In the second in a series of interviews with folk who use the circuit, we chatted with Stephen Miles about his journey from runner to seasoned bike racer

I’ve always been an active person, primarily into running and tennis during my thirties, but as I approached the significant milestone of 40 years old, I really started feeling the effects of getting older. I was getting frequent minor injuries, and they were taking a frustratingly long time to heal. A PB in a 10k running race in October 2021 resulted in an immediate and fairly painful calf injury which would persist for some months.

In December 2021, a good friend suggested trying cycling. The last time I rode a bike was as a spotty teenager on a Raleigh BMX but his advice was that cycling might be good for my recovery, and so on a sunny blue-sky morning, on a borrowed 2000’s Trek road bike  (full Postal Service livery, down shifters on the top tube) and my newly acquired cycling ‘haul’ from Amazon, we set out on my first road bike experience. What I discovered was a shocking lack of bike fitness and no muscle mass. I blew up on a climb in Balerno, and wobbled home, but was clearly and deeply entranced by the experience. A new love affair had started.

A few years on and the West Lothian Cycle Circuit  now plays a huge part in my cycling story. The cycle circuit is just a short distance along the canal from my house, so I have been able to practice regularly in the safe environment, as well as gain skills from group riding with the West Lothian Clarion. With no real ambition, I started joining the weekly training sessions, including the Wednesday Chaingang, Friday Chaingang and my favourite early morning Russian Steps workout. These sessions allowed me to hugely improve my bike handling, my confidence, and more importantly my bike fitness, often training with much stronger riders.

It sort of seemed inevitable that having watched the success of the circuit, and some of the Criterium races in the first season, that racing became something I wanted to try my hand at – maybe I could sneak into the Vet 40 category or Category 4 races and see if I could compete? The bug bit pretty hard in 2024 and before I knew it, I was completely engrossed in the ‘scene’. I raced against riders of all ages, and as it turned out, managed to hold my own. At the end of the season I hadn’t managed to get enough points for a Category 3 promotion, but in many ways this only spurred me on. I was delighted, however, to get 3rd place overall in the TCI Friday race series at the circuit, my first prize for cycling.

In 2025 after a good winter, and confident of the gains, I stepped out for the West Lothian Grand Prix at the circuit. I have widened my ambitions and now take part in races at the Fife Circuit in Lochgelly, Carlisle Cycle Circuit, and Salt Ayre in Lancaster, building wider links amongst the crit racing community. 

The season until now has been so much fun. Racing week in and week out at my home track, and gaining the confidence to travel further afield to compete. I’m delighted that my season goal of getting Category 3 licence has been achieved at the start of August, with a few months to spare, and there is no doubt that my growth on the bike, and my enjoyment of the sport, has been amplified by the circuit, and the community and volunteers involved.

As Autumn begins, this means just one thing – we must go again. This winter needs to yield another 20-25w gain so it’s back to the drawing board, back to the training plan, and back to improving the bike craft and racing tactics. Where better to do all those things than at the West Lothian Circuit, which is exactly what I plan to do. Bring on 2026.