As Laura’s post yesterday noted, the start of Glasgow 2014 is officially in sight and our athlete ambassadors, have less than a month to go until the official opening ceremony on July 23rd.
Elinor Barker has certainly been busy in the lead-up to the Games. Here she shares with us her busy schedule over the last few months:
I’m writing this with my feet up, cup of tea in hand and Masterchef on the TV, enjoying one of my last proper rest days in the hectic run up to the Commonwealth Games next month.
I spent the weekend racing some of the worlds best at the National Road Race and Time Trial Championships in my favourite place on earth – Wales! It was a pretty successful weekend of racing and together with my teammates we managed to win a medal of every colour – a great team effort!
I finished the racing with a bronze medal in the U23 Road Race which definitely helped to diffuse some of the disappointment leftover from my fourth place in the Time Trial. Although pleased with my TT ride, it’s never nice to be so close yet so far from podium glory!
Last week saw the one-month-to-go countdown begin for my first event in Glasgow, the individual pursuit. Fittingly I spent the day at the Team Wales cycling launch, showing off our new kit with the other athletes and talking with the media about our medal chances. The women’s team is extremely young, with all but one of us being under 20 years old.
What we may lack in age or experience we certainly make up for in enthusiasm as it’s the very first Commonwealth Games for all of us, an incredible experience I can’t wait to share with some amazing girls.
Getting the kit has finally made the dream a tangible reality and I’m mentally counting down the days until we arrive in the athlete’s village.
Despite all this excitement, representing your country at world class level is not without its complications. Sharing a house with three cyclists from rival British nations for example, has led to some friendly rivalry when it comes to household decorations.
The messages I’ve had in the lead-up to the Games have been fantastic, and I’ve been keeping up with my followers and colleagues online with the help of my Venue 11 Pro tablet. With their support, I hope to make my competitions during Glasgow 2014 my most successful yet!
For more information, visit http://www.dell.co.uk/glasgow2014
Follow Elinor’s journey on Twitter: @elinorbarker and follow the conversation online: @thecgf, @delluk, @glasgow2014.