Dame Sarah Storey’s passion for sport is without question, you don’t write yourself into Paralympic folklore without it.
The statistics speak for themselves - 17 Paralympic gold medals make her Britain’s most successful Paralympian - but on a unique Monday morning at the velodrome in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park it’s a different type of passion shining through. Alongside her own sporting career, and being the founder of her own cycling team, Storey is also the Principal of the ŠKODA DSI Cycling Academy.
What’s unique about this Monday is it’s the academy’s recruitment testing day. The academy, heading into its fourth year, is designed to further opportunities for female riders aged between 18-24, with a chance to learn and develop through their year-long inclusive programme.
It exists to try and address the gender imbalances in cycling and, as a result, there are a host of young prospective female riders around the velodrome who will be taking part in a series of tests, all being overseen by Storey. Certain members of the press might also have been persuaded to take part - and these tests are far from easy.
Ultimately, with all the talent on show at the recruitment day, just three will be selected. From there they will receive mentoring from Storey and invaluable guidance to help them maximise their potential in the sport.
"I probably look like I'm on a different planet today and, to be fair, I am,” Storey says. “These girls have invested a significant amount to want to be here already so it's my job now to invest in them and try to get the best out of them with each test, and give each of them the best chance to produce their personal best.
"Ultimately we've got to choose three, which is always an incredibly difficult task. But it's a privilege, that opportunity to meet them and to see how they are operating already and then make some notes. It's a huge privilege for me to be able to pass on some of the things I've learned."
"I enjoy the journey of finding a better version of me"
Now aged 44, a question the cyclist is regularly asked is what keeps her motivated and driven. She is regarded as one of the most experienced Paralympic campaigners having first debuted in 1992 as a swimmer, and she isn’t about to stop any time soon.
But there is almost a dual purpose to her life in sport now as she sets out to try and give the younger generation the best tools possible. In her words, it is all about trying to find a ‘better version of herself’ that can succeed in years to come.
"I've always been really fortunate, since I was 17 I've always been somebody who supported, coached or mentored younger athletes,” Storey says. “I started out with the North West disability swim squad, I coached young swimmers throughout my own swim career and I wasn't in cycling very long before people sought me out to support them.
"I became a mentor within my own cycling club before I moved into a team, so it's something I've had the opportunity to give back on in my career and I've always felt really privileged to be able to do so. For me, the self-fulfilment is that I enjoy the journey of finding a better version of me.
“If I can pass on some of that knowledge to the youngsters, and that's always a great opportunity for me to share what's worked for me and what hasn't. You see that in some of the posts from the riders that are in my own team, talking about being process driven.
“I've always been incredibly process driven, and incredibly scientific and logical, about making decisions on what I do. I think I've always been able to pass that on so I think, for me, self-fulfilment is that sport is always going to be part of my life and I segment it out.
“I've always been one of these people that thrives under the pressure of trying to find a better version of me. How you handle that pressure is really important. Some people, they don't do it for as long as other people would like them to.
“But it's about finding the time for you to move up the level, step back, or to keep pressing on. I'm still pressing on 30 years into my career because it's something I enjoy doing.
“I never thought that I haven't been able to give back alongside my own career. For me I feel lucky to have that dual-pronged attack."
“Cycling is a very small world anyway and women's cycling is a tiny world"
Having spent much of Monday sitting on my own Wattbike puffing away during these gruelling tests, or being hopelessly outclassed trying to ride around the outdoor track, it’s clear to see these academy hopefuls already have bags of potential.
But, such is the world of women’s cycling, quite simply there are not as many chances available compared to the men’s side. It’s a constant reminder as to why this academy is so important in furthering the women’s side of the sport and giving those with the talent a chance to succeed.
"The potential [in the group] is very difficult to quantify because it's as much about their aptitude, as about the opportunities that they come across,” Storey explains. “Sometimes you meet people who have had so many opportunities but just haven't had the aptitude to take them in the right order.
“I think the potential is astronomical and it's incredibly exciting to see what's there and to see the hunger and to see the inspiration they've taken to already apply to something like this. The opportunity to be able to work with another three of them over the next eight or nine months, as the academy progresses into 2022, is just hugely exciting.
"Each one of them should go away incredibly proud. They'll have a little bit of feedback from me, they'll get their test results and a few pointers to work on. Some of the girls may want to reapply in the future if that's an opportunity for them. But they can also do these tests at home and that gives them a benchmark and they can use their own turbo trainer - or whatever they've got at home - and they can re-test themselves.”
What’s also great to see is how the riders mix with one another and support each other - even towards journalists with bang average fitness capabilities. But those contacts with fellow riders will only go on to help them later down the line.
"A lot of these young girls will find themselves crossing paths with each other,” Storey adds. “Cycling is a very small world anyway and women's cycling is a tiny world.
“It's hugely inspiring to see them supporting each other - some of them know each other and maybe will even go to university together in the future. That's really important and having those people - some people have never raced or trained with female athletes - so having that camaraderie is a huge part of continuing to progress as an individual as well as an athlete."
- Dame Sarah Storey is the Principal of the ŠKODA DSI Cycling Academy that was set up to support aspiring female cyclists and address the gender imbalance in cycling. For more information visit www.skoda.co.uk/discover/cycling-academy
