Alison Fulton has been attending Women’s Hour at the West Lothian Cycle Circuit, and after a summer of coaching at the circuit she’s got the confidence to venture further afield with her son Rhuairdh

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With a bike mad family, I’ve always dabbled with riding; but I’ve struggled with the confidence and the fitness. With the West Lothian Cycle Circuit (WLCC) opening earlier in the year and road wheels on my trusty gravel bike I decided to give women’s hour a shot and to my surprise fell in love with the tarmac.

WLCC has been a game changer, not having to worry about traffic was huge and having a set time and knowing exactly what I was riding gave me the confidence to put in more effort in each week.

With the coaching I learnt how to corner faster and spend less time hitting the breaks. With newfound confidence I flippantly mentioned I would be keen to try the 2 bridges routing around the forth, and last Sunday with my 13 year old navigator and mechanic we completed a 75km route starting at WLCC and finishing near Livingston.

2022 me would never have believed 2023 me would have the road riding skills or the fitness to undertake the challenge and I’m now looking forward to continuing riding at WLCC over the winter to see what I can challenge myself to in 2024.

Women’s Hour at West Lothian Cycle Circuit, Mondays

Aim: continue to develop a community of women cyclists.
Sessions are designed to develop a skill, have fun, get a workout.
Sessions led by fully qualified cycling coaches
No need to be a member of Clarion, please share with friends and family or come along yourself.
Book (and pay if appropriate) via Spond https://group.spond.com/VSVTM

Group 1 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm, arrival time 6:15pm. Free session to boost confidence and encourage women onto bikes. Funded by UCI Cycling World Champs & Community Cycling Fund, via Eventscotland
Group 2 – 7:30pm to 8:30pm, arrival time 7:15pm. £4 per session. Focused on developing group riding skills
Group 3 – 7:30pm to 8:30pm, arrival time 7:15pm. £4 per session. A bit like an outdoor spin class, for those who can confidently ride in a group