I started as a road cyclist and did all types apart from BMX. I started doing a lot of competitions, and then my dad suggested I tried the track. At first the thought of falling is scary, but you realise soon that if you go fast enough, you'll be fine. I realised it was more than a hobby when I was 16.
It is still difficult being a black cyclist. There are people who say bad things to you that they won't to a white person. It is stupid that that is the case, but your skin colour is there, and some people judge you on that.
My dad was very into cycling and had lots of magazines around the house. So I knew about the best cyclists of that era: Arnaud Tournant, Laurent Gane. I watched a lot of the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain with him.
