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Three Highland mountain bikers aiming for World Championship glory in France

Bethany McCully (right) with Aimi Kenyon.
Bethany McCully (right) with Aimi Kenyon.

Three junior riders from the Highlands are representing Great Britain in the Downhill World Championships in France this weekend.

Aimi Kenyon, from Sunnyside Culloden, along with Contin’s Bethany McCully will both be part of the women’s junior final on Saturday after coming through Thursday’s qualification event.

Kirkhill’s Douglas Goodwill is also making his World Championship debut in the men’s junior event at the tournament, which is being held at Les Gets.

All three riders are members of the Black Isle Mountain Bike club.

Kenyon, who is 16, is enjoying a memorable first year as a junior.

Aimi Kenyon.

She is guaranteed to finish at least fifth in the overall World Cup standings this year, which will make her the top first year junior in 2022.

Kenyon, who represents the Pink Bike Downhill team, has also enjoyed podium finishes, with a third placed finish at the World Cup in Fort William in May followed by a runner-up spot at Snowshoe in West Virginia last month.

Goodwill, who is 17, has also enjoyed a successful season on the World Cup stage.

Kirkhill mountain biker Douglas Goodwill in action.

He also had a strong showing in the Fort William event, when he finished sixth out of 56 riders in the junior men’s event.

Having travelled to France, Goodwill, who represents 555 RAAW Gravity Racing, has acknowledged the scale of this weekend’s event.

Goodwill added: “It’s something we have been working towards for a number of years.

“A World Cup is nothing like you find anywhere else racing-wise, but this is another level.

“There seem to be a lot more people here, there were crowds here for the first day of practice. You don’t really get that at a World Cup.”

Fort William World Cups provided McCully’s inspiration

McCully, who is 18, comes into the World Championships with success very recently behind her.

After becoming the British Junior Downhill champion at Glencoe last month, McCully picked up another victory in the British Downhill Series at Caersws in Wales a fortnight ago.

McCully is not assigned to a team and only took up mountain biking in 2018.

Contin mountain biker Bethany McCully.

She is eager to maintain her recent rise, adding: “It means a lot, in showing how much I have come on since becoming the British champion and winning the last national.

“To now qualify for this is so great, I’m really happy.

“I mainly just wanted to qualify and now I have, so I just want to ride the best I can.

“We live quite near Fort William, so I saw the World Cups there. I just thought it was so cool, and I wanted to do it.

“The Black Isle MTB club have helped so much and given me all these opportunities to race in downhill events, and get to the national levels.

“Now three of us are here racing in the World Championships, which is amazing.

“I couldn’t have done it without my mother Kerri, who has been amazing.”

Black Isle MTB club proud of teenagers’ success

Kenyon and Goodwill have been associated with the Black Isle Mountain Bike club since the ages of eight and six respectively.

Since it was established 10 years ago with only a handful riders involved, the club now has more than 60 members attached to it.

Colin Ferguson, who is the club’s coaching co-ordinator, said: “The club has been going for 10 years now, and this is the first time we have had international representatives.

“All three have had British jerseys for World Cup events, but the World Championships is a different kettle of fish. It’s a one-off race.

“The club are really proud of all three of them.

“We are delighted they are progressing their careers. It looks like they are actually going to be able to do it long term and make a career out of it, which is fantastic.

“To travel the world and ride your bike, you can’t really get any better than that.”

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