Frankie Hall’s life changed in an instant last October. The new DAS-Handsling signing was out training on her local Leicestershire roads with her boyfriend George Peasgood, a Paralympic medallist in paratriathlon when he suffered a freak accident and was blue-lighted to hospital. Diagnosed with a brain injury, he later slipped into a deep coma.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ride. I didn’t know if I’d be able to. I wasn’t sure how my head was going to react in races
Nine months on Peasgood is making good progress, although remembers nothing of that day. For Hall, just competing again this season would have been a victory, but she has come back stronger than ever, producing eye-catching performances in the colours of Loughborough Lightning at the National Road Championships in June and commanding victories in the BUCS and Midlands Road Race Championships. Her hard work and results were then rewarded this week when she moved to UCI Continental team DAS-Handsling in a mid-season transfer.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ride. I didn’t know if I’d be able to. I wasn’t sure how my head was going to react in races,” admits Hall, who spent two months away from the bike following Peasgood’s accident. The National Track Championships in Newport at the end of January would mark her return to racing, with Hall proving she still had the talent with a bronze medal in the individual pursuit.
She chose the track because “it’s a much more controlled environment.” Bravely entering the more dangerous bunch scratch and points races, it was a nerve-shredding experience.
“Coming into the sprint in the scratch qualifier I had a lot of flashbacks, I really struggled and couldn’t even contest it,” she recalls.
“I decided I had to go all in for the points race. If I’m going to do this, I have to commit to doing it. You know the risk you are taking when you’re racing, by lining up you’re accepting them and you have to go with it.”
Hall fought through her fears and finished the points race final in 5th place, winning her qualification heat. It was the beginning of a new chapter for the Loughborough rider, who despite regaining confidence racing in a bunch again, will always have that day in her mind. “It’s probably one of the main drivers for why I’m at the front of a race, especially early on. Being his main carer, if something happens to me, it’s a big loss for him as well.”
I know I’ve got a lot of progress to make but I’ve developed physically and now I need to learn to race to match that level
Hall has taken her track attitude and applied it to the sport overall. When we spoke with her two weeks ago, before her move to DAS-Handsling had been confirmed, she made no secret of her desire to move up the ranks into a UCI team next year. “I’m quite happy to admit that’s what I want to do. I know I’ve got a lot of progress to make but I’ve developed physically and now I need to learn to race to match that level. 100% I’m committed to riding my bike.”
This season has been about improvement and confidence building for the 28-year-old, her main aims being the National Road Championships and the National Circuit Series, currently running until the end of July. Her season to that point was focused around building training and improving racing confidence, featuring a number of impressive performances at National B level including the aforementioned two championship wins and a number of podiums and top ten performances.
“I went into them [the BUCS and Midlands Championships] off really heavy training weeks and used them purely as training races, the last hard session of the week after a hard ride with some efforts on the Saturday, building towards the Nationals,” explained Hall when asked if she’d prepared especially for her convincing wins.
As part of the Loughborough Lightning Elite Development Team, Hall is able to use the facilities at the University she studied and works at to supplement her training, working with coaches to devise her own schedules. It’s a regime that is clearly paying off for the Loughborough native given the strength of her performances in the first half of the season.
Hall was seen at the front of the National Road Championships last month, producing eye-catching performances in the circuit race and road race, as well as a solid ride in the time trial. The time trial was an event Hall has been in the top ten of before and has a lot of experience in racing and winning numerous CTT events. A 19th place finish may have looked disappointing on paper, but it is one Hall was satisfied with, having put the discipline on the back burner to focus on road and criterium racing. “It was a flat, windy course that suited the bigger riders. I didn’t really have any expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised with squeezing into the top 20” she explained.
I’m quite an aggressive rider and the finish didn’t suit me. I definitely made a lot of mistakes with how I rode it and I learnt a lot from that coming into the upcoming series
Hall was consistently at the head of affairs for Friday’s seaside circuit race in Redcar, almost splitting the race wide open with long, powerful turns driving the bunch. The fact riders had no National A criteriums to prepare for the championships left Hall unsure of her form and tactics, something she hopes to have ironed out for the remaining National Circuit Series rounds this month. Hall was a star of last year’s Tour Series with 2nd in Sunderland and top tens in Stranraer and Manchester and started the National Circuit Series strongly this year with an 8th place at Ilkley.
“I just didn’t know where I was going to be, whether I could be at the front or how I was going to feel,” admitted Hall discussing her tactics.
“I’m quite an aggressive rider and the finish didn’t suit me. I definitely made a lot of mistakes with how I rode it and I learnt a lot from that coming into the upcoming series.”
Hall avoided the major crash which saw the race neutralised, a major reason for her choosing to race front the front, as well as wanting to test her legs for the main objective, Sunday’s road race. “I was quite nervous about crashing and obviously it’s safer at the front. I wanted to race aggressively and knew it would benefit my legs on Sunday having a hard day out, like an activation effort.”
Sunday’s road race took place on a tough course, taking in the savage Saltburn Bank climb with each lap offering little in the way of flat roads. Hall finished the race in 24th after racing at the head of proceedings early in the race.
