Last week, we spoke to Hayley Simmonds ahead of racing in the Tour de Yorkshire. From morning latte to lights out, we get to know a little bit more about the winning race cyclist.
Hayley Simmonds, 29, is a British racing cyclist. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Mark Holt and cat Liquorice.
My alarm goes off…
Between 8am and 8.30am when training. On rest days, I won’t set an alarm, letting my body wake me up naturally. I have a cup of coffee and breakfast. What I eat for breakfast depends on the intensity and duration of that days training schedule and will range from fruit with greek yoghurt to a big bowl of rice porridge with nut butter. Once home, anywhere between 12pm and 4pm I’ll have a recovery drink and nap.
I got into cycling…
After rowing at Cambridge University where I studied Natural Sciences, specialising in Chemistry. In my final year, rowing had to take a backseat and once ready to get back into sport my now husband inspired me to give cycling a go. The transition from rowing to cycling is a natural one for many, most notably Rebecca Romero MBE.
My typical day…
Is dictated by my training plan, geared at improving my performance. This doesn’t just involve time out on the bike but nutrition and recovery. For the past two years, I’ve worked with a sports phycologist who helps me with my self-confidence and any potential anxiety around a race.
My most memorable moment…
Was winning the British National Time Trial Championships in 2015, breaking three British records in one week, closely followed by winning bronze in the women’s time trial at the Commonwealth Games last month!
The best part of my job…
Is achieving goals that I’ve set myself – this might be winning a race, doing a job for my team or just performing well. I hope that I make my loved ones proud and inspire others along the way.
The worst part of my job…
Is being away from home. Although I get to travel around the world I actually see very little of the places I visit. I’ll arrive a couple of days before a race and will have little to no time to explore, needing to focus on my performance.
After work…
I make dinner for my husband and I (when home) and settle down to watch a boxset. We’re currently watching The Blacklist and Hawaii Five-0. We’ll inevitably have some house and cycling admin to do to before heading to bed around 10.30pm.
Hayley insures her bikes with Yellow Jersey. Our Ultimate Bicycle Insurance covers your bike for worldwide racing as standard.