Palmer: Training adjustments working

Dahlia Palmer, Jamaica's Caribbean cycling champion, says changes she made to her training have begun to work. That's her assessment after last week's London leg of the Cycling World Cup. Palmer says adjustments to her route helped her racing and have her looking forward with optimism.

Palmer made training adjustments in the gym and on the track after the Canada leg of the World Cup in October and in London, she could feel the difference.

"I was a bit more alert and involved in the racing more," she remarked after her return from London to her base in Trinidad and Tobago.

In London, the 26 year-old was fourth in a heat of the keirin race won by Hyejin Lee of South Korea and later was again fourth in the repechage round, where Britain's Katy Marchant crossed the line first. Both Lee and Marchant reached the final where the champion was Australian Stephanie Morton, a triple gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

"Not saying that we are settling for what the result was in London," she reasoned.

Palmer, a netballer and sprinter during her days at Green Island High School, will be back on the circuit next month.

"We have one more leg of the World Cup, actually there are two legs of the World Cup but I'll be only doing one and that will be the last leg which will be in Hong Kong in January next year just before World Championships," she reported.

The Hong Kong leg of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cup is critical as she seeks to qualify for big meets.

"The Hong Kong leg is the last one and also a critical one. I have to be in Hong Kong to qualify and also better my performance," she said.

Palmer's World Cup venture has been made possible by a partnership between the Jamaica Olympic Association and the Jamaica Cycling Federation.

Her presence in the World Cup is one of the highlights of a fine 2018 campaign.

"2018 is my best season so far based on my accomplishments and the things that I've achieved in cycling", she agreed, "so I should say that cycling, 2018, is a great year for me."

She didn't hesitate to pinpoint her speedy work at the Caribbean Championships as the moment that stands out for her.

"I actually proved myself to Jamaica that I am capable of reaching the Olympics as a female cyclist", she exuded joyously.

Palmer took the 250-metre sprint in the new Jamaican national record time of 11.14 seconds, and also won the B Final in the Keirin pace event. In addition, she was third n the 500-metre sprint match race.