Teen champ gears up for off-season
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A TEENAGE mountain bike champion — who has his sights set on the Olympics in Rio in 2016 — is taking part in another cycling discipline to keep in trim over the winter months.
Iain Paton (17), from Golspie, has already enjoyed success in his new sport by winning the Junior Scottish cyclo-cross title and finishing sixth in the senior event at Clydebank last month.
A cyclo-cross course features pavements, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles and requires the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstacle and remount.
The Edinburgh University student believes taking part in the senior cyclo-cross category is the only way he can ensure being in top condition for next year.
Iain told the Northern Times: “It might be four years away but this is the key time for me if I want to be on the plane to Rio. Cyclo-cross is pretty tough because it incorporates a lot of mountain bike stuff but also a lot of running too.
“Taking the junior events is good fun but the senior events are a step up because some of the guys who do it are in incredible shape. It is bound to help me in the long run — I’m going to be a new man next year.”
Iain, who is a member of the British Cycling Olympic development programme, added: “It’s perfect preparation for the off-season because
“I’ve stepped my training up to a level where I can be competitive with the seniors in these events. I’m already feeling better than ever.
“Hopefully that will be enough to secure a place on the development programme again.”
However, Iain’s place in the team for 2012/13 will be determined by the shape he is in at the start of the competitive mountain bike season in March.
Iain, who carried the Olympic torch through Inverness in July, has found plenty of support from his university, where he is studying for an astrophysics degree.
With regular sessions at the university gym and access to its cycling track and BMX sessions at a local skate park with Scottish Cycling, the former national youth champion admits he is enjoying the experience.
He said: “For me university has been huge — the facilities are all in one place. Most students enjoy the wild side of university and, of course, I like that as much as anyone but discipline is just as important as fitness when you are in my position.”
Bank of Scotland Local Heroes, in partnership with SportsAid, supported 170 of Scotland’s most talented developing athletes before London 2012. As part of Bank of Scotland’s commitment to leaving a sporting legacy, the programme will continue in 2013.