“I knew it was going to be a race of attrition and I knew a lot of people were going to get dropped early on. I’ve been climbing well and I backed myself to stay near the front. I knew if I could get over the climbs I could use the technical descents and corners, a strength of mine, to save energy.
“I also wanted to give myself a bit of ‘slippage room’ on the climbs, but found I was able to stay at the front without spending too much energy. I got caught napping once and chased back on, but a second attack went and I didn’t have the legs to go with it “
Without having the racing to learn I won’t improve
The attack Hall references was ultimately the start of the winning move, leaving her to sprint for the minor places as the race broke up further. “I just went all in and blew up!” she laughs, reliving her final move up Saltburn Bank. “I dropped my chain over the top and lost a few more wheels, so I missed out on the top 20, which is frustrating, but it was a gamble which I had to make.
“I know I made a lot of mistakes during the [National Championships] week, but that’s how I learn. Without having the racing to learn I won’t improve. Simple things like making decisions in the moment”
If we could get the experience, a couple more races of that distance on that terrain in our domestic calendar, that would be a solution for it as opposed to making it easier
Hall was quick in her response to the question of the course being too hard. “People want a spectacle for the National Road Championships and you’re there to race, it’s always going to be hard. For me as a domestic rider I’ve never experienced racing that long – 33% longer than anything else we’ve done. That was a big issue for me, and I’m sure for other riders too, but that doesn’t mean it was too hard. If we could get the experience, a couple more races of that distance on that terrain in our domestic calendar, that would be a solution for it as opposed to making it easier. How else are we going to develop with racing internationally?”
Hall got a taste of international competition for the first time in April with a trip to Italy for two races with her Loughborough Lightning team, followed by the Trofee Maarten Wynants (UCI 1.1) race in Belgium at the start of May. Hall finished the three-stage Giro Mediterraneo Rosa in 36th place, racing against some of the biggest teams based in Italy such as the UAE Development Team, and while she failed to finish the UCI-ranked GP della Liberazione PINK, only 36 riders made it home in a brutal day out.
“The whole trip helped a lot with bunch skills, confidence, learning how different riders race. I would have been in a very different position for the National Championships without that trip.
“Even simple things we learnt about. In Italy, I suffered in the heat during a long hilly stage. I got heatstroke, dropped out the break and lost a lot of time. But from that I learnt what to do with my nutrition, water and ice and I used that experience [in the National Championships] so the heat wasn’t so much of a problem.”
Image: DAS-Handsling
The trip provided a style of racing Hall wants to experience more of, both in the UK and abroad. “I’d love to have the opportunity to do longer races and stage races. The way I ride, that would suit me a lot better.”
With her new move to DAS-Handsling, a team that has a broad international racing calendar, it might not be long before Hall finds herself in the think of challenging international stage race action again. For now though, Hall’s focus will be the National Circuit Series, which continues until the end of July.
Frankie Hall’s life changed in an instant last October. The new DAS-Handsling signing was out training on her local Leicestershire roads with her boyfriend George Peasgood, a Paralympic medallist in paratriathlon when he suffered a freak accident and was blue-lighted to hospital. Diagnosed with a brain injury, he later slipped into a deep coma.
Nine months on Peasgood is making good progress, although remembers nothing of that day. For Hall, just competing again this season would have been a victory, but she has come back stronger than ever, producing eye-catching performances in the colours of Loughborough Lightning at the National Road Championships in June and commanding victories in the BUCS and Midlands Road Race Championships. Her hard work and results were then rewarded this week when she moved to UCI Continental team DAS-Handsling in a mid-season transfer.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ride. I didn’t know if I’d be able to. I wasn’t sure how my head was going to react in races,” admits Hall, who spent two months away from the bike following Peasgood’s accident. The National Track Championships in Newport at the end of January would mark her return to racing, with Hall proving she still had the talent with a bronze medal in the individual pursuit.
She chose the track because “it’s a much more controlled environment.” Bravely entering the more dangerous bunch scratch and points races, it was a nerve-shredding experience.
“Coming into the sprint in the scratch qualifier I had a lot of flashbacks, I really struggled and couldn’t even contest it,” she recalls.
“I decided I had to go all in for the points race. If I’m going to do this, I have to commit to doing it. You know the risk you are taking when you’re racing, by lining up you’re accepting them and you have to go with it.”
Hall fought through her fears and finished the points race final in 5th place, winning her qualification heat. It was the beginning of a new chapter for the Loughborough rider, who despite regaining confidence racing in a bunch again, will always have that day in her mind. “It’s probably one of the main drivers for why I’m at the front of a race, especially early on. Being his main carer, if something happens to me, it’s a big loss for him as well.”
Hall has taken her track attitude and applied it to the sport overall. When we spoke with her two weeks ago, before her move to DAS-Handsling had been confirmed, she made no secret of her desire to move up the ranks into a UCI team next year. “I’m quite happy to admit that’s what I want to do. I know I’ve got a lot of progress to make but I’ve developed physically and now I need to learn to race to match that level. 100% I’m committed to riding my bike.”
