Becky James ready to get back in the saddle for Great Britain after health scare... and cyclist is dressed to thrill!
- A smear test confirmed Becky James had pre-cancerous cells in her cervix
- The shock came two months after her last appearance for Team GB
- She had surgery but then suffered a knee injury which led to another lay-off
- James will represent her country at the World Cup in New Zealand
There have been some dark days for Becky James over the past year and a half.
The double world champion cyclist last raced for Team GB at the Track World Championships in March 2014, two months before her world was turned on its head when a smear test confirmed she had developed pre-cancerous cells in her cervix. James would require surgery to prevent the situation advancing further.
The 24-year-old from Abergavenny, complete with a new outlook on life after her operation, got back on her bike only for a seemingly innocuous knee pain to get steadily worse — resulting in a long period of rehabilitation as well as keyhole surgery on an old shoulder injury.
James required surgery when a smear test confirmed she had developed pre-cancerous cells in her cervix
James leads the women's keirin at the UCI Track World Championships in 2013
James beat Kristina Vogel of Germany to claim the sprint title in Belarus
The long road to recovery has been fraught with setbacks, and James admits there have been times when she thought she might never make it back to the track.
'After not racing for such a long time, you're always wondering whether you're going to make it back,' James told Sportsmail. 'You obviously have hope, but there are always lingering doubts.
'I had so much support from the National Lottery, British Cycling and my family, and I don't think I would have done it without them and everyone else who has helped me get through it.'
This weekend marks the beginning of a new era for James. She will represent her country at the Track Cycling World Cup in New Zealand, the first time she will have done so since before her cancer scare.
She has had a clean bill of health since August but after spending so long on the sidelines, her return to the velodrome was far from straightforward.
'She said: 'I had so much expectation after what I've achieved in the past, and after not riding track for over a year it felt completely different when I came back. My first few training sessions were really nerve-racking. I was so nervous to get to the top of the banking and I was absolutely tanking it round the top of the track, afraid I was going to slide down! But now it doesn't faze me whatsoever.'
Since then, the races have come thick and fast and James's insatiable enthusiasm remains intact, despite having to start from the bottom. 'My first race back was in Derby in August,' she said. 'Then I had three weekends of racing on the trot.
James admits there have been times when she thought she might never make it back to the track
James will represent her country at the Track Cycling World Cup in New Zealand this coming weekend
'I went to Germany first then the weekend after I did three days of racing in Portugal. The following weekend I went to France, where I won bronze in the keirin but only the winners got to go up on the podium — which was highly unfair!
'It was hard to come back at such a low level having been a double world champion. And if I had put it off, I would have felt even more worried about coming back. But I just had to forget what I'd achieved and pretend I'm a new Becky.'
The new Becky will be the first to admit she's a fair way off where she wants to be. But with qualification points for Rio 2016 on the line this weekend, she is well and truly back in the saddle.
'I'm only competing in the sprint, but I cannot wait,' she beamed. 'I've really missed the camaraderie over the last year and a half and now I feel part of the team again — not just tagging along for the ride.'
James, here in Sportsmail's exclusive shoot, is targeting a place on the team for the Rio Olympics
James admits she is a long way off her best but is reveling in being back with her team-mates
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