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Downhill World Cup: Highland mountain bike riders Louise Ferguson and Douglas Goodwill craving Fort William success

The opening round of the 2024 World Cup season takes place at Aonach Mor this weekend.

Great Britain's Louise-Anna Ferguson in action in the elite women's final at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships at the Ben Nevis Range, Fort William. Image: PA.
Great Britain's Louise-Anna Ferguson in action in the elite women's final at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships at the Ben Nevis Range, Fort William. Image: PA.

Louise Ferguson insists she is fulfilling a dream she considered unattainable as she prepares for mountain biking’s Whoop UCI Downhill World Cup at Fort William.

Ferguson hails from Fort William and attended Lochaber High School – but is now based in Queenstown in New Zealand.

Along with fellow Fort William native Mikayla Parton, Ferguson is among the 35-strong women’s elite field for this weekend’s opening World Cup round.

Reflecting on her journey to the World Cup circuit, Intense Factory Racing’s Ferguson said: “I am local to here – and when you grow up here you get free mountain bike tickets.

“That’s the first time I figured out what downhill was, although I wasn’t really interested in racing.

Louise Ferguson in action at the Downhill World Championships in 2023. Image: Shutterstock.

“Some friends got me into mountain biking, and I remember taking my first downhill bike to the top of the track and putting on every piece of padding I could.

“I managed to get down OK, but it was full on – I shouldn’t have been up there.

“Since then I haven’t been able to stop.

“It was nice to get into racing here. A lot of people told me that if I could get down this track, I would be all right elsewhere.

“I always thought of the World Cup as a massive goal that was unachievable. I tried to get enough points to race and I didn’t quite make it when I first focused on it.

“I can’t remember the year, but I was allowed to be a trails sweeper. They changed the woods section, and it rained a lot. Everyone crashed, it was really traumatic.

“I remember coming down and thinking I had no idea if I could get through it. That was it, the next season I started racing World Cups properly.”

Strong World Championships showing last year

Ferguson enjoyed a strong showing on the Aonach Mor track last year, when she finished fourth in the World Championships.

Louise Ferguson is congratulated by Phoebe Gale and Tahnee Seagrave after her run at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. Image: Shutterstock.

Despite narrowly missing out on a podium finish, Ferguson feels she has plenty to build on in her return to Lochaber.

She added: “After my race run I got a couple of questions, because I was crying. They thought I was upset because I didn’t get on the podium, but actually it was an amazing moment for me.

“Riding through the finish line, with the home crowd, doing everyone proud, felt incredible.

“I would love to go good here – especially in the first race of the season to start the season off well.

“It’s a track I know better than the others.

“I would love to do well at the World Championships in Andorra. I really enjoyed that last year, despite the crazy weather we had.

“It would be great to consistently get into the top 10. We’ve got a lot of competition, which is a great thing. That’s pushing me and the rest of the girls.”

Goodwill looking to continue strides in men’s elite field

Kiltarlity’s Douglas Goodwill is keeping a lid on his expectations as he enters his second season in the men’s elite field.

Goodwill, who represents Triple Five Racing, is among 149 riders looking to come through qualification to be among the final 60 competing in Sunday’s final.

The 19-year-old has yet to come through qualification in a men’s elite World Cup event, but is encouraged with the progress he is making at such an early stage of his senior career.

Kiltarlity downhill mountain biker Douglas Goodwill.

Goodwill said: “It’s everyone’s aim to get into the final on Sunday. I will just take things as they come.

“I am still young and still getting into it – everybody progresses at different rates.

“There are boys who come in and do really well, really fast.

“I did a lot of learning in my first elite season last year.

“I don’t have too high expectations now, which is probably a good thing. The goal is qualifying, and if we can get that far, the goal becomes the semi-final and the final.”

Goodwill recently recorded a 13th-placed finish in the second round of the Portugal Downhill Cup, and feels he is coming into this weekend’s event in a strong place.

He added: “I have ridden the track at Fort William a few times, so I know it well.

“It’s nice when you know every corner that’s coming before you have even looked at the track. For this event, I know where the track is going.

Kiltarlity downhill mountain biker Douglas Goodwill in action.

“I’m really happy with the off-season I have had. It’s the best one I have had yet.

“There was a national round a few weeks ago that I was really ill for. I went down just to ride a bike, I wasn’t really planning to race – but the race ended up getting cancelled anyway.

“I had a wee bit of pre-season in Portugal as well. That was a wee bit of a wake-up call, which I probably needed.

“I was just getting up to speed there. I did two races there, and I did a lot better in the second one.

“I will definitely take positives from that. It’s nice to get a wake-up call out of the way before coming here.”

Among the men’s elite field, Black Isle’s Greg Williamson will come into the event fresh from claiming victory in the opening round of the Scottish Downhill Championships at Ae Forest last weekend, while Grantown’s Jamie Edmondson is also among those competing.

In the men’s junior category, Fort William pair Daniel Parfitt and Sorley Swabey are among the 81 riders, along with Kingussie’s Creag Muir, who will compete for the first time.

Heather Wilson is the only British representative from the 15 riders in the women’s junior category.

Whoop UCI MTB World Cup Round One (Fort William) – Schedule

Saturday – May 4

Noon: Qualification – women’s elite

12.30pm: Qualification – men’s elite

2pm: Qualification – women’s junior

2.15pm: Qualification – men’s junior

3pm: Semi-final – women’s elite semi-final

3.30pm: Semi-final – men’s elite semi-final

Sunday – May 5

11.30am: Final – women’s junior

Noon: Final – men’s junior

1.15pm: Final – women’s elite

2pm: Final – men’s elite

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