I’m on a train to London to race the Prudential Classique. I’m sweating more than I’d like because of an issue booking my bike on, but otherwise the journey should be peaceful. I booked the quiet carriage see.

As did British Cycling physiologist Conor Taylor; I just bumped into him. Although he maybe doesn’t realise he’s booked the quiet carriage cause the guy seems to be having a full blown business meeting? Or he hasn’t read the QUIET ZONE signs?

It’s the kind of thing I would have forgiven the affable sports scientist in the past, but times have changed. Conor is leaving the British Cycling family and moving to Team Sky. It’s as though BC and Sky are divorcing and he chose the other parent – it hurts.

He is not the only member of British Cycling staff that’s making a career change now we’re on the other side of the Rio Olympics.

It’s something I’ve been told is quite common, for people’s lives and careers to follow the same ebb and flow of the Olympiad. Of course it’s inevitable for athletes but you forget how many people there are surrounding that performance.

Other deserters include our strength and conditioning coach Joe Hewitt who has moved to speed skating and another physiologist, Len Parker-Simpson, who has only half left me (let’s stop pretending it’s not personal) and moved to the Scottish Institute of Sport.

To their faces I said I was happy for their promotions and new opportunities but both are so good at what they do and were so integral to our (women’s team pursuit) Olympic medal that all I really felt was petty envy of their new athletes. I’m a good actor though so it wasn’t awkward.

Saying a confusing blend of offensive and complimentary things about our support team aside, I’m excited about the new people we will be working with. I never went to university and so didn’t get the chance to suddenly change who I wanted people to think I am. But with a largely new team – both younger riders and new staff coming in – maybe this is my chance for reinvention? Admittedly my steadfast coach Paul Manning and continuing team-mates Elinor Barker and Laura Trott might notice something is up, but hopefully they will go with it.

I think my new self should be far more motivated. Current Katie seems a little too content with life and we all know that’s not the way to go winning world titles and Olympic medals. I say current Katie but I guess I just mean Katie of the last month. I’ve found myself in no man’s land between big goals and with a new tendency to skive. I’m writing my own training plan which means the coach I’m pissing off by not doing the sessions properly is also me – not amazing accountability.

My solution, and now bear with me here, is to go on holiday. Counter intuitive? Surrendering to the voice in my head saying why bother? Maybe. But I think it’s going to work. The plan is to stay off two wheels for seven days (going on a proper holiday to Ireland for four of them) and “rediscover my hunger”. I’m actually quoting myself with that last bit but I’d feel less embarrassed about the phrasing if we all roll our eyes at it together like I’m in on the joke.

If plan Hunger Discovery doesn’t work then plan Slap Across The Face With A Wet Fish will be brought in. Let’s not talk about plan Steel Toe Cap Shoe and its relation to my backside until we really need to.

The race I’m heading to, Prudential Classique (part of the Women’s WorldTour), is my last bike day before my holiday and thus the last day I intend to spend as the unmotivated Katie, the lazy Katie. I’m hoping that an accidental taper combined with the adoption of (Scottish racing cyclist) Evan Oliphant’s mantra to gain as much as possible by doing as little as possible will help me avoid disaster.

The race is 12 laps of a 5.5km circuit around London and I feel 100 per cent certain that it will be extremely fast. The terrain can’t be relied upon to thin out the field and so the field will do it themselves. The circuit is super technical, with two dead turns, and so a smart rider (my team-mate Eileen Roe for example) can do a lot of damage to the legs of others without hurting their own, through smart positioning.

I can’t really claim the title of smart rider myself but I’m pretty fast so I’ll try to use that instead.

In fact the excitement of racing is already making me feel a little more alive about cycling, a good sign for avoiding plan Steel Toe Cap Shoe. Phew.