Can't believe how emotional I am about this.
First saw Laura Trott (as she was then) at London 2012 with my wife (she won the tickets in the draw), sometime near the start of that period when I started following cycling more seriously, on top of the riding (but not competing) that I was doing at the time.
When we entered the velodrome that afternoon, Laura was hammering away on the pedals on her rollers. Was wondering why she was pushing it so hard when she had a race coming up shortly, but since she won the gold medal that night, I guess she knew what she was doing more than me. 5 months later I become a father to a cyclist. The signs were there from the first scan, but we can't help but feel that the atmosphere that evening inspired a foetus to ride.
Have also seen her race a couple more times (at least). Once at Derby track for the Revolution series, and again at Lee Valley for the Commonwealth Games. So 12 years of being a Laura fan. She has smiled, giggled, sorted out hair and nails, but most of all ridden her bike like it was stolen. At times she has looked so smooth that you can't work out how she is so fast, at other times, it has been difficult to work out where the bike starts and she stops. OK, partly due to the shoes, but she always looks far more comfortable on a bike than she does off it.
Delighted that we can see a new crop of women track cyclists looking like they can win gold, and Kates Archibald and Marchant looking imperious, if not unstoppable, when they are on form. But there will always be a first love. And for me it is Laura.
