Zoe Langham
Zoe joined the team mid way through the 2022 season and has established herself, initially at least, as a puncheur, preferring short, sharp climbs.
Coming to competitive cycling relatively late, Zoe doesn’t feel she’s ridden long enough to be categorised as a particular style of rider just yet, even if the rest of the team recognise her climber’s strengths!
Initially a runner, Zoe switched to cycling after injury, entering hill climbs with her local club Bestow whilst at university in Nottingham. She rode for Moonglu CC for a few months before joining us and she’s become a key part of the team since.
Zoe is a true indoor cycling expert too, claiming a silver medal in the E-Sports World Championships in 2023, going one better than her bronze in 2022.
Her home, indoor cycling set-up is a particular pride of Zoe’s and her fiancé Adam and is particularly important in allowing Zoe to train around a very busy working schedule as junior doctor.
Having not ridden competitively for long when joining the team, Zoe feels she’s had to work very hard on her bike handling skills and grow her experience riding in tight groups, something she credits her team mates with helping her develop.
Having focussed on E-Sport over the last two off seasons, Zoe has prioritised the road season in 2024, building her form into the season rather than trying to maintain her from from a very early peak. She hasn’t, therefore, decided whether the E-Sports World Championships in 2024, moved to October this year, will be a target, rather she’ll assess her form closer to the time.
Zoe sees her biggest challenge in competitive cycling as juggling the time commitments her career demands and has decided to take a sabbatical this year to focus on her training and racing. She’s conscious that a cyclist needs to give up so much to perform at a high level, always fearing becoming unwell and forgoing a social life.
She’s achieved a lot in a short space of time, 2nd at the E-Sports World’s and a stage victory and 2nd on GC at the Peaks 2 day race.
Whilst Zoe doesn’t have a lot of time relaxing away from work and the bike, she enjoys watching road cycling on TV, Paris Roubaix would be her favourite race to watch.
She would prefer to race a Grand Tour though rather than a Classic and her favourite domestic race would be the Ryedale GP.
Otherwise looking after her pet cats Lotte (Kopecky) and Alby (Contador) and planning her wedding take the rest of Zoe’s time.
A serious illness when Zoe was just two years old, which could have proved fatal had a new treatment not been developed in time, serves as a reminder to her to make the most of the opportunities life presents, to give her all for the team and her personal achievements but not take unreasonable risks.