By Kevin Kennedy

Coming off the back of a career threatening injury, Scottish cyclist Eilidh Shaw had to bounce back and show her heart and determination to defy the odds.

“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 that it could be done’.

That she did, winning multiple Road Racing titles in the 2024 season.

Our team caught up with Eilidh and her brother Struan Shaw recently at Glasgow’s Emirates Velodrome shortly after Glasgow being named hosts of the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

Eilidh recently signed with the UAE Development team, making this the first professional deal of her career, at just young age of 19.

Eilidh discussed how she felt the sport could be supported to develop and grow (outwith that of extra coverage), stating financial support would be of benefit:

“In Britain they have equal prize money, but It’s not quite the same with Europe, and I guess Team salary would be quite nice to become equal aswell”

If there was improved financial support and investment into the sport it thought that there may be an increase in overall interest in the sport.

It’s clear to see that cycling runs in the family, as Eilidh’s younger brother Straun is following in her footsteps and reaping his own success as part of the Scottish National set-up. Straun credits Scottish cycling for providing him with many opportunities to travel and experience the sport in many different parts of the World, allowing him to test himself against some of the worlds best in his age category:

” Growing up you don’t really get many opportunities, but being in Scottish Cycling, they give you usually about 3 or 4 opportunities a year, and take us abroad,”

Straun’s main aim in the sport is to attain that elusive professional contract:

“As soon as you’ve signed that you’ve kind of made it in life, that’s you done what your dream is”

All of us at UWS Newsroom will be keeping a keen eye on how this sporting family develop in the years to come.