Among the 59,000 runners taking part in the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday was an impressive scattering of former elite bike riders, including multiple Olympic gold medallist Dame Laura Kenny.

Kenny finished the infamously gruelling 26.2-mile course on the Mall in London (where the team time trial third stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will happen during the double Grand Départ in 2027) in 3:45:05, coming within two minutes of beating the time that her husband Sir Jason Kenny set in the same race last year.

Talking to national papers prior to the big event, Kenny described her transition from track cycling, where everything is about power and precision, to running, where you can escape into your own headspace – at least during the training stages – something she sorely needed after a tough few post-retirement years.

Kenny, Britain's most successful female Olympic athlete, was raising money for the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust through her marathon-running efforts, having suffered an awful experience with the condition when she fell pregnant after the Tokyo Games.

On Sunday her mum and dad, Glenda and Adrian Trott, were on the sidelines with the Kennys’ young daughter Lily, who is still being breast­fed. After the race Laura posted a photo of her feeding Lilly, and didn't hold back about how hard the run had been.

“London marathon: Completed it!” she wrote. “Not even going to pretend I enjoyed it because I absolutely did not! Got round in 3.45 after a typical Laura pacing job. But I ran for a cause SO close to our hearts.”

Kenny was in good company, too. Fellow Olympian and track cyclist Dani Rowe (who has an Olympic gold medal, three World Championships titles, and two European Championship titles to her name) finished the marathon with a time of 3:07:43.

And Chris Newton – who rode at the Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing Games (collecting a silver and two bronze medals en route) before taking up running in a serious way – crossed the finish line in London with a time of 2:34:42. He can add that medal to his haul of bling, which includes seven UCI Track Cycling World Championships medals (two world titles among them) and three Commonwealth Games medals.

Mind you, he's going to have to up his game if he wants to beat former Visma–Lease a Bike rider-turned runner Tom Dumoulin, who can boast about a sub-2:30-hour finish in the Amsterdam Marathon (as well as a Giro d'Italia win and nine stage victories across the Grand Tours, plus five World Championship medals and two Olympic silvers).

Olympic gold medallist and three-time track world champion Dani Rowe has announced her retirement from racing at 28.

Rowe, who rode for WaowDeals Pro Cycling during the 2018 season, announced on Wednesday she would be leaving the peloton.

During her career Rowe, née King, has been a multiple national champion, multiple European champion, Commonwealth Games medallist, three-time world champion and won Olympic gold.

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She said: “After 14 years of dedicating my life to a bike, I’ve decided to go out on a high after the satisfaction of achieving everything and more in the sport that I ever set out to.

“I feel privileged to be able to finish my professional cycling career on my own terms and in a great place mentally with the sport.

“I’m an achiever and I’m driven through hitting and improving targets I set myself.

“After winning a medal in the Commonwealth Games I have won a major medal in all that I can in cycling and now it’s time to enter the next chapter of my life.”

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Rowe joined Vision 1 Racing in 2009, before focusing on the track for the next few years.

In 2013 she joined Wiggle-Honda Pro Cycling, before leaving for Cylance Pro Cycling in 2017, seeing out her career with WaowDeals Pro Cycling.

This year, Rowe finished third at the Women’s Tour, second at the Tour de Yorkshire and won bronz in the Commonwealth Games road race.

She won a track gold at the 2012 London Olympics in the team pursuit and has multiple World Championship and European Championship golds on the boards.

Rowe added: “I feel that it would have been an easier decision to carry on cycling, as it’s something that’s defined me since the age of 14.

“It’s a scary world outside of professional sport but one I’m willing to jump into with open arms, taking opportunities that I wouldn’t have been able to when cycling.

“Cycling has enriched my life in so many ways, and given me the highest of highs and also plenty of lows that have shaped me into the person I am today, and I will always be so thankful for that.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been on this amazing journey with me, but especially my parents, sister Sarah and husband Matt who have provided the most amazing support.”

Rowe founding cycle coaching company Rowe and King in 2015, along with husband Matt, brother-in-law and Team Sky rider Luke Rowe and Courtney Rowe.

