Emma Finucane: Experts explain what makes cycling star “unbeatable”

Preparation explained part of the conversation. Watching her ride explained the rest.

Again and again, people used the same word. Smooth.

“She’s got a beautiful style. You could put a teacup on her back and it would not spill,” said two-time Commonwealth champion Katherine Bates.

“She’s got an exceptionally strong core. She does not move at all on the bike, even when putting out maximum power.”

Paralympic gold medalist and Finucane’s former Great Britain team-mate, Jenny Holl, believes that style is difficult to teach.

“Emma looks like she’s one with the bike,” she reveres.

“She’s so smooth, so dialed. She never looks like she’s fighting with it and, for me, that’s the biggest difference. That fluidity seems to give her that extra gear.”

Finucane’s positioning has taken years of refining and discipline.

“She’s so low but that’s really hard work. She’s trained herself to be in that position,” explained Partridge.

“The work she’s put in, the focus on the position and the discipline on her line, all these things add up to making her what she is.”

Perhaps the best example came in the women’s 1km time trial.

While most of the field opted for specialist time-trial handlebars, Finucane chose conventional drop handlebars.

She still won.