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Interview with Dani King

Story posted September 20 | Talking to Dani King of Horizon Fitness

Q: The season started very well and then you got sick.  Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Dani King: Yeah, it was going great.  I was having the best season I’d ever had after having a solid winter on the bike. I’d won 8 races and was excited about the rest of the season with the team. I rode the Kalas 2-day which is a men’s race the weekend before the national road race.  I was really excited about the championship because I was flying during the 2 day race. A couple of days before the nationals I didn’t feel myself but couldn’t put my finger on why.  I rode a local evening race at Portsmouth on the Wednesday before the nationals and couldn’t hold a wheel where I would normally contest the sprint.

At first I put that down to my body holding back for the weekend but I soon found out that wasn’t the case when I started the race. I couldn’t even get up the first climb in the bunch so pulled out when I knew for sure something wasn’t right. I had blood tests the same day which revealed a viral infection, the week later I had tonsillitis and a few days after that the dreading glandular fever was confirmed.

Q: Did the sickness change your goals for the season or wipe it out all together?
DK: It wasn’t a good time at all. I was hoping for a good result at the National road race and had some stage races lined up where I was hoping to carry my form and get some more results to potentially get selected for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games. I had 4 weeks completely off the bike and have been back training properly for about 5 weeks.  I’ve changed my goals and now I’m hoping to be competitive in the national track championships. 
 
Q: Will that be the end of your 2010 season?
DK: My last goal of the year will be the National Track championships where I hope to medal in at least 2 events. I’m having my tonsils and Adenoids out the week after to prevent illness in the future so that will become a forced rest which will probably do me good after the hard week of racing my body won’t have been used to.
 
Q: How has it been with Horizon Fitness RT during this difficult time?
DK: It’s been great. I’ve had no pressure on me to get back quickly (apart from myself wanting to) and I’ve got some great friends in the team who made it easier to deal with. It was hard to deal with after having such a good start to the season but I’m raring to get back to how I was and know the team is confident in me and I’m proud to be a part.
 
Q: What’s your best moment of 2010 so far?
DK: I think it would have to be winning my first race in Belgium as a senior.  That was a really special feeling.

 
Q: And what’s your biggest goal for 2011?
DK: I want to be selected for World Cups (For Great Britain) and be competitive in them. I would also love to be considered for team pursuit as I believe this is one of my strengths as a rider.  I’ve recently been to a Team Pursuit training camp organised by the team and it was really good.  As a team we can do well and I’m looking forward to working hard in this area.
 
Q: Will this winter be a lot different for previous year as you prepare for 2011?
DK: I think it will be the hardest winter so far as I won’t have the opportunity to go to Australia again. I will have to match the training I did out there and even do more in some areas, however in this country the weather doesn’t help! I’m excited to get stuck in and am hoping to spend a lot of time with my team mate Sarah and may have the opportunity to go to Lanzerote which will be fab!   The team also have a training base set up in Italy that I will be looking to use during the winter and spring as I get ready for the classics.
 
Q: Looking back on your races in 2010, which event really stands out for you?
DK: Although it wasn’t the biggest race I rode I think I would have to say winning the Horizon Fitness GP in Stoke. It was amazing having the team around me working so hard. I also proved to myself that I could win races in a different way to a bunch sprint.  I felt like we really bonded and again it made me feel proud to be a part of Horizon Fitness. 
 
Q: If you could only ever race one race again, which one would it be?
DK: I think I would have to say the Tour of Flanders…..although it’s probably the most grueling race I’ve ever done I absolutely love it; the cobbles, climbs and atmosphere are incredible! I hope one day I can win it!

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