WEEK IN TRAINING RACHEL GALLER

The new national hill-climb champion on how she prepared to win her first ever red, white and blue bands

- Chris Marshall-Bell

What's your cycling background?
I've always been athletic and was part of my local Harriers running club until I had a really bad ankle injury in 2016. During recovery I spent a lot of time on a cyclo-cross bike, and I joined Blaydon Cycle Club in 2019. Watching my boyfriend race inspired me, and I got into local TTs, crits, and then hill-climbing. Now my season runs from early March to late October and I'm in love with the sport.

What were your expectations ahead of this year's National Hill-Climb Championships?
I finished fifth at last year's Nationals, which gave me the belief that I could get a podium this year, but it wasn't until the day that I felt I could win it. It was a mega day - the science and art of perfecting a hill-climb effort all came together.

How did you approach the Nationals?
Very differently to last year where I was racing back-to-back weekends to win the North-East Hill-Climb Series and other races outside of the northeast. This year we opted for quality over quantity: I only did three hill-climbs, and all were shorter efforts, targeted to Bank Road [in Derbyshire], the course used for the Nationals.

Does being vegan present any recovery challenges?

I've never had any problems with getting enough protein. I stick to tofu, nuts, beans and pulses and get what I need from my diet. The only way I top it up is with protein shakes.