This year beggared belief in terms of luck. Was there a point when you thought: ‘bo****ks to it all’…
It is a bit difficult to say. The first injury was a big blow because I knew straightaway that it had ruined the season even before it had started. Then all the focus just goes straight to getting ready again and you put in so much time and effort, almost every day. Around four weeks after the injury and operation and once everything had settled I could do light exercise then three times a day I would either be in the gym, with the physio or working alone or swimming. You do all you can to get back as quickly as you can. I arrive to a point where I was feeling really strong on the bike and with my knee and then – as everyone knows – I ‘did’ my hand. I was going so well…it was a massive blow. It was almost even harder to take than my knee. I knew the knee would take time but the hand just put me back to the beginning. The whole period was hard mentally but that second problem was really tough. I thought the hand would be better a lot sooner and when I started riding it was difficult and just kept taking time. I finally got to a good place, and where I could come back to the team and start enjoying it. Everything can change so fast in this sport: as long as I am healthy and I feel good on the bike then I’m happy. When you are not riding and you’re struggling then it takes a toll on everything: home life, professional life, people around me. Sophie [girlfriend] gets it the worse and more than anyone because I’m moody at home. I was upset but it was quite easy to re-focus to getting back ready. I’m the sort of person who always needs a goal; I cannot just wake up and wonder what to do with the day. I knew I needed to get my knee right, so it was quite easy to put my focus into that.