Jess Roberts can barely wipe the smile off her face. That's not unusual for a bike rider, especially one who's won national titles and is in the ascendancy. However, on this occasion, Roberts is telling Cycling Weekly about some of the toughest two years imaginable.
"I was just really sad," says Roberts of how she felt in 2021 after a year spent wrestling with a debilitating injury that had derailed her career to the point that she hadn't ridden a bike in months and felt depressed. "I wasn't enjoying life. I never had thoughts about hurting myself or anything like that, I was just really sad and unhappy. I wasn't finding joy in many things and it was hard to train, to get up. I couldn't do the thing I loved properly, I was exhausted every day. It felt like a chore to do normal things and I didn't want to do anything. I didn't feel like the usual Jess."
We're pleased to report this description no longer matches the beaming young woman talking to CW on Zoom from her family home in Carmarthen. But how the old Jess went to low Jess and then to this Jess is quite a journey that takes in hopping around European cities, learning yoga from YouTube, and having dye injected into her veins...
The last time the Welshwoman was in these pages was not long after Roberts won the British National Championships stripes in the road race in 2018, beating a slew of the country's best pros including Dani Rowe, Lizzy Banks, and Hannah Barnes. She was still a junior.
It was an extraordinary result but it was no fluke. She backed it up with two stage wins in a high-quality field including road and track powerhouse Kirsten Wild, at the Tour de Bretagne Féminin the following year.
Esta historia es de la edición May 26, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 26, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
CLASSIC BIKE COLNAGO SUPER
A trailblazing bike immortalised by Merckx and Saronni
"Strava activities are the only way I know some of my friends are still alive"
...or that Bernard is doing his weekly shop
AN EXPERT'S TAKE ON... SADDLE SELECTION
Crucial advice to guide your next purchase
JUST A NUMB#R?
Approaching a landmark birthday, Charlie Graham-Dixon explores how ageing affects cycling performance and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve
RURAL PERIL
More UK cyclists are killed on rural lanes than on busy city streets. Rob Kemp investigates why and what can be done to keep us safe while riding in the countryside
A BLESSED RIDE THROUGH THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
Forgoing cloak, cassock and cross, Trevor Ward goes in search of the holy roads that helped make a Tour winner
Dame Sarah Storey claims road and 19th gold double
More success for Team GB's Paralympians in Paris, but Storey slams women's time trial course
Roglič matches Vuelta win record
Slovenian takes fourth Tour of Spain title after hunting down O'Connor's lead, writes Adam Becket
Williams crowned Tour of Britain champion
Welshman leads home resurgence at the stage race to crown an Israel-Premier Tech clean sweep, reports Tom Davidson in Felixstowe
CLASSIC BIKE CLAUD BUTLER OLYMPIC ROAD
Iconic British brand's Holdsworth-era road bike