- Harrogate’s Lucy Ellmore beat strong competition from more than 100 applicants and took part in a testing day at Lee Valley VeloPark last week
- ŠKODA Driver’s Seat Initiative (DSI) Cycling Academy supports female riders with the ambition to graduate to a professional race team at the end of the three-year programme
- Lucy will develop her cycling skills under the tutelage of one of Britain’s greatest Paralympians, Dame Sarah Storey
Lucy Ellmore (18) from Harrogate, Yorkshire, has been selected from more than 100 riders to be part of the prestigious ŠKODA Driver’s Seat Initiative (DSI) Cycling Academy.
Currently finishing the final year of her A Levels at Rossett School, Ellmore will join Academy Principal, Dame Sarah Storey and complete the university-style programme that aims to provide ambitious female cyclists, aged between 17-22, with a route to the elite level of the sport.
Lucy Ellmore said:
To be given this opportunity means everything to me. I live and breathe the sport of cycling and I am constantly striving to be the best cyclist I can be so I am really looking forward to developing as a rider on and off the bike with the academy.
Ellmore, who also has a part-time job at the local Police Treatment Centre.
Lucy said:
I’ve cycled since I can remember. I took up road cycling seriously at 13 when I joined Otley Cycling Club. I love the hills, so I would classify myself as a climber, but have taken part in time trials to help increase my raw power. I took part in the Yorkshire Road Race Test Event last Sunday (16th May) and came third out of over 60 riders.
More than 100 aspiring female amateur riders applied to join the Academy by providing details of their cycling experience, ambitions, and training schedule. A total of 17 riders were then shortlisted to attend the second stage of the selection process, a testing day at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London.
Lucy was put through her paces in a series of cycling tests that included a peak power test, a three-minute maximal test and a 12-minute steady state challenge. She then completed laps of the outdoor closed circuit to test her physical handling and pacing abilities.
Dame Sarah Storey, Academy Principal and Team GB’s most successful Paralympian:
Lucy had an exceptional day at the test day, producing some of the biggest numbers across the group and also demonstrating an incredible ability to suffer at repeated high intensity. She shows all the potential of someone who could climb with the best riders in the world and was unfazed on the road bike test despite the storm that whipped up just as she was lining up as last rider off.
The Academy programme will provide Lucy with the opportunity to experience the life of a professional rider, covering the performance, nutrition and media profile required to be a modern-day pro cyclist. The 2021 schedule also offers the chance to race in the Women’s National Road and Circuit Series and attend ŠKODA sponsored events, which include the Women’s Tour and the Tour Series.
Lucy will receive regular reviews and undergo intense training in order to graduate on to the next year of the programme, whether that’s a place on the Storey Racing roster, a place on a UCI Women’s World Tour team or another year as part of the Academy. The university-style programme also delivers an educational aspect through the social media and promotion strands.
Lucy will join four existing senior Academy riders who joined in 2019. Morgan Newberry, Rebecca Richards, Megan Dickerson and Meredith Gilbert are starting the final year of their Academy experience and hope to graduate at the end of 2021 by joining a professional cycling team.
