With Hogmanay having been and gone and cycling activity returning in earnest, our newly elected President has penned a few words at the start of what will hopefully be a very exciting 2022.

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I would like to wish everyone in the Scottish Cycling community a very happy and healthy 2022. After being elected into the position of President, some six weeks ago, I spent the festive season reflecting on what I can offer and how we can collectively drive forward the sport we all love.  I believe one of our major strengths is our community – our cycling family.

2021 saw so much success at the international level; Katie Archibald and Neil Fachie are only two shining examples. But also, Cameron Mason and Anna Shackley who are beginning to make their mark, among others. But they don't succeed by accident – it has to start at the grassroots level by providing opportunities to get involved and enjoy our wonderful sport.

If you want to see this:

Then we need to support this:

In November, I attended my own club, the Peebles Cycling Club's AGM. They were struggling to find enough people to support the growing children's section of the club, and similarly, were calling out for new board and committee members. I know they aren't the only ones and have heard similar messages first-hand from other stalwarts within some of Scotland's biggest and most successful clubs.

The more I reflected, the more I realised we can't do this on our own. We are a community, and the more we pull together, the more we can achieve. When we look around, some people do monumental amounts for their clubs, in some cases single-handedly driving forward the cause they are passionate about. But we need more people to step up to the plate. I honestly feel the sport is in a great place in Scotland, but there is so much more we could do.

As COVID wanes and with any luck doesn't rear its ugly head in the same manner in years to come, the future of our sport has some tremendous opportunities. Those who have discovered cycling during the pandemic will hopefully become more involved. We have all missed those club rides, racing, supporting events as a commissaire or marshalling.  Whatever role you had in cycling pre-COVID, we hope to see you back as activity begins to open up again.

The opportunities ahead of us have never been greater with the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and 2023 UCI World Cycling Championships on the horizon, where our cycling community can be directly involved or simply be inspired.

So, my message to all of you out there, whatever your role in the Scottish Cycling community is, come and join us – we need our community to support us- our clubs and our events, and if you do, the world really is our oyster.

With that, I wish you every success in the months ahead, and furthermore, my door is always open, so if you want to talk about anything cycling, just get in touch!

See you on the trails or on the road,

Kathy Gilchrist

kathy.gilchrist@scottishcycling.or.uk