She added: “I’ve already got exciting plans in place for 2019, including how I remain in this amazing sport, and I look forward to sharing this with you in the New Year.”

Dani Rowe was delighted that her effort to gain seconds in intermediate sprints paid off, as her third place finish on the final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire resulted in a second place overall finish.

Fresh off her bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, Rowe was riding for the Great Britain cycling team the past two days on home roads.

"I think a lot of people had a break after the commonwealth games but I had my sights set on this race," Rowe said.

"I went back to my team and road Liège [-Bastogne-Liège] and had good legs there, which surprised me and I thought maybe I can actually ride Yorkshire."

>>> Megan Guarnier wins stage and overall at the Tour de Yorkshire with well timed attack

The third stage came down to an all out slog up the Cow and Calf climb out of Ilkley, with Rowe's research of the route a factor in pacing her effort.

"It was really, really hard. I recced the stage on Tuesday and rode the last half so I knew how hard it was and how long it ran for in the last 200 metres.

"So I was trying to stay within my effort and at one point at the bottom I got a bit gapped but I didn’t panic and I knew it was going to come back together.

"I thought if they kept this up then fair play to them, but thankfully they couldn’t and it meant I just reeled them back."

However it was crucial time bonuses that were pivotal in Rowe securing her second place in the general classification on yesterday's stage into Doncaster and today's summit finish.

"The sprints meant everything as if I didn’t have any sprint seconds I would have been third overall so I’m really glad I went for it now," she added.

"I come from a sprint background, but I’ve never been in that pinnacle sprint finish in trying to go for those seconds, so it was nice that it paid off."

Dani Rowe has announced that she is aiming to ride for Wales in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, switching from representing England.

Former Olympic, world and European champion for the team pursuit on the track, Rowe (née King) made the announcement via Twitter on Monday morning in a brief statement and a photograph of herself in Wales national kit.

"My connections with Wales and Welsh Cycling go back to 2009 when I started to be coached by Courtney Rowe – the father of my husband Matt," wrote the 27-year-old, who married Matt Rowe in October 2017. Matt is the brother of Team Sky's Luke Rowe.

"I have therefore had a strong affinity and love for the country where I now live and call home, for the whole of my professional cycling career."

Rowe states that British Cycling have supported her decision to ride for Wales, and she thanked Commonwealth Games England, Sport Wales and Welsh Cycling for their support.

Rowe has been using the Welsh Institute of Sport for strength and conditioning since "expressing a desire to want to represent Wales".

>>> Dani King bounces back from last year’s horror crash to claim fourth Down Under

"Wales is a country that has produced so many incredible cyclists, and if selected I hope I can continue to do the country proud."

Rowe took a gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Games in London as part of Great Britain's team pursuit line-up. She also helped claim three team pursuit world titles (in 2011, 2012 and 2013) and European team pursuit title in 2011 and 2013.

More recently, Rowe has focussed on the road. A serious training crash in 2014 left her with five broken ribs and a collapsed lung, and meant she was ruled out of the GB track team. She was left disappointed having not been selected to ride on the road at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

In 2018, Rowe will ride for the Woawdeals Pro Cycling team (formerly known as WM3) alongside Dutch star Marianne Vos. In 2017, Rowe placed ninth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and 10th in the women's Tour de Yorkshire.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games take place on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, over April 4-15.

Though she finished as the top placed British rider at Sunday’s Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Dani King (Cylance) was left frustrated by her 15th place at the WorldTour event.

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For the first time in many years the hilly race in the Italian lakes finished with a large group contesting the finish, and 26-year-old King found herself boxed in with around 500 metres to go.

“Unfortunately I lost my nerve a little bit,” she told Cycling Weekly after the race. “It was more my head than my legs, which is a good and a bad thing because it’s frustrating it wasn’t my legs, but good that was because I’ve got good form.”

Sunday was King’s second participation in the race which took the peloton over a number of significant climbs near the shores of Lake Maggiore, and she was pleased with her progression from last year’s race.

