Neah Evans and Neil Fachie head up a strong north representation in the Team Scotland cycling squad for the Commonwealth Games.
Evans, who hails from Cuminestown near Turriff, will be looking to follow up her silver and bronze medals at the Games on the Gold Coast four years ago.
Alongside her will be one of Great Britain’s most decorated Commonwealth athletes in Fachie, with the Aberdonian looking to defend gold medals from 2014 and 2018 in the tandem kilo and sprint.
Alness rider Kyle Gordon is heading to his second consecutive Games, after making his debut in Australia four years ago. Fellow Highlander Finn Crockett, from Strathpeffer, will be part of the road race after an impressive 2022 which included victory in the Melton-Rutland Classic.
The newcomer to the squad is Lauren Bell, who is from Forres but trains in Manchester. She is part of the Team GB sprint squad and competed at the Track Nations Cup in Glasgow last month.
Aviemore’s Ellie Stone has also been named in the squad as a pilot for one of Team Scotland’s para-riders.
The Games get underway in Birmingham at the end of July, however the cycling will be held at the Lee Valley Velodrome in London.
Strong team
Evans was part of the team pursuit squad which won silver at the Tokyo Olympics last year and also picked up two bronze medals at the World Track Cycling Championships in October.
Her close friend Katie Archibald is going to be a key player in the Scotland squad for Birmingham, with the two possessing a formidable partnership on the track.
Fachie’s four gold medals tie the record for the most by a Scotsman at the Commonwealth Games, alongside Allan Wells and Alex Marshall. He also has four Paralympic Games medals to his name.
Gordon, who will turn 34 just before the Games begins, competed in the individual pursuit, points race, scratch race and time trial four years ago and will be part of the men’s endurance squad, alongside Archibald’s brother John.
Sprint-specialist Bell came second in the 500m time trial at the British Championships earlier this year and third in the team sprint. She was a double British champion in 2020.