Thanks to the support from Ride For Charlie, I travelled to Huskavana in Sweden with my RFC team for the European Youth xc Championships. It was such a good week, and I learnt so much being there with over 800 other riders from over 28 different countries. The actual racing didn’t go as well as I liked. I punctured in the team relay, one of the qualifying races used for gridding in the main XCO race. I was therefore gridded near the back of over 180 riders at the start line, making it a tough challenge right from the start for me to get through the field of riders.

Although this set me back, I fought hard through the entire race, trying to overtake as many riders as possible in the short time I had. Despite the races not going to plan, I still learnt and experienced so much that week, from the mass starts, technical courses, changing weather conditions, and fantastic team atmosphere at the Scottish Cycling tent. Just from experiencing this high level of racing, I feel it will help me to improve and become a stronger racer, both physically and mentally.

Many thanks Ride For Charlie for this amazing opportunity!