Julia Shaw: A Quick Chat

I caught up with the newly crowned 10 mile Time Trial Champion, Julia Shaw (Drag2Zero.com) at the New Forest CC 32. Julia's time of 1.16.57 was 1 min 51 secs quicker than her ride in the same event last year, she is in form. She was happy to talk as she loaded her bike into her car, that familiar post race adrenalin still pumping. Having done a lot of 10s and shorter stuff ahead of the Nationals, the New Forest event felt "quite a bit different" for the Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist, “I felt better than I thought I would, so I am quite happy really” Shaw looked controlled and strong on the tailwind section of the course, heading East towards Lymington. I asked her how she paces her rides, heart rate, watts or feel.” “A bit of everything I think, certainly, at the beginning, more on watts to stop me going off too hard but I did actually go off too hard because it felt quite easy” she laughs "I kept telling myself, I think you need to slow down! I knew the last section was going to be into a headwind, my legs were sort of falling apart a bit but actually it was not as hard as it could have been, so I just about managed to hang in there!”

Hang in there she certainly did, catching and passing many of the riders in front of her and if her legs were falling apart, nobody noticed!
Targets for this year (after the 10) include this weeks National 25 mile Championships, “I have got to do well in that as I am hoping to get shortlisted for the Worlds in Copenhagen in September.” That’s the plan; it’s quite an ambitious plan” she openly admits.
“To get shortlisted, my targets were the 10 and the 25 and then it just depends on what happens at the British Time Trial Champs, I suspect!"

Shaw catches her two minute man. Commonly referred to as being "Chicked"!


I mention the 50 and the 100 “I'm going to do the 50 but I don’t think I will do the 100, its not really compatible really with going to Copenhagen. To get really fit for the National TT champs I do probably need a break in the middle of the season. I could do the 100 but it just doesn’t really fit, I have done it before and it is a long way up north” I suggest that Copenhagen is a more appealing target; “It is really, yeah, it’s an ambitious target, I may not make it, but it’s nice to have the chance. It’s not going to be easy.” We could all do easy things, I point out. “Yes exactly, for me it’s like the next step, I wanted to go to the Commonwealths last year. That was a target and to do it was fantastic really. Delhi suited me from a course point of view and so does Copenhagen in that it is flat. I’m in with a chance!”

Talking to Julia Shaw it is obvious she is focused and determined,professional even, certainly in her approach. Yet there is something more than that, there is a sense that she is seizing an opportunity. A chance that has to be taken now!