by Stuart Mitchell

In August 2023, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships were hosted in the Scotland, where Great Britain topped the medal table.

The sport was back in the spotlight earlier this month, when the choices for 2026 Commonwealth Games were announced. One of the big talking points was the decision to cut Road Cycling and Mountain Biking from the event.

Eilidh Shaw, is one of Scottish Cycling’s most exciting talents. The 19-year old has had an eventful year and was recently Champion of the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road and Circuit Series. She will step up to the UAE Development Team for the season ahead after signing a two-year contract. Rewards like this come from a lot of hard work and determination, in a journey that started a decade ago.

“I’ve been in this sport now since I was, maybe, nine years old, so like, ten years and then everything just all came at once, it was really special.”

“It takes quite a lot. Because I have been in it so long, I wanted something out of it in the end and I think that’s what drove me to make this year really count. I’ve had loads of support from Scottish Cycling and my team as well.”

The support network around any athlete, is vital. The importance of this has been strengthened recently after an injury hit period that could’ve meant a cruel end to a promising future.

The Scottish rider commented: “The injury, if I didn’t get that fixed, I wasn’t going to be back cycling. So it was an all or nothing and I just wanted to go full gas into the next season and prove it could be done.”

It’s not only the time out injured that is hard to navigate, but also the recovery and getting back to that top level of performance.

“Because it’s an endurance sport, you’re doing a lot of hours in a week. In a normal week it’s between fifteen to twenty and then in the winter it’s like twenty plus. and then you go out on five or six hours rides on your own, so you have to be mentally switched on to keep it all up.”

Despite the difficult times, Shaw is showing incredible form since recovering, and is full of encouragement for any young girls looking to get involved in the sport.

“There are so many different disciplines and that’s what makes it really exciting. If you don’t like the road, try BMX, or a bit of mountain biking, or even gravel. There are just so many aspects to get in. Join a local club, it can be a total social event as well.

Try out as many different disciplines as you can. You can go on cafe rides and make it as fun as possible and more enjoyable.”