Thea Smith

Fun road bike session with @hhvwomen last night! It’s been so long since I coached people on road bikes IRL I almost forgot to include gears in the session plan 😅 but it was a lovely chance to get creative with all the cones again and we just about had enough light by the end. We practiced some cornering and sprinting out of the saddle and did plenty of laps to keep warm. Looking forward to next week’s session - maybe we should do more if it stays this popular?! Thanks @ldn_academy for the support 🧡 Posting because I never post anymore and probably should remind everyone I’m still here doing stuff x

Are you ultra curious? Join us this Thursday evening in the Herne Hill clubroom to chat all things ultra cycling.⁠ ⁠ We'll be joined by three riders who've done some of the most iconic races in the world and haven't given up their day job. We'll show a short film by Lizzie (and @ultra__women ) that share's some women's journey to the startline of last years Transcontinental race.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Link in bio to book your spot – £5/pay what you can⁠ ⁠ We'll also be joined by @petrichorprojects.co – a women-first adventure cycling brand. They're kindly offering 20% off for all attendees and you'll get that chance to chat with the founder Claire and learn more about their special products.

Wow, what a way to end the year. Festive 500 done in one go, on a 450m track. I’m still struggling to process this insane thing that we did. The first half went better than expected, the second half – worse. My knees (as expected tbh) left the chat halfway and my upper back has never been so painful! My hands are only just starting to work again. It was so cold. I couldn’t eat much for most of the night as my digestive system shut down. I had planned not to sleep at all but ended up having a 20min nap at 6am in the hopes my body would start functioning again - and thankfully it worked. My endless thanks to @bethsharkeyy @kffodor @sheona_b_a @soniaturcotte for their rotating soigneur service - there was never a moment when someone wasn’t awake and ready to drop their crochet or game of articulate and help get what I needed. Thanks Clare, Lucy and Iain for lending heated gloves - they were worth their weight in gold - and @amc.png for the aero bars which allowed my wrists to rest occasionally. Thanks everyone who brought extra snacks - even though I had enough food, obviously it was all the things I didn’t bring that I wanted (the cucumber was extra refreshing at 9am). Thanks especially to @linda.wijlaars and @pollyetiquette who paced me for the last couple of hours and made it possible to finish in just under 24h. And to see so many friendly faces trackside at various points - thanks anyone who turned up to cheer - I appreciated you even if I didn’t have the energy to look like it! Thanks to everyone whose photos and videos I nabbed for this post. I’m so glad to have raised so much money for @friendsofhernehill and @endometriosis.uk because this ride was NOT FUN for quite a big part of it, and thinking about the good it will do for others kept me going. Last but not least, a big congratulations and bloody well done to all the 2025 riders, we worked together so well and I’m chuffed to have spent this strange and intense time together. Looking forward to the reunion 🫶

Our winter warmers are back and we're kicking off on the 15th Jan with an in-depth discussion & workshop on preparing for the HHV track racing season from April-September. We’ll break down how to structure your training from New Year through to peak race form, with clear guidance on effective periodisation, balancing intensity, and building sustainable progression. You’ll also learn how to integrate strength and conditioning to support power, resilience, and injury prevention, plus how to organise your week so key sessions work with each other rather than against you. Whether you’re new to structured training or looking to refine your approach, this talk will give you the tools to plan a smarter, stronger, and more successful track season.⁠ ⁠ Whether you’re gearing up for summer riding or racing, the work you put in now will pay massive dividends when the warmer weather hits. This isn’t just about surviving the off-season, it’s about thriving in it and coming out the other side stronger, faster, and more prepared.⁠ ⁠ In this talk and Q&A session on Thursday 15th January, run by HHV Level 3 track coach Thea, and PT James Keen, we’ll talk through how to structure your training to make every session count. You’ll learn how to set powerful SMART goals that give you a clear target to work towards so you can create a winning training plan for the months ahead, and break each week into a perfect balance of hard work and recovery.⁠ ⁠ Don’t let winter slow you down—make it your secret weapon for success on the bike!⁠ ⁠ Doors open at 6.30pm with a 7pm start. Link in bio to book!

LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO! ✅ practiced on aero extensions ❌ cleaned my bike ✅ bought Percy pigs Please sponsor my Festive 500 via the link in my bio or head to hernehillvelodrome.com/festive500

Last long ride before the festive 500 done - I’ll stick to shorter ones for the next couple of weeks and preserve my knees for the big day. I’m awful at taking photos on rides but here you go, the only 3 I took on my journey from London to Bristol. There’s something different about riding to get somewhere far away - don’t think I would have been able to push myself for that long (and into the dark) at this time of year otherwise. This was my longest ride so far at just over 220kms, and still not even half the distance of what I’ll be doing on the 28/29th. Please donate to my fundraiser for @endometriosis.uk & @friendsofhernehill via my link in bio!

I haven’t had the most ideal run-up to the Festive 500. For me, cycling is so inextricably linked with my mental health and I was really struggling to get out on my bike due to some weird wrist pain and saddle issues, which wasn’t ideal for my Festive 500 prep nor dealing with a big spike in anxiety that put a premature end to my track season, and before I knew it I’d not ridden my bike in two months. In despair, I contacted the lovely @condorcycles who have been so supportive of @hhvwomen , and asked about bikefit options. I had a session with James, who was super welcoming and knowledgeable (and had great stories about bike racing). He was really sympathetic, and didn’t once make me feel like my rim-brake 10 speed bike wasn’t good enough, and took me through several position and saddle options to try and optimise for the ultra endurance Festive 500 challenge. Would highly recommend! Since then, I’ve been testing it out on some rides and am so glad that the mystery wrist pain has disappeared, that was really a ride killer. Now I’m more confident (though still apprehensive) of taking on this monster ride… link in my bio to donate.