“My form is better than last year, I was almost hanging on for grim death on the long climb because I was in a chase group, and that was something I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing this year. Then [climber] Kasia Niewiadoma (WM3 Energie) attacked on the last climb and I managed to to hold on to that.

Watch: Dani King, toughest day

“There was quite a small group going over the top, and then a few riders got back on before the end.”

After losing her place on the Great Britain track squad, last season was King’s first full year on the road.

It was also her third year with Wiggle-High5 where she rode as a domestique. Despite that support role she achieved some excellent results in 2016, finishing in the top-30 more often than not and bagging 11th in a WorldTour race in Sweden last August. Still her best placing in a top tier event.

She already has to top-10 places to her name in lesser ranked events this year, and Sunday’s finish went one better than at Strade Bianche, her only other WorldTour start of the current season.

Along with Dutch sprinter Kirsten Wild, King’s move to Cylance Pro Cycling over the winter is part of the American team’s push for better results at the top table of of women’s cycling. It is also her first chance to lead a team.

While she was one of three options for the team at Sunday’s race, she was the only rider from Cylance to make the front group.

“I should have been higher than I was,” she continued.

“Obviously I lost my nerve, but I was there which is good. I can get over the climbs, so something like Flèche Wallonne would be a good target, but you have to have some luck in races like that, they’re carnage races, but if it all goes my way there is no reason why I can’t get a result.”

Olympic gold medallist Dani King will depart the Wiggle-High5 team at the end of the season to take up a new contract with the American Cylance team.

King, winner of the team pursuit at London 2012, has enjoyed a successful year focussing exclusively on the road, winning the Red Hook Criterium, finishing third in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and fourth in the Santos Women's Tour Down Under.

She also enjoyed strong performances stateside midseason, finishing 11th in the overall standings at the Tour of California and seventh at the Philly Classic WorldTour event.

Talking about her signing, Cylance Pro Cycling's sports director Manel Lacambra said: "[Dani] rode at a high level the whole season and showed her talent," he said.

"Her track curriculum is great and we believe she will continue to improve with more opportunities down the road. We will see her succeed even more."

King joins fellow new signing Kirsten Wild at Cylance. The Dutch sprinter, winner of the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix and Tour de Yorkshire women's race, joins from Hitec Products.

Dani King has commenced a new chapter of her cycling career at the Santos Women’s Tour in Australia and if results are anything to go by it’s going to be a good read.

The 25-year-old applied the same resolve that has seen her overcome recent physical and political adversity to make a firm impression on the four-day title race that Katrin Garfoot (Orica-AIS) won.

King (Wiggle-High5) claimed the mountain classification and finished fourth overall today despite waking up with whiplash following a heavy crash within the final kilometre of yesterday’s penultimate third stage.

The hard and fast race marks the start of a new direction for the London 2012 team pursuit gold medallist, who has through circumstance adjusted her focus to the road for the Rio Olympic Games.

“This is my first full road season to be honest,” King said. “It’s completely different for me because normally at this time of year I’m doing World Cups on the track.

“I’m going for the selection for the Rio road race this year so I’ve got to prove myself early and that was one of the reasons that I wanted to come to Australia to start the season in good shape.”

>>> Dani King shifts focus to Olympic road race

King has turned the tables on 12 months of adversity in which she was mooted from Rio Olympic track team selection. It was a blow that followed a horrific training accident in which she suffered eight broken ribs, a punctured lung and bruised liver.

The Hampshire champion showed no sign of vulnerability racing in Adelaide, South Australia, however, where she spoke with a resolute determination.

King could have been forgiven for playing a lesser role in the stage two 20km criterium, which her team-mate Annette Edmondson won, but instead held her own in what was a full-throttle race.

“A 44km/h average criterium was a good test for me, and I was fine,” she said.

“I’m really strong mentally. I got engaged a couple of months ago [to long-term partner, Matt Rowe] …and I’m really enjoying the road. I’ve got my confidence back now.”

King has not spoken to the British Cycling selectors who advised her last year to focus on the road, however, intends to leave little for them to doubt as she contests another selection battle with the federation.

