“Autism is misunderstood. I want to help change that!” Connie Hayes, Cyclist

How did you get into cycling?

I have always been around the sport with my dad having raced but I didn’t have much desire to ride a bike as a kid.  The suggestion of a family bike ride on holiday would never go down well with young me! We then had to do cycling at school when I was 11 and I went from being the kid who couldn’t catch a ball and was branded as bad at sport to being better than all the boys on a bike. At this point I was hooked and joined my local club LVYCC. As a teen I also rowed for my local club as well as running up to county level for cross country and long distance track events. However once I realised I was unlikely to grow any taller (I am 162cm) I decided to focus on cycling which I think was the right decision!

What does cycling mean to you?

It’s a really important part of my life. A lot of athletes suffer serious injuries that see them out for a year and they understandably walk away as they realise during rest and rehab that maybe it was all they knew and they didn’t actually love the sport. For me I am the opposite as I have realised how much it means to me, not just the racing side of the sport but just being able to go out and ride around the lanes whether that be in essex when I am at home or further afield and just forget all of my worries for a few hours. Nothing beats a good bike ride! 

What have been your greatest achievements in cycling to date?

For sure my first world tour race at the 2021 tour of britain is and possibly always will by greatest achievement in terms of circumstance. I was just starting my third year at university studying for my BA in human geography and I essentially had a random week off in early October to go and race the best riders in the world. Even saying that still sounds pretty crazy! It was really cool at the time but it’s only now 3 years on that I realise just how amazing that was as I was only 20 and I wasn’t full time on the bike. The funniest thing was I didn’t expect to survive the full week (at uci level there’s tight time cuts due to nature of the road closures hence a large percentage of riders often not finishing each race) so I had scheduled a meeting with my dissertation supervisor for Friday which I had to cancel in the finish carpark in Southend the day before. Funnily around the same time this meeting was meant to be on the Friday I was up the road in an early break on stage 5! 

Which cyclists do you most admire?

One name comes straight to mind; not modern era as a rider but I think his story is still super inspiring; Colin Sturgees (former world and British champ in the 90’s). Col is someone I have always looked up to and I am lucky enough to personally know well. We are quite similar as people so I have always had huge respect for Col and what he achieved on the bike as he’s had to overcome some huge mental challenges. He’s also just a super cool person and has been a massive help to me the last year! 

What brands in cycling do you most respect & why?

I have always had a lot of respect for Rapha and it’s founder Simon Mottram for both there work supporting grass routes cycling via Herne Hill vélodrome (where I regaulary train) and the Lincoln Grand Prix but also there work supporting the Ambitious about Autism charity with various rides and campaigns over the years. 

How are you looking to speak out about red-s and autism?

I am really keen to engage with both the sports bubble and wider world outside of sport in order to show that being autistic is not something to hide nor is it something anyone should be ashamed of. I feel autism, especially in women, is still really misunderstood. I was diagnosed in my 20’s where as had I been a male I would have likely been picked up before the age of 5. It took two decades to get a diagnosis yet that was two decades of challenges that myself and those around me couldn’t understand. This made growing up really challenging for me and my mental health took a big hit as a result as I believed there was something ‘wrong’ with me. On one hand it affects me massively, I struggle with change, overstimulation, demand related anxiety and struggle socially to the point I masked so heavily as a teen in desperation to fit in that I often look back and don’t recognise who I was back then. Yet it’s also who I am, it’s what allows me to push myself to my absolute max in my sport day in and day out. it’s what allows me to hyper focus for hours on the bike and ultimately be the best athlete I can be. I really want to shine a positive light on what it’s like to be autistic in a bid to help others both in and out of sport. 

I also love talking to people about my experience of being autistic so this is something I genuinely would love to do more of. I think in part as it still takes people I don’t know by surprise when I tell them that I am autistic. I think this is really important as traditionally people have incorrectly stereotyped autism based on media such as the film rainman so a female sports person breaks down that stereotype for sure! 

I also want to raise awareness of non traditional eating disorder presentations. I  never thought I had an ED or RED-s as at the time of diagnosis I had actually gained weight- contrary to popular belief some people’s bodies start storing fat like crazy when being heavily under fuelled. I was convinced despite knowing I was under eating and being unhealthily restrictive, I couldn’t have an ED despite my menstrual cycle stopping as I hadn’t lost weight. It’s only now in recovery I have realised how dangerous the idea that only someone visibly underweight could have an ED and/or RED-s.   

Are there clear pathways for those who are autistic into cycling?

In short no. I think it’s the same as society in the sense that understanding is still really lacking, therefore support is also still lacking as they go hand in hand. There’s a lot of hype at the minute and talk about autism but the majority of this noise is driven by the press around it being a trend- it’s not. This noise hasn’t helped with positive awareness and acceptance so young autistic people are still facing the challenges I faced entering the sport 15 years ago. I would love to visit both youth clubs and adult race teams to talk about how best to support there autistic members as I feel the only way we can change the system is by listening to those of us with lived experience of being autistic. 

By default cycling is a very attractive sport for autistic people as you get to be part of a team but train alone so it’s a really nice balance however we need inclusion to make it truly accessible to autistic athletes at all levels.

What does the future look like for Connie Hayes?

My main goal is to get back to where I was a year ago; I suffered a serious knee injury last summer and have had to have open surgery to correct a tendon problem amongst a list of other issues. Once I am back fit and racing again next year I really just want to enjoy the time I have in this sport. It sounds cliche but I am in an incredible position where I get to live out my wildest dreams racing around the globe and I don’t want to waste the time I have in this sport. I always get the best results when I am enjoying the sport and not obsessively focusing on outcomes so that’s something I really want to prioritise moving forward. 

Off the bike I want to be a force for change when it comes to supporting fellow neurodivergent sports people as well as the neurodivergent sports stars of tomorrow. I want to carry on being a visible role model and show that being autistic is not a bad thing within sport- for sure it brings challenges but with the right environment it also brings a host of strengths. 

Have you got plans for your career post-cycling?

I finished a Human Geography research masters (MRes) degree at Queen Mary University of London last summer with my work focusing on the autistic experience of cities. This is something I would love to go back to as part of a PhD however I am aware that the academic sector is struggling at the moment so PhD funding and long term academic jobs are both really hard to get. As a result I have also thought about going back and re-training in the healthcare sector down the line; I guess I just want to make a positive difference to people’s lives in some way. 

Alongside this once I finish racing myself in say a decades time I really want to be able to go back and work with teams even if just on a voluntary basis as I love my sport. I want to go back and make a difference to young riders the same way that ex racers have had a positive impact on my own journey in sport. 

On a sporting front I doubt I will ever truly stop as sport is so important to my mental well-being. I have been joking recently about running the London marathon in 2040 so I guess a return to running for fun will probably be firmly on those plans assuming I don’t add to the list of injuries too much in the next 15 years! 

If you are in the media and want to speak with & / or a brand wanting to work with Connie please contact AMG CEO Mark Middlemas on mark@athletemedia.co.uk / 07952 304340.