Simpson’s impressive time (factored for her disability level) of 1:18.555 secured her the top podium spot above Elsie Hughes and Katie Toft who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.
She did not make the best of race starts, but dug deep and powered on. “I knew it was about mental strengh as much as physical”, she said, “and despite the poor start I still ended up doing one of my fastest opening laps, which goes to show that concentrating on the next pedal stroke to come rather than brooding on earlier errors can pay dividends”.
Simpson (29), who rides regularly with the Royal Leamington Spa Cycling Club, now has to wait for British Cycling to do the mandatory checks before her finish time can be confirmed as a new World record. She has come a long way in a short time, only two years ago having to relearn how to ride a bike after a stroke in 2015 left her initially paralyzed on her left side.
Simpson, who was over the moon on becoming the National Champion, is next in action at the Para-Cycling Road World Cup events in May, being held in Belgium and Italy.