>>> Dani King on the comeback trail after punctured lung

“It’s all about me proving myself at the start of the season,” she said. “But I’d be in full support for Lizzie Armitstead on the road and I’m willing to sacrifice everything out there on the road for her. I think I could help her a lot, especially positioning into climbs. I think I’m that sort of rider with an engine that can make sure she’s in the right position going into crucial parts of the race.”

King worked well with trade team-mates racing here in Adelaide and is hopeful she can continue the trend on the way to, hopefully, Rio.

Watch: Show us your scars - Dani King

“The team in Australia has really gelled. We’ve got trust and belief in each other and when we go for a goal everyone gives it 100 per cent, and whoever we’re riding for we just sacrifice ourselves for them on the day. That’s a real strong point on the team,” she said.

“There are some incredible riders on the team and they’re going to be going for the win for the WorldTour series, so I’ll hopefully be playing a part in that and then potentially getting my own chance in a couple of races as well.”

British rider Danielle King (Wiggle-High5) is sat in fourth overall in the Santos Women's Tour Down Under after three of the four stages.

King is currently tied on time with the other three riders in the top four: overall leader Katrin Garfoot (Orica-AIS), Lauren Kitchen (Hitec) and Shelley Olds (Cylance Pro Cycling).

The 25-year-old from Southampton reported that she crashed inside the final kilometre of Monday's stage three, saying on Twitter: "Bad luck for me today crashing after my chain jammed with 800m to go! On the positive side I won the KOM and took most impact on my head."

Lizzie Williams (Orica-AIS) won stage three ahead of Garfoot, with Kitchen, Olds and King 19 seconds behind in a chase group.

Garfoot has led the race since winning stage one to Mount Torrens. King has led the King (Queen) of the Mountains competition from day one, after placing third in the opener.

The four top-placed riders overall go into Tuesday's final stage seeking to grab valuable time and clinch the win in the UCI 2.2-ranked race.

Stage four's course offers little opportunity to break free from the peloton and gain serious seconds: it's a flat stage based on a 1.2-kilometre circuit that will be ridden for one hour plus two laps.

King is aiming to compete for Great Britain in the road race at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro having previously been part of the British team pursuit set-up on the track.

The men's Tour Down Under starts on Tuesday, January 19, and runs until Sunday, January 24.

Watch: Women's WorldTour contenders 2016

Results

Women's Tour Down Under 2016: Stage three

1. Lizzie Williams (Aus) Orica-AIS in 2-45-17

2. Katrin Garfoot (Aus) Orica-AIS at 19 secs

3. Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Hitec Products

4. Shelley Olds (USA) Cylance Pro Cycling

5. Danielle King (GBr) Wiggle-High5 at same time

6. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon SRAM at 24 secs

7. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Orica-AIS at 40 secs

8. Kimberley Wells (Aus) at 4-28

9. Julie Leth (Den) Hitec Products

10. Jessica Huston (Aus) at same time

Overall classification after stage three

1. Katrin Garfoot (Aus) Orica-AIS in 5-49-06

2. Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Hitec Products

3. Shelley Olds (USA) Cylance Pro Cycling

4. Danielle King (GBr) Wiggle-High5 at same time

5. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon SRAM at 14 secs

6. Lizzie Williams (Aus) Orica-AIS at 28 secs

7. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Orica-AIS at 1-08

8. Kimberley Wells (Aus) at 4-56

9. Emily Collins (Aus) TIBCO

10. Jessica Huston (Aus) at same time

Other

52. Amy Roberts (GBr) Wiggle-High5 at 19-43

53. Lucy Garner (GBr) Wiggle-High5 at 21-06

60. Gaby Leveridge (GBr) at 26-45

By Pippa Field/Sportsbeat

The contrast between the last 12 months and the prospects for the year ahead could not be starker for Olympic champion Dani King.

Team pursuit gold medallist back at London 2012, King’s world was thrown upside down last November when she suffered a life threatening training crash that left her with eight broken ribs, a punctured lung and a bruised liver.

