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Ellen Skerritt ready for next challenge in the
European peloton |
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July 15th 2015 |
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A mid season return last year from an extended illness has put
Ellen Skerritt on a path to achieve her goal of becoming
professional and racing in Europe. Skerritt's return at the
Tour of the Murray River last year with second overall kick
started her return. Quickly backing up by winning Amy's Otway
Classic and the National Capital Tour to end the year second
in the overall Australian National Road Series rankings.
The success of 2014 resulted in Skerritt identifying some
lofty goals for the start of 2015. While she just missed out
on her objective of gold in the under 23 time trial and road
races at the National Championships, two medals set her up for
continued success.
After a less than enjoyable experience at the AIS Selection
Camp in 2013 Skerritt, the 2015 camp not in disappointment but
one of five tickets to race in Europe in July, August and
September.
PelotonWatch: Your first big goals of the
year were winning the under 23 National time trial and road
race titles. You claimed silver in the time trial and bronze
in the road race. Missed gold but went home with two medals.
Happy with your performances?
Ellen Skerritt: I look back now and going in
with such outcome-focused goals, I see that I was setting
myself up for failure. However, looking at my performance even
though I had not achieved my goals I can be pleased with how I
rode. And plus there is always next year!
PW: If you go back a year to 2014. You were
not there you missed Nationals unable to even get on your
bike. For 12 months later to come home with silver and bronze
you must have a great sense of pride in how you have come
along in the year between?
ES: Yes, I am quite happy with the progress I
have made up until now to make this step up into the European
peloton, it is quite an achievement in itself after last years
setbacks!
PW: Oceania Championships were your second
big target of the year again targeting gold in the under 23
category. You were sick the week before and in your own words
you had an 'absolute shocker' in the time trial followed by
some mechanical issues in the road race. Hard few days of
racing what did you learn about yourself?
ES: Thank you for reminding me. It is one of
those competitions you try and forget! I am still learning my
limits within training and am working on my recovery
procedures, and it has been about working out the balance of,
"too much or not enough" in training. This particular weekend
was the result of too much training and not allowing enough
recovery leading into the race and the end result was illness.
I am still learning to listen to my body and to know when I
need to back off. More training is not always better!
PW: It was a quick turnaround with selection
for the Women's Tour of New Zealand your first UCI race.
Considering where you were this time last year what did it
mean to be lining up in a professional UCI race?
ES: The Women's Tour of New Zealand was a
great introduction to international racing and has given me a
much needed confidence boost for the next couple of months
ahead in Europe.
PW: Finished just outside the top ten and
claimed best young riders jersey. Happy with how you went?
ES: Our aim as a team was to make an
impression in the Women's Tour of New Zealand and I believe we
achieved that. And I also believe the other Aussies would have
to agree! With this process I managed to pick up and maintain
the young riders jersey after the queen stage, which was a
nice added bonus.
PW: You have had a busy block of NRS racing
with the Adelaide Tour, Mersey Valley and then Battle on the
Border. You have had problems in the past with fatigue how are
you dealing with that this year?
ES: I have had a busy block of racing and in
the middle of all this, AIS Selection Camp as well. There was
quite a bit of pressure to perform at these NRS races because
I knew selectors were watching, in terms of meeting the
criteria for making selection in the Subaru High5 Women's
Development Team. But at the end of the day all I could do
was, 'talk with my legs' and do this to the best of my
ability, because at the end of the day there was no point in
stressing over what the selectors thought. I have learnt
external stresses can have a major impact on performance and
health, and I believe this year I have been able to cope much
better with this. I have also learnt to improve on my recovery
practices – although it's not perfect yet it has had a very
positive impact already.
PW: When you returned to racing the in the
second half of 2014 you had a lot of success. Have you felt
the weight of expectations on you has been higher?
ES: Yes and No. I have found within the High5
Dream Team, I am the youngster who has so much more to learn
compared to all the girls in the team – who have a lot more
experience than I do. It's been a very humbling experience and
the High5 Dream Team has been very supportive and
understanding of where I am at with my cycling career. However
in saying this I have very high expectations for myself so the
only pressure of expectation comes from myself.
PW: You went to the AIS selection camp for
the second time. Heading in how were you feeling?
ES: Far too confident to say the least!
Having done the camp once before I knew what I was in for and
knew what they wanted to see. Lets just say, I knew the game
and how to play it! I wanted to be one step ahead of everyone
and a little bit of extra confidence was the only way to
achieve this.
PW: What were the most difficult and also the
top most satisfying moments of the camp?
ES: The camp is known for being extremely
strenuous, pushing you to your absolute physical limit but the
most difficult part of the camp was the late night debriefs
performed every evening. This is something you can't exactly
"train" for, or even prepare yourself. Everything you did
earlier that day - whether it was right or wrong, would be
criticized and made exposed to the group as a whole. You could
not switch off for even a moment because the very second you
looked like you were about to switch off they would be
integrating you again. Being sleep deprived had also taken its
toll by the end of the camp and I'm not even sure my sentences
were making sense anymore.
PW: On your blog you wrote that ahead of the
first elimination you "made the conscious decision to not
disassemble my bike or pack up my bags". Was the decision
because you were confident? Determined? Or maybe even a bit of
rebellion in wanting to control something in an environment
where control is taken away from you?
ES: It was probably a combination of all
that. I felt I wasn't ready to go home and I wasn't going to
give them a reason to send me home... Packing up my bags, to
me, felt like giving up and the act itself would create a
doubt in my mind that, "maybe you're not ready yet". I didn't
want anything to shake my confidence.
PW: You survived the camp and made it to the
finish. After the difficult time you had on your first
experience, what did it mean to make it to the end this time?
ES: It was redemption. And I would put it up
there as one of my highest achievements so far. Finishing the
camp gave me confirmation of the progress I had made since
attending the camp for the first time in 2013 and it was very
satisfying to know that my hard work did not go unrecognised.
Nonetheless, at the same time it was a very humbling
experience and I still have a long way to go.
PW: Your first time at the camp in 2013 was
difficult but how much has it contributed to you developing in
to the rider and person you are today?
ES: As I mentioned in my
latest blog (#7) I had a truly eye-opening
experience at AIS Selection Camp in 2013, which contributed to
several NRS results in 2014. This push in the right direction
turned my season into the best I had ever had. What I learnt
about myself and the requirements of an elite-level racer has
been truly invaluable to my cycling career.
PW: You are heading to Europe to race with
the Australian Development team. How did you feel when you
were told?
ES: I had known for several weeks that I was
heading overseas with the team but it did not feel real until
people started telling me, 'you're heading to Europe!'. I even
had the flight tickets in my hands and it still didn't sink
in!
PW: You have quite a bit of success in
Australia the past 12 months. Do you feel ready for a new
challenge of racing in Europe?
ES: I am more than ready and keen to take
this step up into the European peloton. The unknown excites
me... I really have no clue for what I'm in for! It is equally
an exciting time for me because I have never been to before
Europe and to get to experience Europe in the best way
possible... Whilst riding your bike!
PW: What are you hoping to gain from your
time in Europe?
ES: This exciting opportunity to Europe has
so much to offer and has given me the opportunity to
experience life and racing against the best of the best in the
world. As my cycling career moves forward, I feel as though I
am getting closer to achieving my biggest and scariest goals.
During this time, I hope to gain the skills that are necessary
on and off the bike to help cope with the 'cycling world' in
Europe and create fun new memories to look back on.
You can follow Ellen's racing in Europe at her
blog or on
Twitter
Facebook and
Instagram
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