I could have waited for next year with a proper preparation behind me but instead I thought the better option would be to line up, give it a go and at the very least experience my first world championships. We never came here to get a result. The plan was to treat this as a bonus race with a focus on future races and World Champs. To get as far as I did off such little racing and experience was a bonus. I’m proud to have given it a go in a race I knew I wasn’t ready for. If you never give it a shot you’ll never know!
In the end I was 44th in the TT which I was extremely disappointed about. I was 30w under my target pace however, after not touching my TT bike for 8 months it was to be expected. I had 2 weeks to prepare for the event with one of those weeks spent racing in Belgium without my TT bike. I knew I shouldn’t be too hard on myself but it’s difficult when you know you’re competing on the world stage.
In the road race I knew it was all about positioning before the climbs. I managed to hold my position on the first lap of the car circuit and help Ash get to the front but once we headed towards the short steep technical descent my lack of experience in the peloton showed itself. I went from first to last wheel and before I knew it, I was chasing on before we even hit the first climb of the day. Then it was a repeat of that to the second climb and after analysing my power numbers it was evident it was my positioning cost me the race.
I’m excited to work on all these aspects the next 12 months and see where I can go from here!
Kerry Jonker 
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