Interview with Jenny Davis, Edinburgh Racing Club Track Cyclist

active-x – How and when did you first stumble on track cycling?

Jenny – I had a slightly unusual introduction to track cycling. I was actually a judo player for about 18 years and fought for Scotland and GB as a junior and senior player. After all those years of hard graft I decided to take a break from the sport but kept training in the gym to stay fit and healthy.

About a year had passed and I was chatting to one of the strength coaches I used to work with. They suggested that I give track cycling a try out because the gym results I had achieved were on a similar level to track sprint athletes (female equivalent of Chris Hoy). I wasn’t really that interested so they lost the rag a little. From memory their argument went something along the lines of “this is a complete waste of talent you’ve got Jenny, a complete waste!” I wasn’t that happy with the accusation of “wasted talent” so I agreed to try out track cycling and found that I did have a bit of a flair for it.

activex – What inspires and motivates you and what do you love most about the sport?


Jenny – The thought of being the best in the world and trying to achieve each goal to get there inspires and motivates me a lot. It seems far off at the moment as I have tons of smaller goals that are all aimed at getting there over the next two and a half years. I make sure I have plenty of people that know what I’m supposed to do, so when I don’t feel like I can be bothered to train I know I am accountable to them as well as myself.

activex – Do you feel that the success of Chris Hoy has greatly benefited the sport in Scotland?

Jenny – Chris Hoy and the rest of the GB team have definitely helped raise awareness of the sport with more television and newspaper coverage and support throughout the UK. I’m sure that their success will help inspire the next generation of cyclists coming through. I know it has inspired some of the other members of the GB team at the moment and the Olympic Academy athletes that are aiming for success in the future. Chris Hoy has raised the bar for sprinters and the GB team as a whole which means we are a lot more competitive than we were a few years ago.

active-x – Injury is obviously a concern for any keen athlete, how do you cope with this and how does activex clinics assist you?

Jenny – Just the thought of an injury for any athlete tends to fill us with dread. Unfortunately it is part of sport and life in general. I’m sure all your patients will relate to injury and wanting to get back to a “pain free” normality regardless of who they are, and like anyone else you don’t tend to think about it until it actually happens, then you are left trying to find a solution and FAST!

If you’re lucky enough to have a team of people to support you that are medically trained and true professionals it can make a huge difference in the level of recovery and the time it takes to get back to normality. active-x are my support team (and also that of my club members) and I know if I was ever injured they would be there offering an exceptionally high level of service with the aim of not only getting me back to training, but in a position of performing at a very high level.

I’m fortunate enough to only have had the need to use active-x for two sessions – both times Gavin and his staff worked their magic and I was back training within two days. I know my team mates have used activex for back issues and neck problems (amongst other things) and the advice and treatment given has really shaped the way their season went. If it wasn’t for activex half of the team would be off the bikes injured or training through pain, which never promotes an environment for top performance.

active-x What advice would you give to people about how best to juggle an exercise regime with a busy schedule and how to cope with injury?

Jenny – Try and work it into you day – for example I cycle to and from work – it is only about 20mins each way but by the end of the week that totals 3.5 hours of exercise (and I get home quicker than if I was getting the bus).

Find an exercise or physical activity you enjoy then it doesn’t feel like such an effort. You don’t need to be in the gym or spend a fortune to get fit – there are a number of people in my office that train in lots of different ways – there are a few cyclists, a couple of runners, a girl plays badminton doubles in a league, another does karate twice a week and others play football. All these activities are pretty cheap and you only need a do a couple of hours a week (and it will be more fun than sitting in front of the television).

If I find it hard to get motivated the reasons are usually either because I’m not clear what I want (so I need to get much more specific about what I want to achieve) or I don’t know how to achieve it (in which case I find someone that does and do the same).

Lastly, I always try and make sure the thing I want to achieve gives me a physical reaction when I think about achieving it – like a feeling of pride or excitement – when I think about winning a medal at the Olympics I can feel it physically inside, so when I’m struggling that is what I use to keep going. If you aren’t excited by your goals then you have nothing to lean on when times do get tough.

This is part of an interview with Jenny Davis, Edinburgh Racing Track Cyclist that we conducted back in May 2010. Click the link to read the full interview

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