The 24-year-old has already signalled her intention to spend 2015 riding on the road for Wiggle-Honda before returning to the track in time for Rio 2016.

With this in mind she focused her efforts on getting back into racing shape at the start of the year before spending a month back on the track in July.

It was at this point that her Olympic track dreams were shattered though as British Cycling advised her to concentrate on the Rio road race, and she was consequently left out of their track plans for Rio 2016.

As a result, King’s target is now on securing a place on the team for the Olympic road race, and earlier this month she re-signed to Wiggle-Honda for another 12 months.

Results are already looking promising for King and her team who missed out on a podium finish in the team time trial at the recent World Championships in Richmond.

Throw in getting engaged to long term partner and fellow cyclist Matt Rowe this week and King admits things are firmly looking up.

“It’s been really positive couple of weeks for me. I’m in a really good place at the minute and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and turn all my attentions to trying to make the team for next year,” she said.

“To be honest I’ve not yet put in a full season on the road so for next year I will be 100 per cent focused on that and knowing exactly what my goal is.

“I had some good results this year but that was without a full season of training so going at it 100 per cent next year, I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can do with Wiggle Honda.

“I was really pleased with being so close to the podium at the Worlds. If you had said that to us a week before the Championships, we would have taken that.

“We had not much preparation so it bodes well for the future, when we are going to be focusing on things a lot more.”

While a full season on the road lies in the way for King, she will however return briefly to the boards next month for Six Day London.

Featuring the world’s best riders, it promise to be a packed programme of events at Lee Valley VeloPark from October 18-23 and King admits she can’t wait to return to the scene of her London 2012 triumph.

“I am really looking forward to Six Day London, I think it will be a really exciting few days, especially with having women’s racing throughout the event too,” she added.

“With being a track cyclist I had heard about six day racing but I had never heard of the UK having a Six Day competition.

“I thought it would be a nice event to go and watch. And then when I heard it was going to be held in London and that there was women’s racing too I got in touch to see if I could ride.

“Every time I go to the Olympic velodrome it gives me Goosebumps. It’s a big factor in why I wanted to compete in Six Day London, as it’s just such a special place.”

Six Day London is at Lee Valley VeloPark between 18-23 Oct - tickets now on sale at www.sixday.com. Come and see the world's best track cyclists in action and be part of an electric party atmosphere at London's Olympic Velodrome.

Erick Rowsell (Madison Genesis) and Dani King (Wiggle Honda) were worthy winners at the Tour of the Reservoir two-day in Northumberland, but for differing reasons.

For King, her win in stage one and subsequently the overall victory was her first after five months out following a crash which left her with a collapsed lung and broken ribs.

And for Erick Rowsell his victory came after appalling weather conditions failed to stop his Madison Genesis team-mates from successfully defending his day one lead.

For Rowsell, 24 and from Shrewsbury, his victory on Saturday came after he was part of a six-rider break, but attacked alone with just a few miles left and time trialled his way to victory.

Meanwhile, in the women’s race, Saturday saw King take a jubilant victory ahead of Katie Archibald (Pearl Izumi).

The following day, and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The women’s race began in heavy rain and a chilling wind, which by the end had turned to snow and left many riders suffering from extreme cold.

Emulating her brother the previous day, Joanna Rowsell (Pearl Izumi) took the win, while King did enough to hold on to her lead and secure the overall win. But she was left close to hypothermia and unable to speak as she headed to a podium full of riders adorned with foil capes and fleeces as they tried to get some feeling back in their bodies.

Such was the weather that the course for the men’s race was shortened and switched to avoid areas covered by snow, slush and standing water. Instead of the planned 112-mile race on a circuit to the south of Derwent Water, they tackled a 72-mile course using six laps of the anti-clockwise circuit around the reservoir.

The cold did nothing to deter attacks, but despite several strong attempts to get clear Rowsell’s Madison Genesis team-mates marshalled every attack and chased down the breaks to get their man to the finish with his leader’s jersey intact.

Marcin Bialoblocki (One Pro Cycling) took the stage win, but Rowsell had enough time in the tank to secure the overall victory and boost his Elite Road Series tally.

