Cobb, a member of the Lares Waowdeals team will line-up for her first UCI Women’s World Tour race in Daventry, Northamptonshire on Wednesday 7 June having had strong performances in the TCFIA and the Tour de Bretagne.

This year’s OVO Energy Women’s Tour features three stages in excess of 140-kilometres and Cobb believes that will play to her abilities.

It’s been a difficult year for the 21 year old, after a great winter of training in France; Alice was forced off the bike for seven-weeks due to illness. She missed the whole classics campaign, as well as the Tour of California - a bitter pill to swallow – but now she’s back on track and raring to go.

“Fortunately, my team have been very supportive and helped me come back as quickly as possible. I’ve been back in training for about four-weeks now and so far every day I’m seeing an improvement. We’ve had to build back up slowly and although I’m not in the same form that I showed prior to my illness it’s great just to be back racing again. Given the circumstances of the lead up to this race, it will feel very momentous for me to be on the start line making my WWT début on home soil.”

She has come far in the last 12 months, from having her head buried in textbooks to lining up alongside the world’s best female cyclists. It will be a very special feeling throughout the whole race – especially when she is whizzing through the University of Warwick.

“I’d like to hope that it will suit me more because I do tend to prefer the longer and hillier stage races. Bizarrely the ‘harder’ the race the more I enjoy it so I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the Tour. I’m sure the rolling terrain and punchy hills of Warwickshire and Derbyshire will make for tough and attritional racing which will be great for spectators and should set up a good general classification battle.”

The entire Stage Three route is within Warwickshire, roads Alice will know well from her time training while studying. She will have an edge when it comes to knowing the roads, especially on the climbs and in terms of positioning. The OVO Energy Women’s Tour promises to be a fantastic race, and there will be a real buzz and sense of pride and excitement when Alice passes through campus especially. From everyone at the University – GOOD LUCK!

Author: James Hnatushka