Saturday 26th November saw a fantastic celebration of all things Scottish Cycling, with the return of our annual awards event, which was bigger and better than ever before.
There was a real buzz in the room at Hampden Park, where some 230 people watched on as nine worthy winners collected awards on a brilliant night, which capped a great day, preceded by the Scottish Cycling Conference – both events returning after a two-year hiatus.
The evening got underway with a Champions Drinks Reception in the National Football Museum, our 2022 national championships recognised for their achievements, before esteemed sports journalist Rhona McLeod opened the formal proceedings in the main room.
Award winners spanned the full spectrum of our activity, from Volunteer of the Year, right through to the trademark Male and Female Rider of the Year accolades – full details of all the winners can be seen below.
It was also great to see the return of the Braveheart Award, with fundraising efforts on the night going to the Scottish Cycling Foundation, which has taken on the Braveheart Fund as part of it’s ambition. The total amount raised will be confirmed in the next couple of days.
The night also recognised the recipients of the Scottish Cycling Badge of Honour, which for 2022 were Rita Montgomery and Rab Wardell. Rita, who still cycles aged 91, collected her badge at our AGM earlier in the day, whilst the Wardell family collected the award on behalf of Rab, to a standing ovation.
The night concluded with some classic Scottish ceilidh dancing – a fitting end to a great day.
Volunteer of the Year – Matthew Ball
A serial volunteer, Matt Ball is one of the founding members of West Lothian Clarion, and one of the visionaries behind the creation of the clubs youth section. He also spent many years as Club Secretary and Head Coach, before focusing his time and energy on championing the West Lothian Cycle Circuit, which after £1.25 million of funding, is now nearing completion. His energy and passion for the sport know no bounds, and he continues to coach and support riders and the club each and every day.
Community Coach of the Year – Philip Bertram
Philip, or Bertie as he is affectionately known, has led Annan Youth Cycling Club for many years, gives up his time freely to help ensure the club runs smoothly and continues to build and offer opportunities for young people. His cheery disposition and passion for cycling and working with young people is evident daily. Post COVID he has worked tirelessly to ensure sessions returned as soon as they could, whilst he also ran grassroots events that everyone was so desperate to be involved in. Everyone is made to feel so welcome by Bertie, who as a coach gives so many young people the opportunity to enjoy our wonderful sport.
Event of the Year - British National Cyclo-Cross Trophy, Falkirk
Taking place over two days, Falkirk Junior Bike Club hosted the best of cyclocross racing from across the UK and Ireland. Working in partnership with the Local Authority, the club delivered the biggest-ever field for a Scottish series round, with over 700 riders racing over the weekend. There was also Go-Ride Racing for Under 8s-12s under floodlights, which wasn’t included in the main event's schedule, receiving over 130 entrants.
Performance Coach of the Year - James McCallum
One of the stalwarts of the Scottish Cycling community, James is a selfless, enthusiastic coach and supporter, who always wants the best for the riders he coaches, but also for everyone in the community. A former pro, who still races at a high level, Jimmy as he is known by many, has enjoyed a standout year, with notable successes being Finn Crockett’s Commonwealth Games Road Race medal, and Cameron Mason’s fifth place finish at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships. James is also a driving force behind The Cycling Academy, which provides a development environment for talented junior and U23 riders, who between them won multiple Scottish titles and medals this year in an array of different disciplines.
Braveheart Trophy for Breakthrough Rider of the Year – Kate Richardson
Kate Richardson went from riding the track for the first time in December 2021, to riding for Great Britain in the Track Nations Cup in April. On the road, the Alba Development Road Team rider claimed the National Criterium Championship victory in Aberdeen just off the back of her dominant display in Ireland - winning every jersey at the Rás na mBan and becoming the second Scot in successive years to win the prestigious race.
Recreational Cycling Award - Pauline Capaldi
A Breeze Network Scotland Champion since 2018, Pauline Capaldi has led over 150 rides and dedicates a lot of personal time and energy to supporting women to cycle. Pauline works hard to promote Breeze and her rides via the Breeze Scotland social media pages. Her rides are incredibly popular because of their regularity and wonderful and encouraging nature, making cycling a safe, enjoyable and sociable experience for women who are nervous about getting started on a bike. Not done there, Pauline is also a member of our Women’s Development Group, which aims to encourage more women into the sport.
Club of the Year presented by Digby Brown – Falkirk Junior Bike Club
Falkirk JBC use cycling to improve people’s lives, be it children who have never owned a bike through the Rock Up & Ride scheme, to holiday hunger programmes in the Falkirk area – both of which encourage people to make cycling a lifelong habit and be part of their growing club. Running multiple sessions a week, the club is focused on young people, so much so that a large part of their coaching workforce are under 18s. Whilst participation is their biggest focus, they do still have a number of riders competing well at a national level, and they have also hosted multiple events across different disciplines this year, from grassroots to elite level.
Male Rider of the Year – Fin Graham
It has been an exceptional season for Fin Graham; building on 2021's Tokyo success, the para-cyclist enjoying an amazing year. Over the past 12 months he has become National, European and World Champion on the road. He also won the National jersey in the TT along with silver medals at European and World champs. Finally, on the boards in Versailles, the Strathpeffer man won three world titles in the Scratch Race, Individual Pursuit and Omnium, claiming a further silver against the clock in the Kilo.
Female Rider of the Year – Neah Evans
Neah Evans' Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games was nothing short of spectacular, winning three medals in the Individual Pursuit, Road Race and Points Race to become Scotland's most successful female cyclist at a single Games. The Road Race silver medal came in Evans' first road race in several years. The University of Glasgow student finished her excellent season by winning the coveted Rainbow Jersey in the Points Race in at the World Championships in Versailles, following on from silver in the Team Pursuit alongside her GB teammates.
