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
In her last column (for now) Katie Archibald says goodbye as the Olympic Games loom ahead
'The first time I called, I got put on hold and I loved it. Their hold music was 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac'
'I was engaged by a social scene rather than a sport'
'The men go out after the racing most nights, meanwhile my late night entertainment was Neah removing huge wood splinters from her leg'
They recorded the fastest time in this Olympic cycle and the fourth-quickest of all time
You live, you learn, and aspire to increase the size of your tin of beans
Mark Cavendish and Owain Doull narrowly missed out on overall victory at Six Day London in the nail-biting final race.
'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'
'One option if I get kicked off the squad tomorrow is to strip back to the bare essentials. That would be five bikes, a mattress on the floor, a microwave, and a toothbrush'
Am I explicitly speaking to Scottish rider John Archibald who was gushing in interviews about his "once in a lifetime" opportunity? It's very possible.
'What’s a win at the Poland GP when your brother is on the podium at the World Champs?'
'I just decided it was annoying, and no one would notice either way, so what’s the harm in having it this way?'
'It’s not that I had such a loose grip on moral ethics that I thought cheating was OK, it’s simply that I was a moron'
'I just did my first road race of the season. I got dropped a lot but I got cheered on a lot more'
'My mother has planned her watching logistics just as carefully as we have our racing logistics'
'Crashing wasn’t very lucky but it’s only one side of my body that’s scabby. That’s pretty lucky, right?'
"So you’re trying to do wheelies to impress that boy," she said to me. I was pretty embarrassed.
'I’m just annoyed that if I wanted to spend the day in my pants we would have to question my motives.'
"I even got dropped for a bit just to make it clear that there’s no shame at all in bonking. I was fine though."
My bad habit at the moment is going on WhatsApp during the rest periods of turbo sessions
The first thing I want her to tell readers is who really is Best Archibald? “No,” she replies.
Katie discusses the importance local tracks have had in community cycling and discovering new talent
Katie reflects on a difficult Track World Championships
'What I can say with confidence is that my plan is to have as long a career in cycling as physically possible'