big jump at first doing all my own cooking, washing, cleaning and everything but I am now used to it and enjoying that aspect. It has been a bit strange being up here though but the snow last week was amazing. I haven’t seen that much snow in a big town before. I was quite impressed.”
It was at this point in our chat, Jo was needed on the track again for yet another effort with Rebecca and Wendy on the track with some help from Lizzie Armitstead who has also had a mixed time of it lately with injury and illness. For Jo however, the prospect of joining two World Class pursuiters in the Team Pursuit at Manchester is very exciting and has helped motivate her a lot as she gets up to speed riding in the Great Britain Cycling Team’s Olympic Academy.
For her, a Londoner, there is a little matter of an event in four years at the forefront of her focus – the London Olympics and there is little doubt, this young lady may well be one of the stars of those Games. Good luck to Jo in the coming weeks and the Manchester World Track Championships.
Jo follows Steven Burke around the track during a Team Pursuit session with the boys. A week later, Steven was riding around the track at above World Record pace with the Senior team.
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