Posted: Thu 6th Jul 2017

Hawarden amateur sets her sights on winning Welsh Cycling Road Race Championships

News and Info from Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales
This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jul 6th, 2017

An amateur cyclist from Hawarden is making great strides in the world of women’s road racing. Hannah McEwan, 19, from Hawarden, who works by day as a SharePoint Developer (designing and developing websites) for WM Reply in Chester, has got her sights on winning the Welsh Cycling Road Race Championships at Llyn Brenig in Conwy this August.

Hannah has already competed in seven amateur road races in 2017, with two top 20 finishes in the Racing Chance Foundation NW Women’s Series. On the 3rd June, she finished 19th in a tough 46-mile Women’s Croston Velo Road Race, held in Bickerstaffe, Lancashire. And most recently on the 25th June, Hannah finished 17th in a gruelling 32-mile road race in Skelmersdale.

Hannah at the Pimbo Race, Skelmersdale 2017

She was pleased with her performance, saying: “I felt both races went really well, especially in Bickerstaffe, as I finished with the lead group. There was also a crash that day which held me back, so I had to do quite a bit of chasing to get back into the lead pack. In Skelmersdale, I was averaging 24mph which was the fastest time I’ve done on the course to date. All in all, I came away with an idea of where my form is at the moment and what training I need to focus on this summer”.

Having learnt to ride when she was three years old and trying everything from mountain bikes to BMX’s, Hannah had an affinity for sports early on. A Hawarden high school leaver, she says it was ‘the perfect place to develop her sports’ skills’, with famous ex-pupils including Michael Owen and the late Gary Speed. After receiving her first professional race bike in 2012, Hannah’s life started to change: “My parents bought me a £450, second-hand ‘Dolan’ from Graham Way Cycles in Shotton when I was 14. That’s when I started going on short rides with my dad and eventually we visited the only outdoor track in North Wales called ‘Marsh Tracks’ in Rhyl. I started going to the Sunday development sessions where young cyclists come from as far as Manchester, to learn to ride in groups on the track. It wasn’t long before I moved up a level to faster, more intense riding”.

Hannah with her dad at The Milk Race, Nottingham in 2015

Hannah soon discovered a charitable organisation called ‘The Racing Chance Foundation’ through Marsh Track’s Facebook group, which runs women’s development sessions at the track and winter training sessions in Altrincham. It was started up in 2013 by the nationally acclaimed cyclist Heather Bamforth, who won Ambassador of Women’s Sport at the #BeAGameChanger awards in 2016 for her tireless work in women’s cycling.

Heather said: “Hannah came to me in 2014 and was our first ever member. She moved up from track racing as an under-16 youth racer, to riding in 45-mile road races all over the UK as an under-18 junior. It’s a huge transition, so providing the right kind of emotional support is key. Racing Chance now run a development team of five junior and two under-23 riders including Hannah, so from our perspective, we’re trying to keep young women engaged through those transitional periods to keep them riding”. Hannah completed her first junior road race season in 2015, aged 17, saying: “I think the early stages of road race training are the key to long term success. I was still learning the courses and building up my confidence with Heather in 2015, so I just got on with my training and tried to find my feet with it all. It definitely sets you up as a stronger rider in the long-run”.

Heather Bamforth

Heather, who also works as a consultancy practitioner, added: “Our mission is to provide support to women who want to race and encourage the concept of participation racing at mid-level. I believe you’re defined by your actions not by your intentions, and Hannah epitomises what we’re trying to achieve. Hannah left school, did an apprenticeship and changed jobs, all whilst her racing continued to go from strength to strength. She’s had to keep going through some tough times and it’s all testament to her character. Grit, determination, resilience and dedication are so important in this sport and we’re trying to instil those qualities in the young women we work with. Female sport is about setting goals for yourself and I want to prove to women that you don’t have to be an elite athlete to have a go at racing and enjoy it”.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the Welsh youngster though. In January this year, Hannah’s racing bikes were stolen following a spate of garage break-ins on her street and in December 2015 she was tragically hit by a car during a ride in Hawarden. Miraculously, she escaped with only minor cuts and bruises: “I was conscious throughout the whole thing and luckily my dad was riding with me that day. I’ve still got a hazy memory of the accident but the rider mentality is simply to keep calm and ride on. There will always be elements of danger riding on public roads, so it’s crucial to be bike confident and always be aware of your surroundings”.

Two years on, Hannah’s career is firmly back on track. She now rides a specialised ‘Amira’ worth £2100 and has a silver road racing licence. With two divert memberships, she’s a team rider for Racing Chance Foundation and Graham Way Racing in Shotton and does strength and conditioning work up to twice a week with ex semi-professional turned cycling coach Richard Bott.

Richard Bott in the Sports Science Lab at Chester University
© UrienMorganPhotography

Richard, who works as a Sports and Exercise Science Technician at Chester university, says he’s confident about Hannah’s progress: “As part of the university internship in sports science, we get our master’s students working with good level athletes in the testing area of the sports science laboratory. Hannah’s doing all the hard stuff, like building her power to weight ratio through resistance training, whilst myself and Chris Wanford (master’s student) are just the guides really, providing Hannah with whatever support she needs. I know Hannah’s goal is to turn professional, but as she’s only 19 there’s a way to go yet. Her biggest obstacles will be her time constraints and competing in a sport that’s a predominantly male environment. But she’s definitely got the physiological characteristics to make it to the top”.

Hannah at the Pimbo Race, Skelmersdale 2017

The future of women’s cycling looks undeniably positive, and Hannah’s aspirations are clear: “Apart from winning the Welsh Nationals, my big dream is to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games and become a full-time, professional road racer. There’s something about racing I just love and as I’m a very competitive person this sport is well suited to my nature. Ideally, I need to get spotted by a professional team who think I’m good enough, but in the meantime my focus is on having a good race season this year. I need to feel I can offer the full package to potential sponsors”.

For any sponsorship enquiries, please contact Hannah on hannah.mcewan7@googlemail.com

For more information on Heather Bamforth and her charity work, please visit www.racingchancefoundation.com    or www.cyclingshorts.uk.com 

You can follow Heather on Twitter @heverb   and   Hannah @hannnnahmc_

Her hashtags are: #BeAGameChanger     #partyontheroad       #muddyfaceswinbikeraces     #menonside

You can read more about the 2017 Welsh National Championships at: www.britishcycling.org.uk

Spotted something? Got a story? Send a Facebook Message | A direct message on Twitter | Email: News@Deeside.com
Latest News

  • Man who raped a teenager at a campsite near Chester jailed.
  • DECA Sealand industrial action ends after union secures improved pay deal.
  • MPs’ call for ‘modest’ increase in statutory sick pay

  • More...

    Man who raped a teenager at a campsite near Chester jailed.

    News

    DECA Sealand industrial action ends after union secures improved pay deal.

    News

    MPs’ call for ‘modest’ increase in statutory sick pay

    News

    10m homes should read their energy meter this weekend

    News

    Are high street banks leaving Wales behind? MPs to examine access to cash

    News

    Easter travel rush: 18.5m journeys expected, says AA

    News

    Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales to launch on Good Friday

    News

    Flintshire Council marathon planning meeting sparks concern

    News

    Welsh Ambulance Service “Think twice before dialling 999 this Easter”

    News