Isla Short is pictured at the finish line. And, inset, elite women’s winner Mona Mitterwallner. Last updated 8 hours ago
Her smile shone through the miserable weather as she crossed the finish line at Glentress.
Isla Short was the first British female home in the Mountain Bike Cross-country Marathon yesterday (Sunday) – one of the highlights of the UCI Cycling World Championships.
But, after almost six hours in the saddle in a race where competitors were pushed to their physical limits over an energy-sapping 100-kilometre course, the Peebles mountain biker collapsed to the ground to reflect on the result.
The 26-year-old admitted to having some frustration at having finished 45 minutes behind the elite women’s winner, Mona Mitterwallner of Austria. But, with the XC Olympic and Relay events still to come later in the week, the two-times Commonwealth Games athlete remains upbeat.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio , Isla – pictured with a Saltire on her cheek – said: "It was so good. The support for me on course was amazing. I’m not disappointed because I did the best I could, and that’s all I can ask for. It was an amazing day, I knew it would be, and I’m super happy.
"In Innerleithen, on Angry Sheep – which is one of my favourite trails in the whole (Tweed) valley – there was such a big crowd there for me and it just warmed my heart; and then dropping into the arena at the end there and seeing some friendly faces, which I really needed, […]
Continue reading the original article at: planetradio.co.uk