{"id":13920,"title":"Amira Mellor","description":"Amira Mellor is back and now she's stronger than ever, racing a mixture of Belgian and British UCI cyclocross races. Discover the hopes and frustrations of this young cyclist, and find out why her biggest fan is a Duke.","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: CYCLOCROSS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

She's back and now she's stronger.<\/p>

Amira Mellor is back and now she's stronger than ever, racing a mixture of Belgian and British UCI cyclocross races. Discover the hopes and frustrations of this young cyclist, and find out why her biggest fan is a Duke.\"\"
Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

Within a few years of taking up cyclocross, Amira Mellor had been crowned Junior British champion, ahead of Evie Richards. A silver medal in the U23 championships and highly respectable international results swiftly followed.<\/p>

Then she disappeared from cyclocross. Now Amira's back, seemingly stronger than before.<\/p>

Dozing peacefully<\/h3>

At the agreed time, I sat at my laptop patiently waiting for her to join me. Eventually, I gave up and cracked open a Delirium. Far away in Leeds, tired from racing five times in 12 days plus the associated travelling, Amira was dozing peacefully. She was charmingly apologetic when we finally met.<\/p>

Battling the Belgians<\/h3>

I'd watched Amira achieve her first podium in a Belgian UCI-ranked race at the Ardooie Kermiscross<\/a>. It was a hard day. Fighting with Suzanne Verhoeven for second place throughout the race. The two were locked in a battle not only between themselves but also in the thick, deep, viscous Flandrian mud.<\/p>

Amira grapples with the mud and Verhoeven<\/strong>\"\"Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

Verhoeven, the Belgian champion for non-contracted riders, who rides for Ellen van Loy's<\/a> Vondelmolen-De Ceuster team, eventually gained the upper hand and was rewarded with second place. Suzanne and Amira, who are both students of a similar age, looked delighted on the podium.<\/p>

A bag of sweets<\/h3>

I'm always curious to understand what has drawn perfectly sensible people into a sport like cyclocross that requires willpower, tenaciousness and plain obstinancy. In Amira's case, it was a bag of sweets. She comes from a sporty family. Mum had represented GB in her age group at the World Triathlon championships.<\/p>

Following in her wheel tracks, Amira took up the sport too. She and her friends had been riding on grass when someone suggested they give cyclocross a try. She didn't even know what it was.<\/p>

Full of manic parents<\/p><\/blockquote>

Her prize in her first cyclocross race was a bag of sweets. She was ecstatic. Amira had never received such a reward in Triathlon. She loved the relaxed atmosphere of cyclocross compared to Triathlon which she describes as \"full of manic parents\".<\/p>

Amira (right) on the podium at Ardooie<\/strong>\"\"
Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

She adapted to cyclocross quickly, finishing fourth in the under 14 national championships in 2011. By the 2014-15 season, she was regularly riding UCI events and World Cups, finishing 28th in the elite World Championships at Tabor despite still being a junior.<\/p>

Blank year<\/h3>

But 2018-19 was a blank year in terms of cyclocross. She'd started her Sports and Exercise Science course at Leeds Beckett University and had wanted to focus fully on her studies. Amira continued to ride her bike purely for pleasure. Like many cyclists, she finds it a great way to relieve stress.<\/p>

Amira is riding for the Spectra Wiggle Team<\/strong>\"\"Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

She was back the following year for a solely UK-based season, finishing fifth in Shrewsbury at the national championships. Last season (2020-2021) she won two UCI C2 races in Slovakia and finished 27th at the world championships held in Namur.<\/p>

Higher-level<\/h3>

This season she seems stronger than ever, winning the first two rounds of the National Trophy, a UCI C2 event in Clonmel, 3rd in the Kermiscross and 15th at Ruddevoorde.<\/p>

She puts her good form down to working with a coach for the first time in four years. Under the tutelage of Tom Ramsay at Edge Coaching, not only has she improved her training but she's also benefited from his confidence in her. Psychologically, it's been a boost to have someone who has belief in her potential.<\/p>

Amira's juggling her time between the mud and studying<\/strong>\"\"
Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

Amira joined the Spectra Wiggle Team which has given her a greater degree of support, especially on expeditions abroad. More time was spent road racing in the summer too which she's convinced has helped her overall preparation.<\/p>

Juggling<\/h3>

At present, she's juggling her time to ensure she successfully completes the final year of her degree course whilst training, racing and travelling.<\/p>

She says it's a question of prioritising her activities. Deciding what's important and which gives the greater return for the invested time.<\/p>

She's training up to twelve hours a week in addition to racing. With a limited number of available hours each week, she's decided to focus more on fitness than skills. Although, as she's done since she was under 16, she participates in a skill session every week run by cyclocross legend Chris Young.<\/p>

Racing, training and travelling take their toll<\/strong>\"\"Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

Amira and her Spectra team race in Belgium in blocks to minimise the impact of travelling. Living in Leeds presents a logistical challenge commuting to and from Belgium. To avoid the long drive south to Kent she's been catching the ferry from Hull. It saves a lot of road miles but it's a 12-hour crossing to Rotterdam.<\/p>

Once they are in Belgium they pack in a lot of racing. She's satisfied with her results but recognises that it has a draining effect on her physically and emotionally. It's not helped by constant uncertainty as to which races she'll ride due to a lack of clarity over international selection.<\/p>

Frustration<\/h3>

It was noticeable that there were no elite women representing GB in the recent European cyclocross championships. Apparently, British Cycling only intends to send riders who have podium capability. If all nations took this approach then only the Dutch and Hungarians would be present.<\/p>

Amira preparing for more travelling with her biggest fan Duke<\/strong>\"\"
Image credit: Amira Mellor copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

As a card-carrying British Cycling member, I'm disappointed that we don't have at least one rider in each race. I don't want to see our riders trailing around in last place but only racing against the best will improve our top riders. For the record, Suzanne Verhoeven, who beat Amira by 14 seconds at the Kermiscross finished 15th at the European championships.<\/p>

Despite what the party line may be, it's hard to distance the thought that British Cycling still places limited value on cyclocross.<\/p>

It's a frustration I share with Amira. She more than most understands that cyclocross is not like track racing. If a pursuit rider is not fast enough riding at Manchester, then they are almost certainly not going to suddenly become competitive at the international level.<\/p>

Cyclocross has so many more variants. A different course and even different weather can drastically affect a rider's outcome. Dendermonde provided a perfect illustration last year when Wout van Aert absolutely dominated, and beat van der Poel by nearly three minutes.<\/p>

Non-selection is compounded by the absence of selection criteria and poor communication.<\/p>

The glamour of Belgium beckons<\/strong>\"\"
Image credit: Rijden copyright 2021<\/em><\/p>

For Amira and those riders who find themselves in a similar position, it presents a real challenge to know which races to prepare for. It's like training and planning for the national championships without knowing when they will be.<\/p>

Hopes<\/h3>

Her immediate aims are to achieve success at the national championships in Ardingly and further blocks of racing in Belgium, particularly over the busy Christmas period. She's hoping that her results in Belgium will result in GB selection for World Cups and the World Championships.<\/p>

Once her final year at university is complete she plans to concentrate fully on cycling. Amira knows that this is a make-or-break moment and that to succeed at cyclocross she needs to immerse herself completely in Belgian racing.<\/p>

How much can she improve? Only time and opportunity will tell, but she's dedicated enough to succeed.<\/p>

19 Nov 2021 by\u00a0Tim Costello<\/a><\/p>

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