Tokyo was a barely completely different story for Barker.
“It was such a bizarre Olympics because we had to be so cautious,” she says. “I think so much about the Olympics is about getting to mix with other athletes from different countries. And there was just absolutely none of that. Then I didn’t get picked for the final, which was really disappointing.”
Workforce GB received silver and, as Barker had already ridden within the heats, she was nonetheless a part of the crew and was awarded a medal. “But for some reason I wasn’t allowed to the podium, so I couldn’t go on and celebrate with my teammates, which… yeah,” she trails off. “I don’t know if organisers understand the impact on athletes of that rule, because you miss out on the moment that you’ve worked so hard for. It just seems unnecessarily cruel.”
It was later that tumultuous day that Barker found she was pregnant. She hadn’t deliberate to have a toddler – in reality, there had been a time when she had thought that conceiving a toddler may not even be attainable: Barker had been recognized with endometriosis in 2018 after years of debilitating ache that had not solely threatened to impression her racing, however had additionally meant that getting pregnant may be troublesome. Barker finally had surgical procedure, which made the ache manageable and meant that she may proceed racing competitively. However, she knew that conceiving a toddler might by no means be attainable.
“I was really prepared, I suppose, for that outcome,” she says. “So to then essentially have a baby by accident – when trying not to have a baby – it was like the biggest shock of my life. But I think it was probably the best thing that could have happened to us as a couple. We were really, really lucky to avoid that stress, which I know so many people that have endometriosis do have to go through.”
Barker was eager to show that being pregnant and early motherhood was no purpose to decelerate as an athlete. She labored with a coach who had labored with a lot of cyclists who had been by being pregnant. “We had a really detailed plan. I already knew halfway through my pregnancy what training I would be doing six weeks or eight weeks after the baby was born,” she recollects. “And that really, really helped with the planning process.”
She provides, “Of course, it was a guideline, because we didn’t know what kind of birth I was going to have, what the recovery would be like, if the baby would sleep, if I’d be able to sleep.”
Barker’s accomplice, Casper, has been precisely that: a accomplice. “He holds everything down solo when I’m away racing (and often when I’m home too) and there’s no chance I’d be able to do this without him,” Barker not too long ago wrote on Instagram.
I ask Elinor if individuals are shocked to see a male accomplice be so concerned. “I think that’s exactly it,” she says. “I think that’s why people are often amazed that the setup of being an athlete and being a mum can work. So many people assume that myself and other mums are still completely responsible for everything that happens within the home. But it’s just not true.”
The couple even have a cleaner. “I don’t think I’d be in a position if I was expected to also take care of everything at home,” she says. “Like, it would just be completely overwhelming.”
Barker’s previous couple of years definitely have been full. However the brand new mom hasn’t merely managed to get again into form for the approaching video games whereas juggling a toddler – she’s extra able to race than ever. “I would say this is probably the calmest I’ve felt going into the Olympics, actually,” she says. Not solely is she pivoting her focus to highway racing this 12 months, she’s additionally bought a brand new perspective due to her son. “I suppose family life all comes into that – I know that whether I win, whether I lose, I’m still gonna have to change the nappies next week, and try and convince my toddler that he needs to clean his teeth. I think that’s really, really nice.”
