Scotia Series supported by Santini

Tomorrow sees Round 4 of the Scotia Series supported by Santini with the Peebles CC Women’s Road Race - a 45km test with some climbing to look forward to round the Tweed Valley.

Can’t wait to see you all there

Next weekend takes us to Douglas in South Lanarkshire for the Torvelo Road Race- Round 5 of the series. The race will be on the rolling circuit around Abington- a familiar favourite on the calendar. Entires close Sunday at 23:59 don’t miss out! Link to enter on our stories.

Next up in the series we have the Peebles Cycling Club Road Race. Open to 2/3/4 riders it’s the perfect first event for newcomers! Get your entires in before they close this Sunday at 23:55

The Scotia Road Race Series, sponsored by Santini, is continuing to build momentum across Scotland, creating welcoming and inclusive opportunities for women to experience the excitement of road racing. Designed as the perfect introduction to road racing, the series combines a supportive atmosphere with plenty of competitive spirit, helping riders of all abilities gain confidence, challenge themselves, and discover what they’re capable of on the bike.
Claire Cameron, Chairperson of Peebles Cycling Club - first time road racer and organiser has written a few words over on the website. Check it out https://scottishcycling.org.uk/events/scottish-national-events/scotia-series/
Blaire Cameron Photography

So far the Scotia series has seen a 50% increase in entries compared to last year, a stat we are delighted with!
Gifford saw 12 first time racers taking part and D**e had 11 first time racers.
After R3 of the series we caught up with Lesley who was one of the first time racers and she told us a bit about her experience.

“I started cycling about 7/8 years ago with some school mum friends. After a few years I was looking for women to ride with in the winter so I joined Sarah Rowes group in Banchory and learned a lot about riding in a group from her. I normally do 40/50 mile road rides with a coffee and cake stop.

“I used to be a competitive ski racer though, hence the love of speed. [What appealed to me the most was] the fact that it was handicapped [APR race]. It’s a great format to persuade folks like me to pin a number on. Getting more people to race is about making it inclusive for all abilities and that is spread by word of mouth with a bit of enthusiasm and encouragement to know you are not the only older novice who’s entering. Safety in numbers. I really enjoyed the race and surprised myself as to what I was capable of.”

Feeling inspired to give a road race a go? Next up is Peebles Cycling Club Women’s Road Race 6th June.

It was a great day of racing at D**e for Round 3. There was a total of 23 women on the start line with 11 riders being brand new to road racing! It is fantastic to see so many women trying racing this year. Congratulations to Millie Thomson on taking the win, Martha Gates on 2nd and Eva Murphy on third.
After round 3 Lydia is still leading the series, however 2nd through 4th are all fighting for positions on equal points!
Up next Peebles CC Women’s Road Race 6th June.

Next Up: D**e APR

We’re heading up the road to Moray for Round 3 on 3 May.

It’s our second APR of the series - this time a slightly longer loop with more opportunities for riders.

Enter via the link below ⬇️

After an excellent solo breakaway on Sunday - Lydia Louw of Solas Cycling heads into the Yellow Santini Leaders Jersey with a 21 point.

Sunday’s race saw fantastic attack from the Stirling based rider claiming seven minutes over the front group to take the race win.

You can read the report from Sunday’s race in the Scottish Cycling round-up.

Next up: D**e APR on Sunday 3rd May