An epic journey begins.

Hi!

I'm Laura, otherwise known as Moo, or Moobags, or Mooface, and this is my new blog about the dramatic life changes I am currently making to try my best to become a successful racing cyclist. I might fail, I might succeed, but I will never stop trying. So I should probably start with a little introduction as to how and why I'm doing this;

It all began in December last year (2011). I was 24 years old and was fast reaching a peak in my career as a raver. Yes, a raver. From somewhere in my mid-teens onward I had indulged in the delights of bright flashy lights, copious amounts of cheap, stomach-rotting, alcohol and enough cigarettes to build an island out of. I was on 20 a day and spent most of my spare money on messy parties, nightclub entries and really shit food.

Don't get me wrong, to me there was nothing necessarily wrong with this lifestyle, I will never regret a moment of it and at the time I didn't want it to end or change. However, in December 2011 a presentation given to my company by my boss, Nick, changed everything. It was an invitation to gather a team of four cyclists to participate in the HotChillee Alpine Challenge. 

Now, I was well renowned for NOT being any form of sportswoman, unlike most of my peers in the company - surrounded by budding cyclists, martial artists, runners and gym goers - the competition for team entry appeared fierce. For some reason my brain decided to make a noise, seemingly involuntarily I piped up, shot my hand into the air, boldly stating "I'll give it a shot!". The reception to my reaction was humiliating, yet strangely inspiring. I was greeted continually, and still am, with laughter and doubt. 

Skip ahead to March 2012 and that initial registration of interest is beginning to take physical form. I receive a MAP test from my now current coach Jamie at RPC. Good results for a newbie, apparently. So I buy a bike, turns out it's a bit shit apparently, also turns out shit bikes make for great training. SO I begin my journey not on foot but on wheel, clipped in to what is now the most important thing in my life. 

I join in training rides, I cry down the phone to my friends, I struggle to cut down on cigarettes, I binge drink to calm myself, I train again, I climb some hills, I get hit by cars, I cry some more, I get given a new (amazing) bike.... and bang, there it is, September 2012 and I'm on the plane to the Alps. "What the fuck am I doing?" is about the only thing I can think, in the same breath I answer myself.... "I'm proving you fuckers wrong, that's what I'm doing." - those "fuckers" include me. My life has been filled with self-doubt, poor confidence and low points. I've been through hell and back like a lot of people have I'm sure. Finally I've found something that can prove that nothing can stand in the way of a determined mind. I did it. I didn't quit. I didn't give up. I did the hardest thing I've ever tried to do and I damn well enjoyed it. Those hills, those views and that pain - nothing is as good as that. 

So I return to my home in London a new woman, it's now November - I'm doing about 12 hours a week training, and I'm getting faster by the day. I don't smoke. I rarely drink. I'm four dress sizes smaller and my abs stick out like a proper athlete's. I've got my race license and I've joined some clubs. Watch out roads, Moo's arrived.

That's a brief outline, anyway. There will be some more detailed posts regarding my initial trip to the Alps and some more stuff on those moments that really did change my life. Feeling inspired? Come and join me, if I can do it, anyone can!