Ed's
Story

Cycling has always been part of Ed’s life. His involvement in cycling has taken on many roles, from young racer, to recreational rider, as a parent and as a coach.

“I’ve been involved in racing and coaching for a long time – I’ve done a lot of coaching for the Glasgow Riderz and on the track for Scottish Cycling.”

Now coaching with the Riderz, as well as riding his own bike of course, Ed takes a holistic view of cycling and what it can offer.

“It’s a really, really positive thing, and you can see the kids coming down – they’re all having a great time.”

Unlike swimming, cycling isn’t a life skill taught in school and by most parents. However, we at Scottish Cycling believe cycling is a life skill that everyone should be taught given what it offers; fun, freedom, adventure, friendship, health and wellbeing, and as a cheap and sustainable travel option, amongst many other things.

Slowly more are more children are engaging in cycling activity, as the sport goes from strength to strength. It hasn’t always been like this though.

“Over the years the youth club structure in Scotland has got bigger and bigger – there’s so many good youth clubs now and I think it’s just really important to get kids in at a young age – they’re learning skills, they’re having fun and they see that cycling is something fun and they enjoy it – that’s the most important thing.”

“It’s not just about becoming an Olympic athlete – there are huge advantages to being involved in a sport like cycling.”

That being said, Ed’s daughter, Anna, is an Olympian and represented Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but growing up, Ed saw how cycling taught her so many valuable lessons.

“It’s really good for kids to go and do a sport and be active, but they learn a lot of social skills – they learn how to get on with kids – and they learn how to fall off and get back up, and they learn that sometimes things don’t go to plan. The amount they learn, and the life skills, are huge.

“Some kids progress to racing, but there are lots of others who don’t, but are still riding their bikes, be it going out on their gravel bike or mountain biking, or whatever it is. For me it’s being able to see the kids progress and carry on cycling, hopefully for the rest of their lives.”

Our organisational strategy sums this up perfectly in ‘Developing a Nation of Cyclists’. This is what Scottish Cycling exists to do. So, whether you aspire to by the next Sir Chris Hoy or Katie Archibald, want to be a trickster like Danny McAskill, want to ride your bike in the beautiful Scottish countryside, or simply meet likeminded people and ride with them for fun, we’re here to help you fulfil your own ambitions, and have something for everyone.

So, today could be the start of your cycling journey. To find your nearest cycling opportunity, head over to our activity finder – it could be the start of a special cycling journey.