I’m actually sat writing this from the UK. Whilst that might not seem strange to you reading (after all I’m British and I “live” here), it feels odd to me to be back having spent all of April and the first week of May in Europe. I was mostly away for training and racing, and because I was competing in 4 different disciplines (gravel, TT, e-sports and… running) I decided to drive. Now, this seemed like a great idea when I planned the trip back in February, however that was before fuel prices went through the roof. I was also potentially slightly optimistic when organising my itinerary. The trip started in Denmark where I competed in a gravel race, followed by the Royal Copenhagen Half Marathon on 19th April. After a recovery day in Aarhus on 20th April, I then drove 2000km south to Perpignan over the course of 1.5 days, arriving on Wednesday 22nd April at 3pm. Why did I do this? Well, because I’d decided that I fancied racing the 66 Degres Sud TT on Thursday 23rd.

Last year I raced one time trial, and it was on my road bike. I can’t tell you a single other year throughout my entire career when I haven’t raced the TT bike at all. In fact, I didn’t realise quite how long it had been until I started hunting for all of my race equipment and adding fresh sealant to bone-dry wheels. Despite the fact that I’ve been TTing at a high level for over a decade now, I felt strangely out of practice and had to check more than once that everything I needed was packed in the car. For those interested, I’ve included my “Essential TT checklist” at the end of this blog.

Monday 13th April: the first ride on my TT bike since 19th June last year (I know this because that June session is etched in my memory for all the wrong reasons). I wasn’t actually having a great day on the Monday… I was tired from a big week on the bike, I’d moved accommodation, and to be honest I didn’t really want to do my 1-hour recovery spin. I was grumpy. But I knew I’d be in an even worse mood if I didn’t train, so I reluctantly pulled on kit and rolled out the door around 4pm. Wow. I’d forgotten how much I love my trusty P5 (Abraxus). From bad mood to flying around the Danish countryside in the aerobars in 15 minutes, a huge smile on my face. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I would actually race the TT in Perpignan. The entry deadline wasn’t until the day before the race, and I wanted to see how I felt on the bike after such a long hiatus before making a final decision. After a week of training, including a few efforts, I decided that it was worth giving the race a go and put in my entry.

Post-2000km drive and arriving less than 24 hours before the race, I once again found myself questioning some of my life choices. After unpacking the car, I immediately set up the TT bike and went for a course recon/activation ride. Now, this definitely wasn’t your standard British-style TT course; 23km with nearly 400m of elevation, the course was pretty much 2 large climbs and descents. A lot of people actually opted for road bikes, and this wouldn’t have really been a disadvantage given the nature of the course. I had truly thrown myself in the deep end for my first TT after such a long break: a demanding parcours after long travel and also a race that was part of the UCI Gran Fondo series. Previously I’ve always held UCI points, so I’ve never been eligible for a Gran Fondo TT before, but having not raced British Nationals or any other UCI road or TT event in 2025, I am currently point-less. So this was a real first for me, but I tried to approach it as a fun event with no pressure. And after all, it was ‘just’ another TT, and I’ve probably raced well over 100 during my career…

I didn’t find out my start time until the morning of the race, at which point I naturally fell back into my routine of planning timings, working backwards from the ‘gun’: start, arrive at start, final pee (IYKYK), finish warm-up, start warm-up, nutrition, sign-on etc. Apparently, even though I was out of practice, most things returned naturally, learned habits and routines, and in terms of a race morning everything went very smoothly (probably aided by the relaxed nature of the event organisation). My one real ‘test’ was rolling off the start line to discover that my power meter, which had been behaving perfectly through my warm-up, for some reason wasn’t connecting. Luckily I am pretty good at pacing, the exact same thing happened when I won the National Hill Climb in 2019, so I put it out of my mind and just got on with the ride. It was a tough slog. Hard climbs, warmer temperatures than I was used to, gusty wind and overtakes to navigate on narrow descents. But I had fun. The course was interesting, beautiful and a true test. Exactly what a TT should be. I was reminded why I love this discipline and how much I’ve missed it.

The race result… I won! Both my age group and also the overall women’s category. It means that I’ve qualified for the Gran Fondo World Championships in Japan, which were never really on my radar but are now something I’m considering. But the real win? Being reminded of what made me fall in love with cycling in the first place, which was exactly what I needed.

Hayley’s TT essentials:

• P5

• AeroCoach Titan and Zephyr front wheels

• AeroCoach Aeox disc with valve patches

• TT helmet

• Skinsuit, lucky race socks (yes, I have lucky TT socks), overshoes

• TT race shoes (custom painted)

• HR monitor and Garmin

• Fogtech visor wipes

• Assortment of hair clips and bands to control the mane and make it fit in my helmet

• Precision Hydration carb mix, energy gels and chews

• Caffeine shots