Cyclist Swan smashes national record
AVRIL Swan posted the 10th fastest time recorded by a woman in Britain for a 100-mile time trial – and smashed the Irish national record in the process.
AVRIL Swan posted the 10th fastest time recorded by a woman in Britain for a 100-mile time trial – and smashed the Irish national record in the process.
Riding for Team Endura, St Ives Cycling Club member Swan chopped 55 minutes from the previous record as she crossed the line in 4hrs 1min 1sec at an event in Derbyshire.
The record completes the full set for Swan, originally from County Wexford, who broke the 25-mile and 50-mile Irish records in competition last summer. She moved to Huntingdon six years ago to pursue her cycling career in the active British time trial scene, and is the triple national record holder.
Swan said: “The conditions were quite windy – going in one direction you’d look down and see you were doing 16mph, then after the turn it was 35mph on the way back.
“Luckily, the last leg was a tailwind, so I just pushed hard all the way.
Swan said she had to devise a race plan as she chased the record, breaking down the distance in her mind in order to keep her focus.
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“I knew the course after having ridden it last year, so I split the distance into 25-mile chunks,” she said. “You just have to focus on the next leg and make sure you get your nutrition right.
“I was absolutely elated to break the record – 100 miles takes a lot out of you.
“Once I crossed the line and saw the time I have to admit I got a bit emotional.”Picture: SUPPLIED
