Tokyo was a slightly different story for Barker.
“It was such a bizarre Olympics because we had to be so cautious,” she says. “I think so much about the Olympics is about getting to mix with other athletes from different countries. And there was just absolutely none of that. Then I didn’t get picked for the final, which was really disappointing.”
Team GB won silver and, as Barker had already ridden in the heats, she was still part of the team and was awarded a medal. “But for some reason I wasn’t allowed to the podium, so I couldn’t go on and celebrate with my teammates, which… yeah,” she trails off. “I don’t know if organisers understand the impact on athletes of that rule, because you miss out on the moment that you’ve worked so hard for. It just seems unnecessarily cruel.”
It was later that tumultuous day that Barker discovered she was pregnant. She hadn’t planned to have a child – in fact, there had been a time when she had thought that conceiving a child might not even be possible: Barker had been diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018 after years of debilitating pain that had not only threatened to impact her racing, but had also meant that getting pregnant might be difficult. Barker ultimately had surgery, which made the pain manageable and meant that she could continue racing competitively. Nevertheless, she knew that conceiving a child may never be possible.
“I was really prepared, I suppose, for that outcome,” she says. “So to then essentially have a baby by accident – when trying not to have a baby – it was like the biggest shock of my life. But I think it was probably the best thing that could have happened to us as a couple. We were really, really lucky to avoid that stress, which I know so many people that have endometriosis do have to go through.”
Barker was keen to prove that pregnancy and early motherhood was no reason to slow down as an athlete. She worked with a coach who had worked with a number of cyclists who had been through pregnancy. “We had a really detailed plan. I already knew halfway through my pregnancy what training I would be doing six weeks or eight weeks after the baby was born,” she recalls. “And that really, really helped with the planning process.”
She adds, “Of course, it was a guideline, because we didn’t know what kind of birth I was going to have, what the recovery would be like, if the baby would sleep, if I’d be able to sleep.”
Barker’s partner, Casper, has been exactly that: a partner. “He holds everything down solo when I’m away racing (and often when I’m home too) and there’s no chance I’d be able to do this without him,” Barker recently wrote on Instagram.
I ask Elinor if people are surprised to see a male partner be so involved. “I think that’s exactly it,” she says. “I think that’s why people are often amazed that the setup of being an athlete and being a mum can work. So many people assume that myself and other mums are still completely responsible for everything that happens within the home. But it’s just not true.”
The couple also have a cleaner. “I don’t think I’d be in a position if I was expected to also take care of everything at home,” she says. “Like, it would just be completely overwhelming.”
Barker’s last few years certainly have been full. But the new mother hasn’t merely managed to get back into shape for the coming games while juggling a toddler – she’s more ready to race than ever. “I would say this is probably the calmest I’ve felt going into the Olympics, actually,” she says. Not only is she pivoting her focus to road racing this year, she’s also got a new perspective thanks to her son. “I suppose family life all comes into that – I know that whether I win, whether I lose, I’m still gonna have to change the nappies next week, and try and convince my toddler that he needs to clean his teeth. I think that’s really, really nice.”