The 26-year-old Dunfermline cycling ace finished third behind Olympic champ Dani King and fellow Commonwealth Games star Katie Archibald in the Tour of Reservoir event in Northumberland on Saturday – her first road race with new Team WNT.

It was an impressive showing from Joiner, who finished the first event in sixth place overall after ending stage two in 10th place amid freezing conditions that saw many riders fail to finish.

She told Press Sport, “I hadn’t done a road race since the Commonwealth Games so although I knew I had lots of hard work in the bank, you never know how you’re doing in comparison to everyone else before the first race.

“My tactics were perfect as I stayed at the front sheltering from the wind, and the straight to the finish line was really long and I managed to get it.

“It was nice to do the best I could’ve in the situation and it put the team into a good position going into day two.

“That was the hardest race of my life though – it started snowing with 20 miles to go and it was a really hilly course.

“I couldn’t feel my hands and it was such an effort to change gears, but I have the self-belief now to push myself that hard and get to the end. I was shivering for a good 30-45 minutes afterwards and I couldn’t get off the bike!” She added, “It gives me confidence and it was awesome to be really close to these guys. Although I see myself as a sprinter, it shows I can deal with these hill climbs. I’m racing against full-time athletes, when they’re resting I’m working so the recovery time is what I’m losing, but I’m happy with how things are going.” Charline, who now lives in Glasgow, combines sport with her job as a personal trainer and has introduced cycling-specific ‘Wattbike’ testing sessions, which are used by British Cycling to test riders’ strengths and weaknesses and were a key part in her recovery from serious back injuries she sustained last year.