With the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships fast approaching, we can reveal the first group of young riders who have qualified for our Race The Worlds finals.

With regional qualifiers taking place across Scotland through the spring and early summer, the Pump Track Series has now reached its conclusion, and we are delighted to announce the first group of Race The Worlds finalists.

Working with clubs and community groups across the country there has been four regional pump track events, a new and exciting style of racing for Scottish Cycling, drawing in seasoned riders and newcomers alike, with a fun, relaxed atmosphere. That didn’t mean there wasn’t some fast, impressive riding by young pump track riders in the U12, U14 and U16 categories though, which there was in abundance!

Kick starting the action was the North East qualifier in Kennoway, Fife on Saturday 6th May, and it set a high bar! With the support of Gavin Harrower from the Kennoway pump track, there was an incredible atmosphere showcasing some promising young talent and giving them their first taste of racing. Feedback from the event gave an overwhelming positive response and has even encouraged new racers to take part in the full series.

Each race started with an open practice session, which allowed riders to familiarise themselves with the track, followed by two race runs, with each rider’s fastest time counting for their final position. This format was used throughout the series.

The East and Central qualifier, hosted by Hawick Urban Bikers, took place on Saturday 20th May, preceding the UK’s qualifier for the UCI Pumptrack World Championships in Argentina later this year. The event was bouncing with excitement at this world class facility, and led to some electric racing - how better to round off the event than having podiums presented by top Scottish riders, Corey Watson, William Brodie and Phoebe Gale, followed by a chance to watch the elite riders practising ahead of trying to qualify for the World Champs.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Bellshill, for the event supported by North Lanarkshire Leisure and Socialtrack, which acted as the qualifying event for both the West and South West regions. We were treated to some excellent pump track racing as part of the Strathclyde Cycle Festival, with riders taking on the course in reverse to add to the challenge! Lots of smiling in the sunshine made this a great fun event!

Rounding out the qualification races was the event at Boat of Garten, and it was great to work with and see the vision of Nick, Nash and the whole team at Woodland Wheels, which has brought this facility to life. The Boat Of Garten pump track is located in stunning woodland, near the community centre and wowed us from the moment we saw it, with steep shark fin features and swooping berms – it was another completely unique setting and facility. After weeks of glorious sunshine, it was typical that the rain arrived the morning of the qualifier. Riders arrived for practice in waterproofs and cautiously navigated the slippy track. Luckily part way through the first race run the clouds began to clear, and the track began to dry.

The skill of the riders was really impressive, and it was great to see both local riders and others that had travelled North for the event competing on the track. The atmosphere was buzzing, with fellow riders and spectators getting behind each rider and cheering them on as they went round the track. It was also great to see a strong representation of female riders competing, with Violet (U14) putting down one of the fastest times of the day and our youngest competitor Isla (who is just five!) finishing on the U12 podium!

Qualifying riders will now be honing their skills, with just six weeks to go until the Pump Track Finals, which are being held at Cathkin Braes, Glasgow on the penultimate day of the World Championships, Saturday 12th August.

So without further ado, here are the first group of qualifiers for the Pump Track finals:

Under 12 Boys

• Auley Black
• Campbell Nicol
• Cooper Black
• Espen Hull-Bailey
• Gillespie McMulkin
• Harry Holmes
• Jack kalnins
• Jake Huggan
• James Michael
• Lucas Odonnell
• Lyle Beattie

Under 12 Girls

• Lowenna McNeil  
• Paige Small

Under 14 Boys

• Adam Welsh
• Caleb Rigg
• David Ron
• Declan Conner
• Finlay Easton
• George Habieshaw
• Hamish MacKintosh
• Jasper Torkington
• Josh Findlay
• Kaiden Inglis
• Olly March

Under 14 Girls

• Eden Smith
• Jessica McMonagle
• Kacey Millar
• Paige Small
• Violet Gunn

Under 16 Boys

• Alex Harrower
• Angus Bryce
• Brian Lewis
• Calum Robertson
• Gordy Archer
• Jamie Hall
• Joe Paterson
• Lewis Cook
• Noah Cossais Benezech
• Patrick Smillie

A massive congratulations to all the riders who have achieved a place in the final - we’re really looking forward to seeing you race again at what is set to be a super exciting event! Glasgow Life are also hosting an activation event during the day, so please do join us to spectate the races and get involved with their activities.

As Official Activation and Legacy partner of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, Scottish Cycling’s Race The Worlds series provides the opportunity for young riders to race on the biggest stage of all later this year, during the World Championships themselves. Each of the regional races were qualifying events, with three available places, per category, to qualify for the final. 

This is the first time Scottish Cycling has delivered a Pump Track racing series, and it was a fantastic opportunity to see the breadth of talented young riders across Scotland, with local communities encouraging that talent and providing opportunities, and the incredible pump track facilities that are accessible for everyone. Hopefully this is the first of many!

A big thank you must go to everyone that attended these events and made the series so fun; the community groups and clubs that worked with us to deliver these events; and the amazing passionate volunteers in the cycling community who keep the sport going. We really hope to see this series continue and grow in the years to come – with a wealth of young talented riders, it would be great to continue providing these opportunities seeing Pump Track develop.