SHARON LAWS is looking forward to making it back to England from her base in Girona, Spain to ride in both the Women’s Tour and Ride London in 2016 – but she has already had a busy pre-season schedule.

Laws, originally from Bourton-on-the-Water and the 2012 national road race champion, has decided to extend her competitive career by joining the new pro team Podium Ambition.

However, she rallied to the call from a former team, Bigla, and helped their number one Ashleigh Moolman to win the biggest race in South Africa, the Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge in Johannesburg which boasted 33,000 riders. It was certainly an eventful race as Moolman crashed when with a four-rider breakaway.

Laws and her Bigla teammates had to work extra hard to first get Ashleigh back to the peloton and then to set up the final crucial winning attack.

En route to South Africa Sharon managed to cycle in four countries in as many days.

Laws told the Standard: “The 947 race, which I have done in the past and won in 2012, was made a UCI 1.1 this year.

“Since Ashleigh is South African this is a high priority race for her, particularly as Momentum – the main sponsor of the event – is also her personal sponsor.

“For this reason, and for the number of UCI points up for grabs, Bigla decided to put a team in for the event. I found out three weeks before the event that I would be racing.

“I’d just started my break so had to do a mini hard training block to prepare.

"The UCI 1.1 status was a huge opportunity for South Africa to host international teams and it was amazing to line up with nations like Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Mauritius, Botswana and Swaziland, in addition to the more usual suspects – the Dutch, Germans, Swiss and Americans."

As for her four-countries-in-four-days stint, she explained: “I was fortunate to have a Skoda team car in Girona this year. This had to be returned to Switzerland before I flew to South Africa.

“Of course because of 947 I had to continue my training so I rode on Tuesday at home in Girona, in Annecy, France en-route on Wednesday, Switzerland on Thursday before I returned the car and packed up the bike to fly that evening, and finally on Friday in South Africa, when I arrived following the team presentation.

“It wasn’t the ideal preparation for a race; an 11-hour car journey, 17-hour overnight flight with four hours in Istanbul but I made it.”

Sharon will continue here pre-season training in South Africa. “There are some very good local road and mountain bike races in South Africa,” she said. “After a short break I’ve started training again but won’t do any racing until January.

"These races will be ‘training’ races to help me prepare for my 2016 road season.”

Laws is clearly enthused by the prospect of racing with the British-based Podium Ambition, although it did not prove possible to join their warm weather training camp.

“I will be in South Africa until the end of March for training before flying to the UK to meet my new team-mates and begin racing in April.

“I’m excited about next year. The team has sponsors secured and a great group of girls. They have just finished a training camp in Lanzarote. Unfortunately I wasn't able join them as it would have been too much travel.

“I have been really impressed with the communication I have had with the team and their flexibility in supporting my decision to spend the winter in South Africa.

“Unfortunately, 2015 was not a good season for me for many reasons and it’s a year I would like to forget. For 2016 I hope to support Podium Ambition as it steps up to the pro ranks and finish the year knowing I have done everything I can to make the year successful.

“I am sure with a supportive team behind me I can return to a competitive level and I am particularly looking forward to racing in the UK in the Women’s Tour and Ride London, both events are part of the new Women’s World Tour Series.

“The spectators and organization are incredible. They are 2016 calendar highlights.”