Former Cyclist Joanna Rowsell Shand talks winning Olympic Gold and getting involved with the Ride Rochdale Event

“If the British Cycling talent spotters didn’t mention ‘Olympics’ in their speech I would have brushed cycling trials off”

Last month I caught up with former Olympian 28 year old Joanna Rowsell , and chatted about her involvement with the Ride Rochdale event , her cycling career and those all-important gold medals.

The event was held at the Kingsway Park Sports Centre in Rochdale and focussed on the idea that anybody who wants to cycle has the opportunity to do so. Children of all ages where among the few taking part in the event alongside the range of bikes available to use. Some of the bikes where accessible bikes which benefited those with mental and physical disabilities and allowed wheelchair access. Others included three wheelers , tandems and are powered bikes. The bikes used throughout the day where provided by the National organisation Cycling Projects and Link4Life.

Graeme Hill from Link4Life said “Accessible cycling sessions are growing in popularity and what’s great is everybody can join in. We want to show that cycling isn’t just for those who can sprint up big hills on super-fast bikes, it’s for all.”

Involving a former olympic cyclist at the event meant that motivation and fun was sure on the cards for those taking part.

Exclusive Interview with Joanna Rowsell Shand

After speaking to Joanna she said: “The council contacted me asking me if I would like to take part with this cycling event and help promote it locally , with the main reason to get more people cycling.

“For me it was really important as after huge events like the Olympics , people often say to me I love cycling , how can I get into it. I think with the more events you can put on and make accessible to people the better , and when people become dedicated , you never know where it could lead. It’s always great for people to stay active.”

Joanna said she had always been interested in sports as a child before focussing on cycling: “I was definitely sporty while I was in primary school but in secondary school I was more academic and a bit arty. However it was when I was 15 that British Cycling came to my school and I was talent spotted , and brought along bikes and we had tests on the playing field. They told me I had the raw potential talent to be a future cyclist.

After originally being interested in a range of sports including swimming and running being noticed as a potential cyclist was unexpected for Joanna : “I started cycling more often after being told I had the talent and even more interested in watching the Athens Olympics in 2004. I remember watching Chris Hoy as he was competing in Athens and thinking he was an inspiration and he won gold then.

“I have always been interested in the Olympics. If the British Cycling talent spotters didn’t mention ‘Olympics’ in their speech I would have brushed cycling trials off.

“I know Chris Hoy quite well now and have worked with him a lot during my career. He as a person is just an inspiration just as important as the medals are to us.

Joanna further said how she would participate in competitions and join teams that not a lot people where interested in: “I played hockey , though not very successfully. I never decided to join the netball team in school because that was popular , but I was part of the cross country team as not a lot of people enjoyed long distance running”.

Joanna further told me how she trained and what lead her to compete in the Olympic games. She said “ I started cycling at 16 and was still living in London , and having been spotted I was part of the South East regional talent squad , then moved to the junior squad.

“Following this I was transferred to the Academy squad which is a residential based in Manchester for trainees who are 18 plus. I guess you could say it’s kind of the equivalent of going to University.

“This was an interesting time for me as I was now a full time athlete being coached by a senior Great Britain coach , it was quite a whirlwind time for me. I always thought three years later after being spotted I would be studying in University.

London 2012 Olympics brought in a lot of earnings , tourists and coverage of the UK as a whole and Joanna said this was her first time competing in an Olympic Games.

“We had been officially selected in June 2012 which is when you receive your kit and everything was really exciting. My event is a team event and in London there was three in a team , but we had attended with four of us. I didn’t find out I was going to be competing in the qualifier until about a week before and then the final was only an hour before.

“At an hour before the Olympic final I just felt relief because I found out I was in the team. Beforehand I wasn’t thinking of winning a bike race I just felt thrilled to be part of the experience. A bit different to other athletes I think.

Joanna was representing the UK cycling team in both the London and Rio Olympics and said “both experiences and winning Gold twice was overwhelming , and it was nice to watch it back afterwards because everything from the race to the medal ceremony is over so quickly. I truly lived in the moment.

Representing your country must be an exciting and proud concept but competing on home soil must create other emotions. Joanna said most of my previous competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships have all been in the UK. London Olympics was incredible , you couldn’t hear yourself think , talking to my coach before the race I had to shout to be heard. If I could sum up the UK supporters I would say phenomenal , you can almost feel the noise especially in the Velodrome.

Joanna retired after the Rio 2016 Olympics and she told me how her decision to do this was hard. She stated “ I’m 28 now so I’d be almost 32 by the time Tokyo 2020 comes around. I had to be really honest with myself and think can my body perform. I mean a lot can change in four years and I have already been given warnings that my body was having enough of top level training.

“I also think I have reached Olympic standard and won gold on both occasions and there’s nothing higher than becoming an Olympic champion. People say Joanna you have won twice wouldn’t you want a third and I think yes a third would be nice but it isn’t as easy as that. It would involve a lot more of intense training and I am lucky and have enjoyed the career that I have experienced.

Joanna said she is looking forward to new challenges ahead and that she plans on keeping fit as it is in her nature to , “I still cycle whether that is to the shops or the park , but have also been running and swimming which is something I have enjoyed away from cycling and it nice to be able to just relax.”

For future sporting events and other events this summer visit Rochdale Council to see how you can get involved.

Keep up to date with Joanna Rowsell Shand via Twitter.