Katie Archibald column: Not getting drunk, and the shame of petty disappointment
“I’ve never mastered walking the tightrope that separates loss of inhibition from throwing up on the pavement”
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Olympic and world champion Katie Archibald got into cycling after winning handicap races on a Highland Games grass track
I am on the last train home from Edinburgh to Glasgow and it’s rammed. No drinking allowed on trains after 9pm, which is no issue because everyone here is at the pint-of-water-and-slice-of-toast stage in a night out. I myself am stone-cold sober because I like to show off that I’m an athlete.
In truth I find getting drunk expensive and hard work. A more Russian approach of drinking neat vodka might help me but there’s a stigma in the sporting world around copying Russian habits. I’ve also never mastered walking the tightrope that separates loss of inhibition from throwing up on the pavement. The Russian system likely wouldn’t help that.
This big sacrifice of not getting bladdered every weekend, when trumpeted as a ‘sacrifice’ rather than revealed as a ‘relief’, helps alleviate guilt for my more sincere vices.
>>> Katie Archibald column: ‘It was a pretty savage race, bodies everywhere’
Yes, I’ve managed to produce an empty container where once there was a litre of ice cream, but I’ve not touched the tequila all week! With this system I sleep like a baby. A very full baby with sticky hands who passed out on the sofa and woke up with a spoon stuck to their face.
There are no babies on this train. There are some crying people though. This is another stage of drunk that I’ve never mastered (anything that falls between mildly tipsy and chundering out the window I rarely experience).
I have, however, cried after being beaten in a bike race so I feel I recognise the icky emotions tied to self-indulgent crying. It was the 2015 Track World Championships and I was part of the team that ended GB’s four-year team pursuit winning streak.
A silver medal punched the air out of my chest and I rode straight from the finish line to the toilets to sit, hot-faced and gasping for breath between snotty, gurgling sobs. The shame of such petty disappointment was equal to the shame of losing.
Crying person two seats down — I feel your pain.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
-
Inspired by bikepacking events overseas, Rapha introduces the Rapha Yomp Rally
Rapha today announced the launch of the inaugural Rapha Yomp Rally, a five-day 375-mile adventure across some of the most stunning mixed-terrain roads California has to offer.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
From false promises and heartbreak to hope - How Heidi Franz is bouncing back from the last-minute collapse of B&B Hotels
Mind games, false promises and a life left in limbo. How American Heidi Franz navigated the B&B Hotels demise and found a kickstart to her new European life
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Mountain biker Rab Wardell dies two days after winning Scottish title
Wardell won elite men’s title at the Scottish MTB XC Championships in Dumfries and Galloway last weekend
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Tweets of the Week: Mark Cavendish's meme, cycling Supermarket Sweep and Katie Archibald's throwback
After a big week in the cycling world, here's a selection of our favourite social media moments
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Katie Archibald column: It's been a blast...but Tokyo beckons
In her last column (for now) Katie Archibald says goodbye as the Olympic Games loom ahead
By Cycling Weekly • Published
-
Katie Archibald column: Rumours has it...
'The first time I called, I got put on hold and I loved it. Their hold music was 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac'
By Jonny Long • Published
-
'Mine isn’t the story of an Olympic champion, but of a vain teenager who liked racing with people I wanted to be like': Katie Archibald column
'I was engaged by a social scene rather than a sport'
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Rocking the six-day lifestyle: Katie Archibald column
'The men go out after the racing most nights, meanwhile my late night entertainment was Neah removing huge wood splinters from her leg'
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Spilling the beans: Katie Archibald column
You live, you learn, and aspire to increase the size of your tin of beans
By Jonny Long • Published
-
The long road to Apeldoorn: Katie Archibald column
'I had left school with a plan to spend a year working abroad before going to university, but when the Glasgow velodrome opened I knew I wanted to ride that track, a lot'
By Jonny Long • Published