Nicola Hogan from West Lothian Clarion dipped her toe into cycle racing in 2019, here she explains how she got on.

Last year I decided to get myself a British Cycling Race Licence for the first time and sign up to some races!  It seemed daunting at first, but it’s been a lot of fun and I’ve learnt new skills, made new friends and got fitter.

I’ve loved the range of competitive and well organised events in beautiful Scottish countryside. My first road race was the Women’s Lake of Menteith Australian Pursuit Race (APR) (handicapped start waves), put on by the Glasgow Nightingales which was a lot of fun.

Towards the end of 2018 a friend invited me to her cycling club’s training session at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and shortly after that my husband and I did our velodrome accreditation. We began going to training sessions at the velodrome and it was there that it was suggested to me I give road and crit racing a go.

I raced one circuit race (aka criterium or “crit”) in March and finished towards the back of the group. I realised that this discipline takes a bit of practice. It’s high paced, close racing with lots of tight bends and corners.

The Linlithgow Cycle Circuit would be a very popular central Scotland venue for road cycling crit races. Many cyclists like me would come to train on the circuit to improve their crit racing skills. Summer evening race series could be held here and would be popular for all ages and stages.

It would be somewhere cycling enthusiasts like me could try racing for the first time and discover a new passion.

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Photos by 5311 Media