Elinor Barker: ‘He’s a well-travelled toddler’ – world champion on Olympic prep with a two-year-old

That future was uncertain. More and more female athletes are having children and returning to the top of their sports, but Barker still admits she did not know how people would respond.

In reality she was shown a lot of support – not least from her team, Uno-X Mobility – who last year gave her a four-year contract to 2027.

After Nico was born in March 2022, Barker’s first training sessions would be on the turbo trainer – rocking Nico’s cradle alongside her as she rode.

For her strength and conditioning, she would use him as a weight.

Within months, she was competing again and represented Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games that summer.

But it was last year when Barker really announced her return to the top. She won two gold medals at the World Championships in Glasgow, taking her overall tally of world titles to seven.

Perhaps even more sweetly, one was in the women’s team pursuit alongside her younger sister Meg.

“It’s been a hugely challenging couple of years,” she admitted, “which I think is the case for anyone who’s a parent. There’s not really an easy way to do it.

“But I do feel really, really proud of the World Championships last year. When I was pregnant I didn’t think I would make them. I thought it would be too soon.

“So to go and win two gold medals was amazing.”

It has fuelled the fire for more success in Paris this summer, although Barker says that desire never went away. The advantage of having Nico alongside her is the perspective it brings her.

“When it’s hard, it feels impossible, but when it’s good, it’s amazing,” she said.

“You get the best of both worlds. I get to fit my exercise and social life into one neat four-hour block, which not many parents get to do. Then I get to come home and spend the rest of the day with my little boy. He’s changing so much – it’s such a special time.

“He provides that distraction. He reminds me that actually everything that’s really important is right there at home with me.”

Nico may not know where they are going when they get in the car, but his mother hopes the destination will be Paris come July.