You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Is Pregnant then.
Whilst I don’t know much about riding MTB and pregnancy, I doubt she’ll be hitting Ft. William in May.
There have been rumours about her plans of course, but I suspect that’s it for her WC career. Given her age, the fact she’ll be 2 years out of the game by the time she’s able to race again, commitment to the bike co etc.
Or she’s taken the chance to have a sprog whilst her ankle gets better and covid is still around, then will return to smash it once baby is born and is fit again?
(* her ankle may be better, been months since I watched her YouTube video about it)
2021 is a good year to sit out any international competition.
Or, given FW was never going to happen this year anyway..,.
Why - has she discovered a portal and is now living on the 1950s?
I don't have the stats to hand - but I imagine many many of the male riders and other female riders have had children and it didn't kill their career.
Given that the baby will be born by the time (realistically) there is another full DH season I am not sure where you are getting two years. They cut the umbilical cord at birth these days.
I blame the poor bike fit. It can lead to all manner of side effects.
Agree with the 1950’s vibe
I guess the fact she's 33 is why it may be over, DH at 35 can't be common at the pointy end.
It'll be the lack of make up on her insta that did it
Congratulations to Rachel and Ollie. I reckon their kid will be world champ 2043.
Didn't T-Mo win something like Ard Rock whilst stopping to feed her infant between stages? The ****ing badass.
I guess the fact she’s 33 is why it may be over, DH at 35 can’t be common at the pointy end.
It may not be common, I agree, but Minnaar amongst others has proven it's not out of the question. Warner, on the other hand... 😀
Or she’s taken the chance to have a sprog whilst her ankle gets better and then will return to smash it once baby is born and is fit again?
(* her ankle may be better, been months since I watched her YouTube video about it)
She was back on her bike about this time last year I think, aiming to be ready to race by first in March, obviously that didn’t happen. By the time Oct rolled around she decided she wasn’t going to race, saying she didn’t feel she had recovered.
At the time the rumour was that was that she’d actually retired, but was holding off announcing it because they were busy launching a Crowd Funding for Atherton Bikes. And yes, it was hinted that she may want to retire to start a family, how much of that was based on the truth or how much of it was the usual things they say about everyone Sportswomen when they reach around 30.
Life stops when women have children.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jan/18/ultrarunner-jasmin-paris-montane-spine-race-winner-mens-record-express-milk
Whilst I don’t know much about riding MTB and pregnancy, I doubt she’ll be hitting Ft. William in May.
i followed my sister in law around sections of Mabie Red when she was 7 months pregnant. She was riding a Riese and Muller Birdie 🙂
Jess ennis didn't do so badly after her kid.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Rachel back riding at the top end next year
Aye, given she was streets ahead most of the time, I hope she comes back.
Why – has she discovered a portal and is now living on the 1950s?
Nah, it’s a combination of things. Mostly I think her recovery from her latest injury was long and hard. I think last time I read an interview you got the impression she believes she achieved all she can achieve in DH and you can hardly argue with that.
At the same time, her career is moving in other directions, the Bike Park, the Bike Co, the DH team etc.
Not to mention a lot of women have to stop their Elite athlete training just to conceive.
Elite athletes in their mid-30s are the exception, not the norm, especially in Sports which come part and parcel with serious injuries. For every Minnaar or Rossi there’s dozens that couldn’t keep pushing their bodies to be at the very sharp end. She may decide she wants to compete as her fitness declines, Peaty raced until he was about 40 but he wasn’t a contender for a long time, I don’t see Rachel being happy an ‘has been’ at the back just to keep the lifestyle etc.
I don’t know anything for sure, like I said, it’s only a guess.
Yeah, as grahamt1980 says, Jess Ennis Hill was fine, and Rachel is on the same level in her respective sport:
I don't see any reason at all that she can't come back and dominate again.
So nobody will be bothering the top 20 on one of their bikes this season then. Can’t be good for a business
i followed my sister in law around sections of Mabie Red when she was 7 months pregnant. She was riding a Riese and Muller Birdie 🙂
I followed my missus up the Inn Pinn when she was 7 months pregnant. Quite disconcerting when I realised she couldn't hold on, hold her climbing harness up over the bump and place runners at the same time...
Just a wild guess but maybe they’re actually in love and these things happen in life... rather than planning it around the biking calendar? Bit of an extreme idea I know.
Well I'm really pleased for her. congratulations!
Bizarre comments above. I'm not sure some people are aware of quite how badly she ripped the end of her leg off
Just a wild guess but maybe they’re actually in love and these things happen in life… rather than planning it around the biking calendar? Bit of an extreme idea I know.
I planned my family around the cricket season, holidays/weddings too. Was I wrong????
Yeah, I want taking the comments above to mean 'she's going to be a mother so that's the end', more that given all the other things like Dyfi BP, the team, the bikes, her age, and her relatively recent massive injury, she's probably unlikely to be continuing her career for that much longer'
Sometimes it's best not to just assume everyone is an arsehole. Makes life nicer, ya know?
I followed my missus up the Inn Pinn when she was 7 months pregnant
That sounds so wrong....
Jess ennis didn’t do so badly after her kid.
Quite a lot of female athletes have come back as strong if not stronger. Lizzy Deignan started racing again pretty soon after giving birth.
No child is more watched than Laura and Jason Kenny’s. England expects. If there is a gene for DH, then the same.
Great year to have a year out and I’m sure she’ll be back racing soon (assuming she wants too).
Loads of female stars have come back as strong if not stronger after children, though I’d guess mindset can change (not female specific, loads of male athlete reassess risks or time away from home when kids arrive).
Congratulations. I don't think it's anyone's business what her plans other than hers, her partner and in regards to business matters her business partners.
I think that’s brill! Congratulations to her!! I’ve got no doubt she could come back if she wanted to post baby, it’s a matter of would she want to she’s won everything many times over, or she might start doing done enduro stuff? Let’s be honest it’s hardly held Tracy Mosley beck being a mum she’s as rapid as ever!!
Good for her, and her fella.
Yes it's the exception rather than the rule to still be racing DH into the mid-30s, but Rachel is quite an exceptional rider.
I really hope she wants to come back and test herself in 2022, and it would be so good for the sport... but it'll be understandable if she just doesn't fancy it any more.
Good on her. In all her vids over the summer she was saying her ankle still wasn’t strong enough.
I’d say it will be the end of her career
Maybe end of DH but Enduro?
Who knows what she'll do, if she did retire there would be absolutely no shame attached, she's had a run of bad luck but also a run of extremely good luck before that. Whatever she does I'm pretty sure she's not just going to fade off into obscurity, she may well take another year or so to strengthen up with no pressure or commitments then come back.
Either way congrats to them.
Congratulations to her!
Lots of things are changing over these covidy times.
I'd still love an Atherton bike is the magic money tree starts growing. Lots of bikes don't have top world cup teams. I love my Geometron and they never placed particular well in world cup down hill. Jack reading has been in the top 20 a few times, that's not why I bought the bike.
I she's still my favourite DH rider and I'd love to see her make a return to the sport.
My fencing coach retired from competitive fencing around the time he didn't win the Scottish open. He came second, I could never dream of making the top 8.
So who knows where she will place if she chooses to come back, it will be alot higher than I ever could 😃
2021 is a good year to sit out any international competition.
Usual cheery Kelvin.