“I’m very happy,” said stage two winner Bialoblocki. “My form was very good and I was a bit unlucky at the start of the season, but the boys in the team have done a great job for me, they’re fantastic and helped me win.”

“It was a tough stage with the weather,” said overall Tour of the Reservoir winner Erick Rowsell. “But we managed to keep the GC which was the main thing, and to pick up second on the stage was great too.”

Dani King has been busy lately: a training camp in Belgium, dressing up as a sumo wrestler to cheer on her team-mates, and she has now ridden her first race of the season — claiming victory with boyfriend Matt Rowe in the Port Talbot Wheelers two-up 25-mile time trial.

“Physically I’m in really good shape, and it’s nice to be out here with the team,” said King during a recent interview at the Wiggle-Honda team launch.

Back from the brink

This is a far cry from where the 24-year-old was four months ago when it seemed for a moment as though it was game over for the Olympic champion: she was brought down in training, crashing after a member of the group she was riding with hit a pothole. King suffered a punctured lung and several broken ribs, and feared she may never ride again.

>>> Dani King: I need to get my confidence back

“I was back on my bike in the hospital a couple of days after the crash. That’s because where I had my collapsed lung it was good to do some sort of physical exercise so I wouldn’t get a chest infection. But it was 10 weeks before I was training properly. I still feel pain in my ribs sometimes. But it’s more of a mental battle for me now.”

King was determined to resume riding as quickly as possible, and did so with support from family, friends and boyfriend Matt — brother of Team Sky rider Luke Rowe — accompanying her on the bike.

“The biggest thing was facing the fear. But if you don’t get out, then it just builds up and it ends up even worse,” she said.

Her forced break may have coincided with the off-season, but time off the bike nonetheless set back her fitness by several weeks. This meant that, as her team-mates rode the European road racing season opener Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, King was confined to the sidelines in a support role.

“I never get to watch races from the roadside. I love the fact people dress up and really get into the race,” laughed King. “Jolien [d’Hoore] my team-mate had sumo suits, so me and Nettie [Edmondson] decided this was a brilliant idea.”

Olympic aspirations

Despite dropping off the Olympic programme last year, King ultimately hopes to gain selection for the Rio 2016 team pursuit squad through gaining strength on the road. In the near future, the Wiggle-Honda rider will compete in the Tour of the Reservoir, then race for her team in European Spring Classics. Other target races include the Women’s Tour, Tour Series and the National Championships. She hopes this endurance work will improve her performance over 4km in the team pursuit.

King thinks that, with so many phenomenal riders, getting a place for Rio 2016 will be harder than in 2012, but she remains focused on giving her best shot. “Since the accident, I’ve found a lot of perspective, and this gives me the motivation for Rio,” she explained. “Chris Hoy is a cycling role model I really look up to. He is such a nice guy who has always been there to offer me advice.”

Starting afresh

Losing her London 2012 pursuit team-mates Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell from Wiggle-Honda was an opportunity to push herself even harder.

“I was sad when they left Wiggle-Honda,” King sighed. “But in hindsight it is a good thing because if I’m going to establish myself back into the pursuit team, it’ll be fresh and dynamic again. I’ll still see them on the road and we communicate most days on social media.”

Fierce competition for Rio places

Great Britain’s female team pursuit squad is blessed with strength in depth that few countries can match, so in trying to regain her place in the Rio Olympic line-up, Dani King is up against some tough competition.

King last raced for GB at the track World Cup round held in Aguascalientes, Mexico, in December 2013. The quartet of King, Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell posted two world records at the event, the fastest of which was recently beaten by Australia at this year’s World Championships in Paris.

Rowsell, 26, is the longest-serving member of the team: she made her international debut in the event at the 2008 Worlds and has competed with 10 other riders in that time. Although the GB coaches have been experimenting with the team’s starting order in recent months, she is seemingly still the best ‘man one’ in the squad.

Archibald hasn’t been out of the starting line-up since making her debut at the European Track Championships in October 2013, while Elinor Barker’s run in the team dates impressively back to the Glasgow Track World Cup meeting in November 2012.

