SHEER contrasts marked the third of Emma Silversides’ campaigns as a professional cyclist on the Continent.

She succinctly described her 2010 year as one of “ups and downs”. What it did prove to be was a turning-point in which the Cawood-based ace will next year be a principal rider rather than one supporting a team’s top performer.

It was just three years ago that Silversides swapped a career as a mathematics teacher to indulge her sporting passion of cycling on the gruelling professional European circuit.

She instantly made an impact competing right across the Continent and starring in her support rider role for Lotto-Belisol and, last year, Redsun.

But ironically her new dawn has arrived with the demise of Redsun after its cash backers pulled out.

That was one of the major lows of the 2010 campaign and the news of Redsun’s fall coincided with the team’s best triumph of the season.

“We were in France in August at a five-day championship and by the second day the team led in all the major categories – overall, sprint, mountains,” she recalled.

“Then we got the news that the team was going to fold because the sponsors were withdrawing their support.”

There had already been several highs and lows for the North Yorkshire rider.

She endured a lot of sickness even before the campaign wheeled into action with a mysterious bacteria sidelining Silversides after competing in the Tour of Qatar.

By the time she would recover and get back into the saddle, as soon as she completed another strenuous race she would be back to square one.

Two doctors prescribed anti-biotics, which did not erase the illness until a third took a swab of her infected stroke and within a day recommended immediate hospital attention because she was suffering an aggressive bout of Streptokokken Ag (Group A).

But her woes were not to end there. Throughout the season she suffered a back problem which often left her with no oomph in her legs when cycling.

Bizarrely her injury was resolved when it was discovered her bike was not set up right.

Free of debilitating illness and injury, Silversides powered to success, not least an individual triumph in Belgium and a team success in which the Redsun team held sway in all the disciplines in a five-day event in France. But then at the same time the team were told it was going to fold as the sponsors were withdrawing their backing. See what she means – highs and lows.