Background
Shaw was born on The Wirral in the North West England.
Shaw was born on The Wirral in the North West England.
She attended the University of Essex gaining a degree in physics.
She then took a Masters degree. Outside cycling
Shaw works as a research scientist specialising in fibre optics. She now lives in Hampshire.
Taking up cycling
Shaw says that she did no kind of sport until her twenties, and it was ten years after that before she got seriously into cycling.
I didn"t do any sport outside school, and I certainly didn"t do any at university. Eventually though, I got into triathlon when I started work, because a guy I worked with did them and he seemed to be having a lot of fun.
The triathletes I met were such nice people I just sort of got hooked. International honours
Domestic competition
Her winning average speed of 27.451 mph in 2009 is the current record.
She is the former British "competition record" holder for 10 miles with her 2012 time of 19:47.
The new record (2015) is 19:46. She broke the competition record for 25 miles with her 2011 time of 50:01 and is the current record holder. She has twice broken the competition record for 50 miles, currently holding it with her 2010 time of 1:46:46.
She has twice broken the competition record for 100 miles, currently holding it with her 2010 time of 3:45:22.
Coaching
Shaw has worked with coach Auriel Forrester and now works with the exercise physiologist Doctor Jamie Pringle. Pringle worked for the English Institute of Sport, a grant funded organisation governed by United Kingdom Sport.
The English Institute of Sport provides science and medicine support to a wide variety of National Governing Bodies of British Olympic sports.