Competing last weekend in a British Nationals Points Series race in Dumfries she finished second. For someone who has only been involved in the sport for little over a year, and having never competed in a national level race, the result is quite astonishing.

Emma’s downhill career started at a car boot sale two years ago, when she bought a cross country bike for £60. After a few fun rides with friends on the cross country trails of the Black Isle’s Learnie Redrock, she took things more seriously and began training with her father each weekend.

“I started by riding cross country but when I heard about downhill it sounded like more of an adrenalin sport,” she said. 

It wasn’t long before she began competing for 777 Mountainbike Racing team, and had ditched the second hand bike in favour of a high tech, full suspension model, with a big contribution towards it from her sponsor, Kenny’s Auto of Inverness.

It might not be everyone’s idea of fun to hurtle flat-out for three kilometres down a hill-side, negotiating  technical features along the way, but Emma has real talent for the downhill discipline. Last year, in her first season, she finished second in the Scottish Championships against the country’s best senior and junior riders.

“It’s not very often you find a girl with the natural talent Emma has,” said Scottish Cycling’s Downhill Coach, Chris Ball who invited her to a selection day last October and has since been training her on the organisation’s Academy programme.

“Over the winter we put her on a technique based programme with a heavy emphasis on psychology and preparatory stuff - call it a tactical approach to competition - and building an aerobic base.  With junior girls these are usually the first things they need to work on and she’s taken to it extremely well.”

As she improves another important area of support has opened up.  This month Scottish Cycling put her forward to the Highland Institute of Sport, which helps Scottish governing body-identified athletes by providing high performance expertise.  In being selected she now has access to essential support services locally in sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, and career and lifestyle guidance.

“Their support has been great,” says Chris.  “We predominantly do our training camps in the Borders and because she is so far away the Highland Institute give her lots of support, supplying a car for her to travel to events.  They have been great with local support such as providing physio.  Good to have that.”

For a season opener it doesn’t get a lot better than the past fortnight. 

“In the first round of the Scottish series a couple of weeks ago I got second, then I got second last weekend in my first nationals race,” said Emma, who credits Chris Ball’s winter coaching for much of her improvement, in particular her improved fitness.

“Last year I wasn’t very fit so I’ve been concentrating on my endurance and recently I’ve been doing lots of sprinting on my downhill bike to increase my power.  After my exams this summer I’m planning to start at the gym at Inverness Leisure.” 

Her on-the-bike plans for the summer include regular appearances in Scottish and British series events.  She is targeting two rounds of World Cup events in the junior women’s category, ‘mainly for experience’.  Fortunately one of them takes place at not too far away Fort William on the first weekend of June.

“Fort William will be her first World Cup event and it doesn’t get much bigger,” said Chris Ball.    .  “Having not done a national event until this weekend, where she did incredibly well, to be racing in a  World Cup event in a GB jersey in a matter of weeks is exponential progress!”

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