Invite to Italy

In July I was invited to take part in the Gironi Delle Rose, a 6-day UCI Track Event in Fiorenzuola, Italy. Having had no racing since March and loving track racing, I jumped at the opportunity. I entered the event and got on with planning my trip. It became clear it was not going to be a straightforward journey, but what’s a few transfers for a fantastic track event….

Before I left the UK, but after having booked travel arrangements and accommodation the start sheet came through, when I saw Kirsten Wild and a number of European champions names I realised I may be a little out of my depth….

The day arrived and off I went, with suitcase and bike box, alone, I flew to Berlin, took 2 trains through Germany, slept for a night on an air bed and had a 9-hour minibus journey through Europe the next day.

I should have known how the trip was going to go, whilst sitting on the runway at Stansted, with the plane door about to be locked, a baggage handler came on board, flustered, he asked if anyone owned a grey bike box (thanks Snipps) over hearing this as I was sitting at the front of the plane, I shouted, “It’s mine” and as I stood up I could see it on the runway, sitting there chilling on its own! That could have been a slight issue.

Anyway, having arrived in Italy, the Euro Rock that was played throughout the journey had eased and we settled into our hotel. It was a lovely hotel, things were looking up, after a quick roller session we had dinner (Kirsten & Amy on the table behind!) and got a good night’s sleep.

The next day we travelled to the Track for the points race qualification, as I mentioned previously the class of field was unlike any I had raced against before, I thought the early races in Belgium this year with world tour team riders were tough…..they were'nt this tough!

I gave it everything I had, and loved every minute of it, unfortunately on the bell lap I lost contact along with another rider, we were pulled from the race. The next event, the U23 scratch race was better after having found my feet again I finished in the bunch, day 1 done, I could tell it was going to be a tough week.

The morning of the omnium we were greeted with torrential rain; we held our breaths and crossed our fingers for it to stop but sadly it was in for the duration and the days racing was cancelled.

The next day was still damp, but they managed to get the racing started, which went pretty much the same as the initial points race, holding on for dear life, again loving the experience.

So, the end of my time in Italy arrived, and with the Europe Rock blasting out of the German Minibus we started our homeward journey. Little did I know what was ahead, but safe to say it was the most stressful 48 hours of my life! I waved my friends goodbye, and caught my first train, chatting with other passengers and answering constant questions about what could possibly be in this massive grey box of mine.

I got to the next platform for my second train in plenty of time, where I waited, and waited, after 30 minutes I had a bad feeling, I called a friend who told me my second train had been cancelled! I had no way of getting to the airport, every taxi driver I asked could not help me as my bike box was too big for their car! Safe to say I was a little stressed….

Eventually I found a Taxi driver who, after reading my google translate message took pity on me. Somehow, we managed to get everything into his taxi and headed for the airport. Arriving at the airport the que for check in was out the door, of course with my luck they had put all flights onto one desk. So, I crouched down and crawled under the barriers, jumping the que, after being shouted at by other passengers I finally got to check in.

With 10 minutes to go I hit security, who were clearly in no hurry and went through every single item I owned with a fine toothcomb! After a rough body search and them throwing my High-5 cycling bottles away I was allowed to board, how I made it onto my flight I don’t know but I’ve never been so grateful to see the seat belt sign light up!

Having made it back to the UK rumours of riders and coaches becoming poorly began, within a day of being home it was clear I was ill. It had always been the plan that I would fully isolate upon arriving home as one of my Brothers is on the “At Risk List” and as such had been shielding from the beginning of March. Suddenly the reality that I could have brought Covid into our home hit me, I could have put my family and myself at risk for a bike race, a bike race that I didn’t have to attend, that was half cancelled due to the rain.

After a call with the GP they sent me for a test. Driving through the testing centre was like something you would see in an Sci Fi movie. As a Family we had taken so many precautions through lockdown, both my Parents having worked throughout this period, changing out of their clothes before coming into the house, showering immediately, all to reduce risk to my Brother. This was not fun. I did the test and waited for a long 48 hours, when I received a negative result, the relief was huge.

The whole experience led me to question what do I do next? What is important? There’s no doubt that many of us will have had these thoughts since Covid 19 changed so much about our lives, put a stop to so many peoples hopes and goals for 2020, so many cancelled plans, and causing such huge loss of life.

For me and for the remainder of 2020 my options are limited, there were a few races happening in Belgium, but it was unclear if riders other than Belgium Nationals would get a ride. My TM advised cases were on the rise, and if I travelled to Belgium it could literally be for 1 or 2 races if I was lucky, I had to weigh this up, the cost of travelling, the cost to The Rayner Foundation (the charity that's supporting me this year), and of course the possible risk to my family. So, after a lot of thinking and talking I have decided to wait until the new season, when I can travel back to Belgium, settle in and hopefully stay put for the duration. My complete focus is now on the 2021 season, my motivation is high and I’m looking forward to making next year better than ever and re-starting My Belgium Journey again.

Thank you for reading, and stay safe,

Mily x