Hi! I’m Lotta Mansfield, and I’m excited to write this month’s BlogHer.
I’m originally from Loughborough, England, but moved to Stirling in 2022 to study Cell Biology. I’ve been racing bikes nearly all my life – starting with a cyclocross race in 2008 when I was just five. Since then, I have been hooked!
I grew up racing all disciplines: cyclocross (CX), road, mountain bike (MTB), and track, winning regional series and making lifelong friends along the way. Cycling has always been a family affair: all six Mansfield’s raced, and I was often one of the youngest in the pits, helping my brothers and parents. As soon as I was old enough, I raced the British National Series desperately wanting to get onto the podium. I was quite good at coming fourth or fifth on both the MTB and CX. I always celebrated these positions as I had raced well, but I also used it to dig deeper in training and to continue to drive towards my goal for a podium. It took me until I was a second-year 16 to get my first podium, which I shared with Millie Couzens and Zoe Bäckstedt.
As a youth, I also raced across Europe in events like Youth Paris Roubaix, Youth Tour of Assen and the European MTB Champs. I thoroughly loved it and gained so much experience racing abroad. I learnt how to perform under pressure racing some of the biggest races you can do as a youth. Racing abroad taught me how to handle big races with competitive fields and develop mental resilience.
Progressing to junior level brought new challenges, including chasing a GB selection. I narrowly missed out as a first year, however this allowed me to concentrate on the British CX series where I finished second overall after multiple podiums finishes. The following year, after a summer in lockdown, earned my spot to represent Great Britain at World Cup Tabor (Czechia) – my proudest moment when racing.
After spending my youth chasing a British podium, the same drive helped me as a junior where I picked up both CX and MTB podiums and even took my first (and only!) British win on the MTB. The victory was a very special moment in my racing, which came with a pressure like nothing I had before, but I learnt how to deal with it and focus on my own performance.
After my A levels I took a gap year to race in Europe with Montezuma’s Race Team. That year was the most enjoyable racing I have done, which also came with some great results. As a team we travelled to Europe together in the van, having deep chats, silly chats and lots of laughs. Of course, it got serious for the race, but the fun we had beforehand drove the success of the team.
After my gap year I moved to Stirling with a sports scholarship. Moving to university was a challenge, I learnt how to live on my own, fix my own bikes (I am much better now than in first year!), and prepare for races. I surprised myself with my first year of uni being my best cyclocross season to date: British U23 podiums, fourth Elite at Falkirk national, fourth overall Elite and third overall U23 British Series and a win in SCX.
In second year, driving myself to all my races, assignments and trying to perform took a toll and I decided to step back from elite-level racing to focus on my studies and to remember how to race for fun without pressure. I now race for my parent’s team, Grity Race Team, which is filled with likeminded cyclists who are racing for the love, and this is the perfect team for me to be in whilst I finish my degree. This has allowed me to change my approach to racing and be there for my own enjoyment, to see my friends and pushing myself to the limit no matter the result, which has ironically given me some better results! It didn’t take long to remove the pressure and race for the thrill.
It’s not all racing, when I was U14 my team MI Racing Academy went out to watch the Tour of Flanders and rode the sportive together. It was a very memorable trip focused on riding bikes for fun and being inspired by watching the professionals. It was great to see Josh Giddings, my teammate when on MI racing, race it this year as a pro!
I also love bikepacking, my first trip was a five day west to east in Scotland with two of my close friends who I grew up racing with. I had already lived in Scotland for a year but saw it in a new light when bike packing. I was instantly hooked and love planning new routes to try – normally when I should be writing an essay! My list of routes is much longer than my summer holidays, but I can’t wait to start my next trip!
In my second year of uni, I was on the Scottish Student Sport Cycling Development Team as road and cyclocross lead. Organising the Wallace Monument Hill Climb Championships – doubling as Scottish Champs and Student Champs – was a steep learning curve in race organisation. I also organised the student criterium race, providing a day of racing for the students. Race organisation is stressful but rewarding, and it gave me a new appreciation for race organisers.
In third year, I left the scholarship program after deciding to ride and race for fun (and to climb more Munros!). I became President of the university’s cycling club and helped turn it around – growing active members from 8 to over 30, securing £5,000-plus in funding for club bikes, helmets, and gear, and growing our beginner MTB rides. We were nominated for Most Improved Club, and I received the President’s Award for my work.
Currently, we are completing our summer fundraising challenge – Pedal the Planet – collectively riding the circumference of the Earth to raise money for our ‘Bikes in Rooms’ initiative which helps student store bikes safely in their university accommodation using a bike bag. We want to encourage more students to bring their bikes to Stirling, as Stirlingshire has some amazing bike riding, so we are fundraising to buy a supply of bike bags.
I also coach with Falkirk Junior Bike Club, where I support and coach their racing riders. FJBC development team reminds me of MI Racing, the team that shaped my youth days. I was the only girl on that team when it started, but it has been so good to see how many girls are in FJBC and their development team. Not only within the team, but across all the British Nationals and local races, more girls and women are racing. I am proud to coach using my past experiences and it’s been incredibly rewarding to give back to the sport that’s given me so much.
Cycling comes in so many forms, for me I am a racer, commuter, coach, bikepacker, MTBer, roadie, watcher, mechanic, organiser and more. Cycling has shaped my life, from racing, organisation and coaching. I am excited for what comes next, and I look forward to spending many more years cycling in Scotland.
Thank you, Lotta, for sharing your cycling journey – what an inspiring and wide-ranging experience you’ve had. It’s fantastic to see how much you’re giving back through your work with Falkirk Junior Bike Club and your university cycling club, and we love that you’re looking forward to many more years of cycling in Scotland.
If you’d like to share your own cycling story in a future edition of our monthly Scottish Cycling BlogHer, please get in touch with Melanie, our Women and Girls Development Manager, at [email protected].