This season has been about improvement and confidence building for the 28-year-old, her main aims being the National Road Championships and the National Circuit Series, currently running until the end of July. Her season to that point was focused around building training and improving racing confidence, featuring a number of impressive performances at National B level including the aforementioned two championship wins and a number of podiums and top ten performances.
“I went into them [the BUCS and Midlands Championships] off really heavy training weeks and used them purely as training races, the last hard session of the week after a hard ride with some efforts on the Saturday, building towards the Nationals,” explained Hall when asked if she’d prepared especially for her convincing wins.
As part of the Loughborough Lightning Elite Development Team, Hall is able to use the facilities at the University she studied and works at to supplement her training, working with coaches to devise her own schedules. It’s a regime that is clearly paying off for the Loughborough native given the strength of her performances in the first half of the season.
Hall was seen at the front of the National Road Championships last month, producing eye-catching performances in the circuit race and road race, as well as a solid ride in the time trial. The time trial was an event Hall has been in the top ten of before and has a lot of experience in racing and winning numerous CTT events. A 19th place finish may have looked disappointing on paper, but it is one Hall was satisfied with, having put the discipline on the back burner to focus on road and criterium racing. “It was a flat, windy course that suited the bigger riders. I didn’t really have any expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised with squeezing into the top 20” she explained.
Hall was consistently at the head of affairs for Friday’s seaside circuit race in Redcar, almost splitting the race wide open with long, powerful turns driving the bunch. The fact riders had no National A criteriums to prepare for the championships left Hall unsure of her form and tactics, something she hopes to have ironed out for the remaining National Circuit Series rounds this month. Hall was a star of last year’s Tour Series with 2nd in Sunderland and top tens in Stranraer and Manchester and started the National Circuit Series strongly this year with an 8th place at Ilkley.
“I just didn’t know where I was going to be, whether I could be at the front or how I was going to feel,” admitted Hall discussing her tactics.
“I’m quite an aggressive rider and the finish didn’t suit me. I definitely made a lot of mistakes with how I rode it and I learnt a lot from that coming into the upcoming series.”
Hall avoided the major crash which saw the race neutralised, a major reason for her choosing to race front the front, as well as wanting to test her legs for the main objective, Sunday’s road race. “I was quite nervous about crashing and obviously it’s safer at the front. I wanted to race aggressively and knew it would benefit my legs on Sunday having a hard day out, like an activation effort.”
Sunday’s road race took place on a tough course, taking in the savage Saltburn Bank climb with each lap offering little in the way of flat roads. Hall finished the race in 24th after racing at the head of proceedings early in the race.
“I knew it was going to be a race of attrition and I knew a lot of people were going to get dropped early on. I’ve been climbing well and I backed myself to stay near the front. I knew if I could get over the climbs I could use the technical descents and corners, a strength of mine, to save energy.
“I also wanted to give myself a bit of ‘slippage room’ on the climbs, but found I was able to stay at the front without spending too much energy. I got caught napping once and chased back on, but a second attack went and I didn’t have the legs to go with it “
The attack Hall references was ultimately the start of the winning move, leaving her to sprint for the minor places as the race broke up further. “I just went all in and blew up!” she laughs, reliving her final move up Saltburn Bank. “I dropped my chain over the top and lost a few more wheels, so I missed out on the top 20, which is frustrating, but it was a gamble which I had to make.
“I know I made a lot of mistakes during the [National Championships] week, but that’s how I learn. Without having the racing to learn I won’t improve. Simple things like making decisions in the moment”
Hall was quick in her response to the question of the course being too hard. “People want a spectacle for the National Road Championships and you’re there to race, it’s always going to be hard. For me as a domestic rider I’ve never experienced racing that long – 33% longer than anything else we’ve done. That was a big issue for me, and I’m sure for other riders too, but that doesn’t mean it was too hard. If we could get the experience, a couple more races of that distance on that terrain in our domestic calendar, that would be a solution for it as opposed to making it easier. How else are we going to develop with racing internationally?”
Hall got a taste of international competition for the first time in April with a trip to Italy for two races with her Loughborough Lightning team, followed by the Trofee Maarten Wynants (UCI 1.1) race in Belgium at the start of May. Hall finished the three-stage Giro Mediterraneo Rosa in 36th place, racing against some of the biggest teams based in Italy such as the UAE Development Team, and while she failed to finish the UCI-ranked GP della Liberazione PINK, only 36 riders made it home in a brutal day out.
“The whole trip helped a lot with bunch skills, confidence, learning how different riders race. I would have been in a very different position for the National Championships without that trip.
“Even simple things we learnt about. In Italy, I suffered in the heat during a long hilly stage. I got heatstroke, dropped out the break and lost a lot of time. But from that I learnt what to do with my nutrition, water and ice and I used that experience [in the National Championships] so the heat wasn’t so much of a problem.”
The trip provided a style of racing Hall wants to experience more of, both in the UK and abroad. “I’d love to have the opportunity to do longer races and stage races. The way I ride, that would suit me a lot better.”
With her new move to DAS-Handsling, a team that has a broad international racing calendar, it might not be long before Hall finds herself in the think of challenging international stage race action again. For now though, Hall’s focus will be the National Circuit Series, which continues until the end of July.
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