\n<\/p>\n
Seagrave came back to form last season, winning the World Cup round in Val di Sole, Italy, following a difficult few seasons after a serious concussion suffered in April 2022.<\/p>\n
“Last year was a really good season for me. I didn’t really expect anything but I had this just low-level confidence that I knew that I could perform at my best,” Seagrave told BBC Sport Wales.<\/p>\n
After clinching junior World Championship gold in 2013, she was tipped to dominate at the very top level, but one injury followed another, from broken bones and muscular tears to slipped discs in her neck, before concussion left her wondering whether she would ever race again.<\/p>\n
“When I had my head trauma, it took a lot of mental work to come back to racing and I think that kind of changed my perspective on life and on racing,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I really had to build a self-confidence and that just kept growing every day and the more I rode the more I gained confidence, I just shut all distractions out and I learnt a lot mentally.”<\/p>\n
Seagrave also turned to sports psychologists and psychiatrists as “she did a lot of work to be able to feel confident”.<\/p>\n
She has recently been busy testing a new bike at her mid-Wales base during the off-season after parting ways with her five-year association with bike brand Canyon and switching to Orbea.<\/p>\n
“We’re just trying to create a fast bike and one that works really well and that can take us to the top step,” Seagrave said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n