As maligned because the British home scene has been lately, it nonetheless stays a expertise pipeline to the highest of biking. The newest proof of that is Robyn Clay, who has gone from successful the Nationwide Street and Circuit Collection, and the Rapha Tremendous-League too, to the WorldTour.
The 22-year-old, when contacted by Biking Weekly to rearrange an end-of-season interview, requested if we must always wait till after her new staff had been introduced, and it was a superb job we did.
It seems, using for the Dutch staff didn’t simply full her ambition of using on the Girls’s WorldTour, however a long-term objective of hers. To some, a staff is a staff, however to Clay its greater than that.
“The dream was to get on a professional staff,” she informed CW. “It was truly to get onto Picnic. It has been just about since I began racing, so I suppose I would like to think about a brand new dream now.”
“I’ve simply at all times seen them as a really gritty staff,” she defined, when requested why Picnic. “They simply get caught in, you realize they get the job carried out. I actually like that, not caring an excessive amount of about… I do not know the way you look, or something like that. Simply actually getting caught in racing.”
(Picture credit score: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com)
There are not any set targets for the time being, contemplating will probably be fairly the step up for Clay, however every thing is labelled as a studying alternative. She has solely taken half in two WorldTour races, the Amstel Gold Race and the Tour of Britain Girls, however that can quickly change.
“I’m simply going to try to soak all of it up,” she stated. “I’m going to Holland on the finish of the month to satisfy the workers, get my bike, have a motorbike match and all that type of stuff. That’s thrilling. I’m positive I’ll study some new issues there, immediately. Then I’ve received a staff camp in December. However even being on the Tour de l’Avenir, I discovered rather a lot. Three of the GB women that have been there with us have been WorldTour [Flora Perkins, Millie Couzens, and Imogen Wolff], so I discovered rather a lot from them. Diet plans, the little routines they’ve earlier than and after a race, little issues like that. I really feel like there’s rather a lot to take in.”
Her plans for subsequent 12 months are fairly succinct, no ‘I need to experience the Tour de France Femmes’.
“It is truthfully simply that I simply need to study,” Clay stated. “I need to get stronger. I simply need, yeah, I need to turn out to be a greater bicycle owner and do precisely as I am informed and do a superb job.”
At Picnic PostNL, she’s going to be a part of a British group – additionally on the Dutch staff are CW columnist and former nationwide champion Pfeiffer Georgi, Becky Storrie, and Josie Nelson, though Abi Smith has now left the squad.
“I do know Becky, and I do know Josie a bit, however I don’t actually know Pfeiffer. I do know her dad, however not her but,” Clay stated.
She’ll have quite a lot of time to get to know the trio, as Picnic seeks to rebuild after the exits of Charlotte Kool, Franzi Koch, and Marta Cavalli. For a staff that gained 4 occasions in 2025, there could be some expectation on Clay to hit the bottom operating, however the 22-year-old has coped with each problem thrown her means thus far.
She leaves DAS-Hutchinson as their greatest rider. “I will miss it,” she stated. “It was simply good vibes, it was enjoyable. Everybody needed the identical factor. I will undoubtedly miss it, however I am additionally excited for what’s to return.”
As for the home scene, will probably be poorer for the lack of Clay, nevertheless it’s doing what it’s imagined to, offering a problem, and getting riders to maneuver up. The Nationwide Collection will even miss her.
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