Also getting a look in is Ciara Horne. The 25-year-old raced in last year’s European Championships and London World Cup round, but was unused at February’s Worlds.

Interestingly, at this stage of the pre-London 2012 build-up, King and Laura Trott had both made just one international meeting appearance each, Wendy Houvenaghel was a mainstay of

the starting line-up, and Dame Sarah Storey was in contention for an Olympic spot.

Since then, Trott has become one of the stars of British cycling. Consistently reliable, only illness or injury look likely to keep the double Olympic champion out of the starting line-up come Rio.

Words by Maria David 

This article was originally printed in the March 26, 2015 issue of Cycling Weekly

Dani King admits it was scary to get back on the road after the crash that left her with broken ribs and a collapsed lung last year.

The 2012 Olympic team pursuit champion’s winter training was cut short by the accident, which occurred when a training partner hit a submerged pothole, bringing King to the ground as well.

But the 24-year-old is back in action with her Wiggle-Honda team, having recently returned from a training camp in Belgium, where the terrain was a real test of her recovery.

“I was cycling on the cobbles in the rain so it doesn't get much worse than that," King told BBC Breakfast. “I am in good shape, I just need to get my confidence back.”

She added: “It was scary but I am getting there. Everyone in the team was so nice and encouraged me to get back on the road.”

King hopes to get back into the reckoning for a place in the Rio 2016 team pursuit squad, but says the accident was a setback in her plans.

Great Britain took silver in the women’s team pursuit at the recent UCI Track World Championships, but King is not expecting to walk straight back into the squad.

“All the girls are incredible athletes and it is going to be really hard for me to get back in," she said.

“We have to fight every day to make the team but I hope to be firing on all cylinders and to get myself back in for Rio.”

Olympic champion Dani King is continuing her recovery from five broken ribs and a collapsed lung after being released from hospital after 11 days.

The 23-year-old suffered the injuries in a training accident near Merthyr Tydfil when one of her training partners hit a submerged pothole, and is already joking on Twitter about getting straight back into her training.

On being released from Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, King said in a press release that her treatment had been ‘incredible’.

“Obviously the last 11 days have been a traumatic time for me, my family and my friends, but the treatment and care I have received here in the Prince Charles Hospital has been incredible,” she said.

“All the NHS staff could not have done more to help and support me. I’ll always be grateful for the unbelievable care I’ve received here at Prince Charles Hospital and will never be able to thank the staff enough.”

Less than two years away from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, team pursuit champion King announced she plans to focus on road racing in 2015 with her Wiggle-Honda team.

Her pursuit teammates Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell leave the Wiggle-Honda team at the end of 2014, moving to Matrix Fitness Vulpine and Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International respectively, and King thanked her team for their support.

“I’d also like to thank my incredible family, boyfriend and friends for their support in helping me get through this,” King continued. “I must also thank British Cycling, my team Wiggle-Honda and all my sponsors who have done everything possible to make my life easier.

“Finally I need to say a huge thank you to all the fans that have wished me well through social media and other channels. Their well wishes have been a constant source of strength, thank you all.”

Source: Wales Online

Dani King feared the worst after training ride crash, says father

World and Olympic track champion Dani King remains in a South Wales hospital after crashing on a training ride, suffering

Wiggle-Honda will continue in 2015, says Rochelle Gilmore

British women's UCI team will continue following the loss of star riders Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell and Linda Villumsen

Fridge Raiders: Dani King

CW's Louise Mahé unveils a day's food fit for a King - Namely Wiggle-Honda's gold-medal-winning Olympian Dani King

Dani King feared spinal damage after the crash that left her with a collapsed lung and five broken ribs, according to her dad Trevor.

King was put on a spinal board following the incident on a training ride near Merthyr Tydfil last Thursday, caused by one of her fellow riders hitting a submerged pothole.

The Olympic and world track champion hit the ground as well, with another rider falling on top of her, landing King in the intensive care unit of a South Wales hospital.

