As 2015 draws to a close, young cycling hopeful Lucy Shaw looks back on her first season as part of the Matrix Pro Cycling team. Her sponsorship from Hollywood Monster has helped her final year as Junior count, with international training and a national title now under her belt.
A member of the Solihull Cycling Club, Lucy Shaw joined the Matrix Fitness development team less than a year ago and back in August took the top spot in the Junior Women’s Scratch Race and Junior Women’s Points Race at the British Cycling Youth & Junior Track Championships 2015. Hollywood Monster, who signed up as an official sponsor of Matrix Fitness, a team at the forefront of the development of women’s cycling in the UK, have been instrumental to Lucy.
“Being on Matrix Pro Cycling has been invaluable in my final year as a Junior, and has meant that I am in the best possible condition ready to make the step up to the senior ranks,” said Lucy.
“With the help of Hollywood Monster, I was able to experience what life as a professional cyclist is like, both at training camps and at races. For a young rider like myself this is crucial in helping me progress, as it meant that I was given an insight into what it takes to be the best,” she continued.
Experts in event signage, Hollywood Monster is known for its support of the local community and back in December 2014, the business signed up to sponsor Matrix Fitness and TeamGB hopeful Shaw, with the idea of her being able to build a professional career and progress at national and international championship events.
“As we approach our first year supporting Matrix Fitness, I am thrilled to see how Lucy has developed. For us, this was about recognising the importance of local talent; helping them to progress and become the future sportsmen and women of tomorrow. Cycling is something very close to my heart; having been a founding member of the 7inSeven cycle initiative in 2013, which saw 25 riders take part in a gruelling 700-mile challenge, spanning seven countries in seven days. Overall, the event raised £130,000 for HelpHarryHelpOthers and Leukaemia for Kids, and Teenage Cancer Trust. Its success then led to the Coast2Coast challenge in 2014, which saw a number of the same (and new) riders cycling over 800 miles in seven days and raising £50,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust and the Stephen Staunton Foundation,” said Tim Andrews, Managing Director of Hollywood Monster.
“Our team travels up and down the country installing signage at sports stadia and events, which gives us the chance to see the talent that’s homegrown. After working on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we’ve become closely aligned with the sporting world, installing everything from road barriers to podium signage for indoor and outdoor events, sports teams, and well-known venues. We’re proud to be based here in the UK and it’s great that we have the opportunity to support Lucy and the Matrix Fitness team, helping them to develop and succeed,” Tim continued.
When talking about her year with the Matrix pro-cycling team, Lucy said that Hollywood Monster’s sponsorship has allowed her to learn from teammates’ experience whilst at training camps:
“A highlight for me has been the training camps in Limoux, France, with the team. This enabled me to not only get a good base of training and learn from them, hear their stories, and get an understanding of how professional cyclists approach training; something that is crucial for me as I progress through my career. I have had such a great year with Matrix and Hollywood Monster, getting to compete in some great races with the team such as Ride London and the Tour of Brittany. I even managed to pick up a national title along the way! Without Hollywood Monster none of this would have been possible, and I cannot thank them enough for their support, believing in me, and giving me the confidence I needed to make my 2015 season successful,” she continued.
This success marks the latest development in Hollywood Monster’s support of the sporting community, which also includes the company’s sponsorship of Birmingham City Ladies’ Football Club. This comes in addition to involvement in community events such as the Balsall Common, Dorridge and Knowle Fun Runs.