YVONNE McGREGOR

© Associated Press

WEEK 1
Date: July 31

Qualified, feeling fit and looking good

"Well it's countdown time yet again - six weeks to the Olympic Games - and all's well. Let's hope it ends well too! I'm quite excited about how things have panned out this season, though my progress has most certainly not been without a lot of soul-searching, pain, tears, and the inevitable crashes along the way. It all sounds very depressing, I know, and for a large part of this year I did begin to wonder whether the time, hard work and total commitment I was putting in was going to pay off.

That six-letter word that all sportsmen and women love to hate -INJURY- reared it's ugly head last season; a chronic back problem prevented me not only from being able to sit on a saddle but from even being able to reach the handlebars!

Two months off, followed by rehabilitation, proved desperately frustrating for a typically impatient Arian who would ideally like everything to happen overnight. However, in hindsight, I can now see only positive features to all the suffering as my body and mind are so much fresher and my motivation sky-high after a considerably reduced early season training and racing schedule.

My winter training load has basically been incorporated into June and July this year. That has meant some very heavy volume work in a short space of time, one that included a world class 11-day, 700-mile, stage race in America followed by a period of 20 to 23hrs a week quality bike riding on my return home to Britain. Such a heavy schedule results in a feeling that is familiar to most top-class sports people, one of never feeling 100 per cent fresh, always a little jaded.

With the Olympic Games as your ultimate goal, you inevitably take calculated risks. For instance, selection and qualifying times are essential for getting to Sydney but you cannot back off too drastically from your training load without it being detrimental to your ultimate ambition of performing well on the bigger occasion.

Peter Keen, my coach, devised a rigorous training schedule for me which meant I arrived at the National Championships last week in Manchester for my No. 1 event - the 3km Individual Pursuit - without having done any specific training on the track. So it was very gratifying to win and gain the Olympic qualifying time, but remain confident that there is much more to come.

On Sunday last, July 30, the National Womens Road Race Championships in Rugby was held over 70 miles (112km), and I emerged with the bronze medal. The Road Race, over 120km, and the Individual Time Trial, over 30km, are the two other events for which I am in line for selection. The difference in the distances of the two events reveals something of the versatility of cyclists.

Selection was due to be ratified on Monday and the signs were hopeful. If all goes well, then it's full steam ahead for my final preparation. On Wednesday this week, I travel to Sweden for two races, the 20km Time Trial on Friday, and the 105km road race on Saturday. Things are looking good again..."

Read Yvonne's diary for WEEK 2 ...

Read Yvonne's diary for WEEK 3 ...

Read Yvonne's diary for WEEK 4 ...

Read Yvonne's diary for WEEK 5 ...