Stephen Fry, King’s agent, told CW that there is no specific timeframe for her recovery: “She is out of intensive care, but now doctors are working on re-inflating and strengthening the collapsed lung. She will remain in hospital until that is stable and strong enough to go home.

“There’s no way of aiding the recovery of broken ribs – it’s not like breaking your arm and putting it in a cast – so we don’t know how long they’ll take to heal. We have no history of broken ribs with Dani, so we don’t know how long it will be until they're fully healed.”

Speaking to the Southern Daily Echo after the incident, King’s father described the incident as being very traumatic.

“Dani couldn't feel her feet at one stage. She was put on a spinal board,” he said. “She said to us at one stage she was frightened to cry because she thought she was going to die she was in so much pain.

“She obviously could be better, but she's a fighter and has come back from knocks before. She's a tough kid so hopefully she's going to bounce back.”

Dani King suffers collapsed lung in pothole crash

Dani King involved in serious crash during training ride

Dani King to focus on road for 2015

Fridge Raiders: Dani King

CW's Louise Mahé unveils a day's food fit for a King - Namely Wiggle-Honda's gold-medal-winning Olympian Dani King

Olympic champion Dani King has suffered five broken ribs and a collapsed lung after a crash on a training ride on Thursday (Nov 6) caused by a hidden pothole.

The 23-year-old Wiggle Honda rider tweeted that she is recovering from her injuries in a South Wales hospital.

GB team-mate Laura Trott tweeted her best wishes to King, who has decided to focus on road cycling in 2015.

Speaking to Wales Online, King’s agent Steve Fry called on local authorities to improve the condition of roads following the accident.

“The accident happened between Merthyr Tydfil and Quaker’s Yard and what happened was one of the cyclists with who she was riding went over a pothole that was covered with water due to the wet weather we’ve been having.

“It led to Dani crashing off her bike with the resultant injuries she has talked about on her Twitter account. The injuries are clearly painful and serious and we can only hope she gets better soon.

“She is having fantastic treatment from the doctors and nurses looking after her and is very happy with the medical attention she’s getting. It’s too early to say yet when she’ll be back in training and back competing.

“I think it’s time local authorities in the UK started spending more money on repairing roads to ensure things like this don’t keep happening. We’d like to see £10 per head of population spent on cyclists in terms of maintenance of cycle paths and roads.”

Source: Wales Online

Dani King to focus on road for 2015

Dani King: Rider Profile

Dani King: Rider Profile - cycling results, biog, career history and more

Wiggle-Honda’s British track stars are set to begin their road season in earnest over the next few weeks and, unsurprisingly, the Women’s Tour is a huge target for the British registered team. The riders’ programmes were set at a recent team training camp in Northern Italy, where the entire team came together for the first time this year.

Whilst none of the Brits are likely to be involved in weekend’s Tour of Flanders, Laura Trott, Dani King, Amy Roberts and Elinor Barker are all scheduled to start the 113km, GP Dottingines in the Netherlands on Monday.

All four will then ride the five day Energiewacht Tour, before Joanna Rowsell returns for the last European World Cup race of the Spring at la Flèche Wallonne. The double track World Champion will be joined by Laura Trott and Dani King to test themselves against the fearsome slopes of the Mur de Huy on April 23rd.

Team manager, Rochelle Gilmore, believes the three Olympic track stars have what it takes to succeed in Belgium. “They’re explosive and I imagine it [the Mur de Huy] will be about the three minute mark, which is what they do,” she told told Cycling Weekly.

“They can go really deep, certainly a lot deeper than a lot of the pure road riders, because they race at high intensities. Jo did really well last year in Flèche, so I think that she and Laura both have pretty high expectations at Flèche.”

All roads then lead to the Women’s Tour in May, where all five British riders on the team have the chance to ride. “It really is a big ambition for us being a British team and also for Laura, having a stage in her home town. We’d like to win it definitely. We didn’t design the course and we can’t say that it’s perfect for us, but it has to be an ambition of ours, no matter what.”

The Women’s Tour begins in Oundle, Northamptonshire on May 7th, finishing on the 11th in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.