Timothy John – 32.18
“Despite the exhilaration of their Tour Series victories at Durham and Salisbury, both Rebecca and Joey have even bigger circuit race victories on their pal mares.
“The 2019 British Circuit Race Championships in Rochester were notable for three things: cobbles, vast crowds, and a one-on-one dog fight to decide the winner in both the men’s and women’s races.
“Let’s start by hearing Joey’s memories of his last gasp triumph over Isaac Mundy: a victory immortalised in a magnificent photograph that might also be titled ‘agony and ecstasy’.
Joey Walker – 32.55
“It’s really just you in the moment. It’s weird how you hear the crowd, but you don’t hear the crowd, if you know what I mean. It’s just background noise. When I crossed that finish line, I couldn’t really hold in the celebration. It was what it was. The years of dreaming of a win like that just came out. That’s the story behind the picture and one of my biggest wins.
“Again, it was a short, sharp climb. Me and Isaac [Mundy] jumped away and held off the Canyon team who were chasing. We were going well and coming into the sprint, I didn’t really want to lead it out anyway because there was a headwind.
“In the last left-hander, I remember it so well, Isaac’s wheels skipped on the corner, and that’s what unsettled him for the sprint. He unclipped. It’s a shame because - he might say different! - but I felt as if I was going to come around him anyway, because there was a headwind. It’s a shame we didn’t get to have it out until the line, but it made a good picture anyway.”
Timothy John – 33.55
“And how about Rebecca? Her race to the national title brought her wheel-to-wheel with defending champion - and team-mate - Anna Henderson. The two riders who had spearheaded Brother UK-Tifosi’s team competition triumph in the Tour Series were suddenly set against each other. It was Becks emerged victorious at the end of a gripping, race-long duel.”
Rebecca Durrell – 34.16
“It was a massive relief. That was the overwhelming feeling. You go into a race with a plan, or half a plan. You know roughly what you want to achieve. You haven’t always got the legs to do it, but you at least have a plan in place.
“For that race, the plan was to go as hard as possible and try and split everything up. We didn’t plan to do it as a team, necessarily, but it happened as a team because we had such a strong crit racing squad that year.
“From there, it was just trying to be clever. Anna and I were team-mates and knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses pretty well. It was a case of just playing to that and having fun with the race as well because you want to enjoy it and, especially when the crowds are there, you want to put on a bit of show. It was a case of that and trying to keep a cool head.
“Crossing the finish line, I felt a massive sense of relief. In the days leading up to it, I had a feeling that there was a good chance I could win it, if I played my cards right and did everything right. You always need a bit of luck on the day. But, yeah, it all went well and I won on the night. It was awesome. I was absolutely buzzing after that. It was brilliant.
Timothy John – 35.18
“Victory at the national championships brings a very special prize: a white jersey emblazoned with red and blue stripes. Incredibly, because of Covid, Becks had to wait more than a year to wear the jersey in competition: a privilege extended by British Cycling in the absence of any British Circuit Race Championships in 2020.
“By that time, she had an even greater prize: baby Jasper. Despite finding the demands of a sleepless infant incompatible with the demands of an elite athletic career, Rebecca finally pulled on the jersey last month at the Otley Grand Prix.”
Rebecca Durrell – 35.53
“After winning the national jersey at Rochester, I didn’t ever wear it in a race. It was a big thing for me. You gain a sense of achievement and a sense of pride. You want to stand on the start line wearing the national stripes.
“When I was pregnant, and when I first had Jasper, I thought: ‘Will there be an opportunity for me to do this?’ Because when I was first thinking of doing this, a lot of races were being cancelled, yet Otley seemed to be the one that was definitely going to be there. I made my decision. I thought: ‘I’m going to go for Otley. If I don’t get round, I don’t get round, but at least I’ve pulled on the jersey. I’ve ticked that box and archived that.'
“It was hard. I sounded as if I smoked 50 cigarettes a day afterwards! But it was brilliant. Since then, I’ve struggled to get out as much because Jasper’s just not sleeping. I’m just exhausted to be honest. I just don’t have capacity for it at the minute. Some mums do and hats off to them. I just don’t know how they do it. Maybe they’ve got a baby that sleeps a bit better, or maybe they’re just superhuman, but, for me, it’s not do-able at the minute.”
Timothy John – 37.03
“Joey, by contrast, has had several opportunities to wear his national champions jersey and will do so again when the Tour Series begins in Guisborough on Sunday August 8. Earlier outings in the stripes have convinced him that the jersey is not a garment worn lightly. It’s effect on spectators and on his rivals, he says, is unmistakable.”
Joey Walker – 37.23
“I do and I don’t. It adds pressure to what is already a high-pressure race. Crits are really intense so to have the jersey as well is extra pressure, because even if you’re in the crowd at the side of the road, watching the race come past, you always pick out the national jersey. Even if you don’t know who the rider is, someone watching might say, ‘He’s the national champion.’
“So, yeah, you always get picked out, and I’ve definitely noticed that it’s harder to jump away. I think, in the Tour Series, I’m going to have to play around a bit with tactics and see how I can win.”
