“Prepared to hurt”: European teams come knocking for Hobart’s world cycling champ

Felicity Wilson-Haffenden’s testing numbers blew TIS officials away a few years ago, but it’s her mental strength which has led to European teams coming knocking for the world champion.

Felicity Wilson-Haffenden 18 of Hobart who recently won gold in the time trial along with bronze in the team pursuit and individual pursuit a the world junior cycling championships. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

When Felicity Wilson-Haffenden walked into the TIS for cycling testing three years ago, officials were blown away by the numbers.

But one metric that can’t be measured is ticker, which the 18-year-old used to overcome a “spectacular” crash in the road race to win the junior women’s time trial at August’s world championships in Scotland.

It’s a performance which propelled strong interest from European teams, with the Hobart teen hiring a manager to deal with the overtures.

“I’ve been in contact with a few of the European teams, hopefully we’ll have some news later this year on some possible opportunities next year,” Wilson-Haffenden said.

“It (interest) is super exciting. The first time it happened I had butterflies in my stomach, it seems crazy to me.

“The possibility of cycling for a living, I don’t think I’d have ever imagined possibly doing cycling as a job.”

It’s a rapid ascent for the former hockey player who admits she “didn’t even know what a time trial was” when she first set foot in the TIS.

“I don’t think the numbers (at initial TIS testing) really meant anything to me, but they seemed happy and were somewhat surprised with them, I was just a blase girl having a crack,” she said.

Asked where she gets her mental strength from, Wilson-Haffenden replied: I almost dislike losing more than I like winning, in a way.

“Also going to worlds you’ve paid an absolute fortune to be there. I got some donations to get me there, so you want to give it everything.

Felicity Wilson-Haffenden with her junior world championships time trial world medal, as well as two bronze medals won at the junior track championships.

“Cycling is probably 90 per cent mental, it’s such a tough sport. Even the climb at the end of the time trial, I went up there faster not because I have more power than any of the top girls, it’s just I was prepared to hurt a bit more.

“I already had it in my mind pain was going to be there.”

Wilson-Haffenden admitted she was fortunate to compete in the world championships time trial at all after her road race crash.

“I was feeling really good in the road race, I felt very in control of the race and wasn’t too buggered or anything. It was human error, a bit of overexcitement I think,” she said.

“I was leading the bunch coming down the fastest part of the course and I just didn’t brake, went way to quick into a corner and felt the affects.

“It would definitely be the most spectacular (crash I’ve had), in terms of injuries not the worst but the poorest timing.

“I was definitely lucky, I would have been going at least 60k/hr. I remember rolling across the ground and seeing the barrier getting close and thought ‘this could be bad’ .

“You are meant to tuck and roll and I managed to do that quite well, I went somersaulting across the ground before I hit the barrier.”

Far from the ideal preparation, but Wilson-Haffenden said nothing would stop her giving her best in the time trial, her pet event.

Time trial junior world champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden at home in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Your body never feels good after a crash and in a time trial that’s when you want to feel good,” she said.

“But in a way it’s you have nothing to lose any more, which makes it somewhat easier.

“Nothing major (injuries), I was just very bruised and my elbows and arms didn’t have much skin, it wasn’t the most comfortable position-wise to get into the TT bars.

“There’s always pressure to perform when you’ve performed well at home. The good thing for me about going to international competition is no one knows who I am that much.

“It’s nice to prove it to yourself more than anything. It’s nice to go there and realise you can do it.”

Wilson-Haffenden will next race in the Tour of Tasmania across the north and north-west from November 8-12.