2022 Commonwealth Games: New mum Elinor Barker included in Team Wales

Elinor Barker has been included in Team Wales' cycling roster for the Commonwealth Games - just three months after giving birth.

Barker, 27, had her son Nico in March and only returned to training on the bike in April.

"To be honest it feels a little bit surreal at the moment," Barker said.

"It was very much my plan A, 'shooting-for-the-moon' comeback dream to be able to be racing at the Commonwealth Games so early.

"I'm just thrilled that everything's going well enough that I have managed to get myself selected."

Barker revealed in October that she had been pregnant as she helped Great Britain to silver in the women's team pursuit at Tokyo 2020.

That silver was added to the gold medal she had won at Rio 2016, her five world titles, multiple European golds and the Commonwealth Games title she won for Wales at the 2018 Games.

The prospect of racing for Wales again this summer has proved a big motivation as she has navigated her careful return to training.

After a month off the bike, she began with a five-minute session followed by a day off. Then 15 minutes followed by two days off.

Slowly but surely she has built up the time on the turbo trainer and mileage on the road - until she will return to full training in the next couple of weeks.

Of course, three-month-old Nico is never too far away.

"It can be quite hard to leave him," Barker told BBC Sport Wales.

"So when I've got easier sessions or shorter sessions I'll try and do them with him.

"Obviously if there's a session with a lot of efforts or something that I'm not willing to stop and start - I'll make sure someone else has got him for those few hours.

"But as often as I can I try to involve him because I'm not going to get that time back when he's small and cuddly and will let me hold him while I do my squats.

"So I'm quite enjoying bringing him in to as much of the process as possible."

With more and more female athletes returning to elite sport after having children, Barker says the science behind a successful comeback is developing rapidly.

But her programme is fundamentally based around her - and Nico.

"Every year it's this snowball effect and we have more athlete mothers who are competing at that level," Barker says.

"So while I'm learning from experiences that these mothers have had, and so are the practitioners that are guiding me, I'm also aware that everyone has a different baby, everyone has a different birth experience, so it is very personal.

"It's following guidelines but mainly listening to my own body and my baby and his needs, and making sure he comes first."

Barker is one of 24 cyclists named by Team Wales for Birmingham. It will be her third Commonwealth Games.

She has three medals from the previous two, but this year her goals are a little different.

"It feels like a win to be selected this time around," she continues. "Obviously on the day, I think everyone wants to win - regardless of what your lead into it has been like.

"Even if you've just given birth three months ago - you still have those ridiculous dreams of 'what if I win the bike race today?'.

"But the goal has always been to go and be a supportive role for a team-mate, so I think the real win will be 'what if we win the bike race today, as a team and as Team Wales'."

Barker says she is loving life as a mum and she is also enjoying her training as much as she has done in years.

With exactly 50 days to go until the Games, Barker believes she can gain a lot more form and fitness in that time.

She describes cycling as a mother as her 'career 2.0'. It is about to get off to a very significant start.