In the first part of "The Lucy Garner Series", Lucy took Cyclingquotes.com for a stroll down memory lane, letting us in on the victories, the struggles and the battles. In this part, the second out of four, she's focused on being right here, right now.

Welcome to ...

THE PRESENT

As 2013 is barely getting started, Lucy has already packed up her life and moved it to Holland, where she'll be based and live with her Dutch boyfriend, Lars Van der Haar, who's racing the CX worlds on the very same day as we're doing this interview, so it's a somewhat nervous and jumpy Lucy Garner sitting down for a chat with Cyclingquotes.com.

"I'm so nervous, I don't know what to do with myself!" she tells us as she takes a big breath to calm her nerves.

Her boyfriend's upcoming world championship race isn't the only thing she's a bit nervous about as she's making the big move out of her parents' place. There are more challenges than just the senior levels on the horizon for this season.

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"I'm completely on my own now. Cleaning, cooking, washing. I have to do everything on my own, so it's a big step. Not having my family around will definitely be something I'll have to get used to, but then again, I'm lucky to move in with my boyfriend so I won't be all alone. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I think this year will be a tough one. Not only am I stepping up a category, but I'm also moving to a different country and I don't know the language, so it's going to be quite challenging. I'm really hoping I can get Dutch lessons. It's all very new and kind of scary, but at the same time it's really exciting."

The Team

After her huge success during the past two years, Lucy signed with Argos Shimano and says that she feels right at home with the Dutch based professional team and tells us about the main reason for signing with them.

"They're really interested in developing me for the future and are not looking for or expecting instant results and that's exactly what I need. The kind of investment in me as a rider and the kind of support system that they're offering me is necessary for my future career and so joining them felt like the right thing to do. Also, being part of a women’s team with so many talented riders will surely be a great experience for me and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from them. Of course, I make my choices with the future in mind, but I believe it's important for me to be present right now and focus on what needs to be done right now. I just want to race as much as possible, learn as much as possible and be an asset to the team."

The hard working young talent already has a solid history on both the track, in cyclo cross and on the mountain bike, but her main focus is now solely on the road. As both track and cyclo cross are jumping out of the shadows and being praised for the effects they have when switching to road cycling, Lucy also sees the advantages of not cutting herself completely off from one or the other. She's saying that both disciplines are providing her with what she needs in order to keep developing her skills on the bike.

"For me it was the results from the past two years that kind of pushed me all out on the road. I've always loved riding on the road. I do like the track, but it's more one of those things that I like when I'm actually there doing it. It's not something I'm eager to do. But I do enjoy everything. You can learn a lot from every discipline that you can put to use in your main discipline. The track gives me the speed and sprint I need on the road and the cross gives me the skills I need in the bunch, so they all really work together, so I'll probably just keep on doing what I'm doing."

The Change

Putting her studies aside and signing with a professional team you'd think a lot has changed for this young girl, but she herself feels the important things still stays the same. Staying true to who you are, not being swept off your feet and to use whatever glory might come your way for good purposes are important to her, she tells us.

"It's weird because people have been asking how it feels to be a professional cyclist now, but it's still the same to me. I'm still me and nothing's really changed. I'm just lucky being able to do something I love. I'm really fortunate being able to do it as a job right now, although I don't like calling it a job, because that's not how I look at it. The moment I'd start looking at it as a job, then something very essential would disappear. It's my passion, not my job."

Despite all her success , Lucy is keen on keeping both feet on the ground and being herself and it's important for her to point out that she's not interested in being swagger. She'd rather be someone who takes advantage of her success in a way that can inspire and motivate kids to develop a love for the sport that she, herself, is madly in love with. Lucy's already been working a lot with schools and children in Great Britain, trying to spark a bit of an interest in those who haven't even thought about it yet, while trying to keep the fire burning in those who are already thinking about it. However, being asked if anything's changed since claiming her world titles and becoming a public figure, she reckons some things have indeed changed.

"Some things have changed a little bit. I don't know how to say it without sounding cocky, but personally I don't think I've changed. I'm still this friendly person who will always let you take a picture and sign a jersey, but sometimes I  feel people around me now put me on a pedestal, which I don't really like. I've just worked really hard to get to where I'm at today and they can do the same if they want something. It's nice, though, to be someone the smaller kids can look up to and be an inspiration to them, having them asking me questions and inspiring them to do something that I myself love doing." 

British cycling is well recognised for developing and supporting promising riders all the way and Lucy's been part of it since she was only 13. These days it's not a secret that being a female cyclist in Great Britain can turn out to be quite a life changing experience and she's not shy to shine a light on the work being done to secure the future of one of the world's toughest sports.