The next Festive 500 rider is none other than our very own Cycling Development Manager, Thea Smith, AKA Thea The Slayer when she’s flying around the track on a derny. After having organised and run the F500 behind the scenes for the last three years, she’s finally giving it a go. Support @rodothea 's fundraising through the link in bio, and read on for more about her challenge: Who would you like to raise money for and why? Endometriosis UK. I've suffered from severe Endometriosis my whole adult life and it's only since having surgery a couple of years ago that I've experienced what it's like to live pain-free: what a revelation! It took many years of struggling to get a diagnosis and several more to actually get surgery. There is still no cure for Endometriosis and the cause is still unknown, so any funding that can be channelled into researching this disease will hopefully go some way to reducing the average 7-9 year diagnosis wait, and the lives of many. What are you most looking forward to about the ride? The satisfaction of completing something really, really hard. Also being able to eat as many potatoes and flapjacks as I can. What are you most nervous about? Sleep deprivation: I'm not so good without sleep! Also the potential of bad weather and being miserably wet and cold, and my knees playing up. What do you think will keep you motivated through the night? Sheer stubbornness at not giving up, wanting to prove something to myself, and raising money for these charities. And having a trackside support team to keep me fuelled and motivated when the going gets tough. What's your longest ride prior to this? What’s your cycling background? 211km London-Cambridge-London. I've only ever done over 100 miles three times, even though I feel like I'm built for endurance way more than track. I got into cycling through the track and @velociposse in late 2017 and never looked back - I can’t imagine my life without cycling in some form now. Why do you ride? The freedom, being able to spend time out of the city, being able to get around for free, feeling strong, engaging in some lighthearted competition, but most importantly - for my mental health.

A few snaps from the South London Grand Prix by @simon.lewis.photographer . Got to wear my @albion.cycling slayer jersey, zoom around on a derny (not pictured: podium with Miriam followed by near-hypothermia) and high five a bunch of people. Ideal.

Pretty happy with my first go in the A category at @hhvwomen @condorcycles Women’s League! The A cat always seemed like such an unattainable level for me, so feeling at home there has been an unexpected dream come true and testament to what following a training plan can do! I learnt a lot - mainly that I need to back myself a bit more (and tuck in my elbows) - but overall had fun in some super dynamic and varied racing. Even picked up some points! Looking forward to more of this in the months and years to come. Also thanks @a.c.o.r.n_ for the @velociposse themed aero socks! 📷 @kdp.sports

What is even happening right now! May is obviously my new favourite month. Was NOT expecting to win the HHV crit tonight, but it happened! I was super nervous going into it, as I haven’t raced a crit in a couple of years, and told myself all I had to do was ride my bike around and finish, but the plan changed a little at some point not long after 😅 Could tell in the first couple of laps that I was at a disadvantage on pure power so had to rely on my technical and tactical skills and it paid off ☺️ Love Art’s commentary on this video - ‘she knows what she’s doing, that’s why she’s a coach here’ 🤭 Big shout out to Freya for a great race and all the others too. Actually can’t wait for the next one now! Hopefully will get a few of my @velociposse pals to join in too. Video 1 from Art and the rest from super supportive teamie and race marshal @meganjoybarclay !

Mega race weekend! Saturday - @condorcycles women’s league. What a milestone night! I borrowed a fast bike for this one, and rode a huge gear, and wow it did actually make a difference, thanks @josef_murmann , you were right 🫣. If anyone cares about a race report, read on! I was so focused on hiding from the wind in the opening scratch that I forgot to pay attention to the lapboard. Realised I was in a terrible position coming into the home straight when the bell rang so started moving up on the outside - but then realised no one was looking so sprinted with 400m to go and got my first ever win! Couldn’t quite believe that no one was on my wheel, this has literally never happened before 🤯 The reverse win out was so much fun - it’s probably my favourite race format but I’ve never dared to stay in until the last lap to sprint for 1st position - but went into it with this all or nothing confidence I had from the first race. My tactics were on point - I stayed calm and the game plan worked for my second 🥇 Flying 200 - I went fast! 13.9. That time had a lot to do with the huge gear but also the leg strength I’ve been working hard to build to be able to push it. Chuffed with that. 😈Wasn’t really looking forward to the devil on the huge gear so the plan was always to get to the front and hold it for as long as I could. Started getting tricky with about 7 people left, had a couple of close calls but managed to box in or pip riders on the white. I ran out of gas - 3rd is still my best ever devil result so I’m happy with that. After several years of struggles I really, really wanted to do well in the B cat this year but I never imagined I would overshoot and get strong enough to even consider moving up already - but that appears to be where I’m at. I’m really glad I got to experience a win, but I’m also looking forward to a new challenge in the A category next month, let’s see what happens! Thank you to EVERYONE who cheered for me on Saturday, you have no idea how much it means 🥹 and of course to @velociposse and @hhvwomen community - you are all the best.