The next part of Elsie’s cycling adventure begins a few months before her 14th birthday. Turning 14 is a big milestone — it means she can now compete at National Para (Paralympic) events alongside adults.
As her birthday (6th January) approached, we started looking for her next para race. Luckily, there was one at Manchester Velodrome in February — a perfect, low-key race for Elsie to dip her toe into the world of national para competition.
And so, the proper para-racing adventure began.
Preparing for Para Nationals
Elsie’s first events were the 1km Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit — more on those later.
For these, she needed aero bars fitted to her track bike. That created a few challenges because Elsie rides fixed in one hand position, so she can’t move her hands mid-ride. After a lot of trial and error, and with help from others in the cycling community, we found a solution.
Tim Lawson from Secret Training kindly loaned some aero bars, and we spent hours experimenting — first with bits of wood, then plastic gas pipe, jubilee clips, and electrical tape — to find the right setup. It had to work and look tidy!
Eventually, the limb centre provided an Otto Bock hoop attachment, and after cutting the correct thread in the bar, Elsie’s new setup worked beautifully — and she’s still using it.
Finding the Right Gear
Most of Elsie’s pre-event track time focused on developing her aero position and choosing the right gearing.
Since she now competes in adult para races, she can technically use any gear she wants — but she still has to be able to pedal it! We found that going half a gear harder worked best.
Training time was limited, and just before the event we discovered that the Individual Pursuit (IP) would be 4km (16 laps), not 3km as originally thought. “It’s only another four laps…” 😅
Para Nationals Begin
We thought this would be a small race — but not quite! The para events were run alongside the able-bodied races, with Olympic riders competing too.
Day 1 – 1km Time Trial
There were four riders on the start list, though one withdrew due to illness. That meant Elsie was already guaranteed a podium — but she still had to earn it!
Elsie (a C5 rider) was up against C1 and C2 athletes, meaning factoring would apply — time adjustments to level the field.
She gave it everything and finished second, just fading a little on the last lap. The British Cycling para coaches clapped her off the track — Elsie had officially arrived!
At first, we thought she’d missed the podium, but as we were packing up, someone told us she’d finished second overall. Cue celebrations! 🥳
Day 2 – 4km Individual Pursuit
Only three girls signed on for this event, so only two steps were available on the podium — and the other riders were 26!
Elsie stuck to her plan: start steady, then build. She got excited and blasted through the first three laps at 18 seconds each, instead of the planned 20, but she rode strongly and held her form.
At the 1km mark, Elsie was still leading. Eventually, Morgan took the win, with Rebecca second — but only 14 seconds ahead of Elsie. With more training, we’ll close that gap!
Team Sprint Finale
The final event was the Team Sprint, with three riders per team — each doing one lap at the front before peeling off.
Elsie joined Wayne and Ben, and they’d never ridden together before that morning. After just a couple of practice laps, they raced.
In the first round, they finished second, which we thought was the end of it — but they were called back for the bronze medal ride that afternoon in front of a packed crowd.
There was a false start to add some drama, then they went again — and finished second once more, with an improved time. A great performance and a fantastic learning experience.
New Equipment and Exciting Partnerships
During the event, we met Asad, who offered to sponsor Elsie with a 3D-printed arm for her track bike — the first of its kind. The first prototype didn’t quite work, but the second version was perfect. It’s now in use and holding up brilliantly.
If I can persuade Asad to make another arm for the aero bars or cyclocross bike, I’ll be a very happy man! 😇
Looking Ahead
After many races across the country, the 2025 road and track season has come to an end — and what a year it’s been.
British Cycling have now invited Elsie onto their Para Programme, and she’s being coached by Emma Pitt, a BC Talent Coach. Exciting times ahead!
Emma plans for Elsie to compete at Para World Cups in 2026 — likely in Belgium and Italy. Track Nationals return in February with a new para format: 1km TT, 4km IP, Scratch Race, Elimination Race, and the ever-fun Team Sprint.
Elsie Hughes 