"It can definitely alter your life, it certainly has for me! I think cycling in GB was seen as just a guys' sport, but having the girls on the track like Laura (Trott) and Dani (King) who are quite glamorous girls, shows the smaller girls that they can be sort of girly and glittery on the bike. It's not all just sweat and dirt. Also, I'm not going to lie, but British cycling has the best setup I've ever been involved in and ever heard about. They've definitely helped me grow as a cyclist. There are talent teams for all ranges and it gives you the chance to grow and keep stepping up and gain experience while being supported along the way. I definitely believe that the rest of the cycling world can learn a lot from Great Britain on how to put up a well functioning support system for the riders."

The Hot Topics

Not only is Lucy a fresh succesful face promoting women's cycling, she's also a very opinionated one of the kind and has a strong point of view regarding the subject.

"Women's cycling is obviously getting a lot better in almost every aspect, but there's still a lot to be done. What's great now is that there are a lot of riders with different abilities and personalities and I think that makes it a lot better and easier for every female cyclist out there. There are some strong voices speaking up, making themselves heard, not being afraid to speak their mind. This is something that needs to be done. We are the ones living the lives of women cyclists so we know what it's like to be us and therefore everyone involved needs to listen to what's being said. Right now it's all about speaking up and making ourselves heard and that's what's happening. Great personalities, like (Lizzie) Armitstead e.g., are really contributing for a change to be made."

Lucy also praises Bradley Wiggins' involvement in and support for women's cycling and says she believes that he took a step that is one of the most important and crucial ones to be made.

"More guys need to get involved. We need for them to see what we're doing and realize that we can put on a show as well. Women's cycling isn't boring. We are just as good as the men are. For obvious reasons we're not as fast, but we can still put on a good show. It's important for everyone to know that we want this just as much as they do. The fire burning inside us is just as powerful and all-consuming as the fire burning inside the male riders."

As every other female cyclist, Lucy too, is hoping for better coverage of women's cycling and for more races to be held on the same days as the men’s.

"Racing on the same day as the men would be great, people wouldn't help but noticing us and hopefully it would spark an interest and curiosity in them. As far as TV coverage goes, the cameras are there for the men's races anyways, so why not just film us for a little while? It doesn't have to be much, start with 10 minutes. 10 minutes is better than nothing. Surely, it can't be that hard, can it? Just give us some time on the news and give us more space in the magazines. I'm convinced people would watch and read it. I honestly can't see why it should be so hard to start there."

Having said all of that, she feels it's still important to look at the bright side and realize that some things have changed already and some things are in the making.

"More and more women's teams are showing up next to the men's teams and that's an amazing development and actually shows that people are starting to realize that we are worth the effort. The men's teams are extremely professional and for us to be able to be a part of that is a big change and truly offers us a completely different opportunity to reach our highest potential. Our women's team at Argos Shimano is basically doing everything the men are. We go on the same training camps and we get to see exactly what it's like to be a professional male cyclist and actually be a part of it. To feel like we matter just as much is priceless. I'm convinced we're moving in the right direction."

Speaking of prizes, the UCI made an announcement in December 2012 that starting from January 2013 the women's prize money for the world championships will now be equivalent to that of the men. This is certainly one step in the right direction, but has also opened up another issue for discussion amongst some riders in the male peloton; does the same amount of money equal the same amount of miles?

"In one way I think it's a fair question and I'm not completely against the idea itself, but we're never going to be as strong as the men and that's a fact, so we would be on our bikes for much longer so should we than have more money than the men? I think we need to work with what we have, stay reasonable and just take one step at a time," she says with a smile.

Lucy briefly comments on another hot topic at the moment, but makes it clear it's something she'd rather not waste her time and energy on. With the current case of Lance Armstrong and on going investigations trying to clear up the past, she believes that everyone working on it should continue to do so if they still need answers, but that the rest of the generation should be allowed to move on and concentrate on being right here, right now in order to move forward.

"I've never spoken about doping to anyone. I've never had the need to and I've never felt that I had to defend myself or the sport because no one's really approached me on the matter."

However, talking about it now she does step up for the sport she loves and for everyone in it.

"It really is a clean sport. People aren't realizing that now because they're too busy concentrating on the past, putting the weight of old foolish decisions on our shoulders, when they really should be focusing on what's here today. Focus on us, who are riding clean and put your trust in us. We have new talents coming in who are talented enough and have an amazing drive without having to use drugs. Support these talents instead of spending time on the past because these are the ones who need it.”

After spending a few minutes on the subject, Lucy decides to sum it up, making it clear she’s ready to do what she thinks everyone should do; move on.

“Simply stated, I don't like it. It's disgusting and you're just cheating yourself and also robbing other people of podiums, results and glory that might actually be rightfully theirs and definitely not yours. For me it's just a big no."

And with that big ringing "no", we decide to leave that topic behind and look to the future ...

"Making it a third European title will be hard, but I'm definitely aiming for it."

To be continued ...

The Lucy Garner Series
>> The Past
>> The Present
>> The Future
 

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