Building Confidence: Hervelo’s Intro to Cross Series
A pic from our recently completed CX coaching sessions
Over the last few years, Hervélo riders have become a familiar sight on the Scottish cyclocross scene.
What started with just a couple of riders pinning on numbers has grown into a whole crew lining up in muddy fields and parks across Scotland.
But like much of bike racing, cyclocross still sees significantly more men participating than women.
The reasons are complex and systemic. While we can’t fix the whole system overnight, we can create welcoming, supportive spaces that help women feel confident enough to give ‘cross a go.
This year, thanks to funding from Scottish Cycling through their Women and Girls Fund, we were able to do exactly that.
From Club Rides to Coached Sessions
Hervélo has previously run cyclocross club rides, but this project allowed us to go a step further. We delivered a series of four coached introduction to cyclo-cross sessions, specifically designed to build skills, confidence and community.
To make it happen, Jodie, Lauren and Lizelle gained their Intro to Coaching qualifications, enabling them to lead structured, supportive sessions for riders who were new - or returning - to cross.
The aim of the sessions was simple:
Give women the confidence and skills to race cyclocross.
The Impact
Across the four sessions:
16 different riders took part
4 riders entered a cyclocross race afterwards, having never raced before
1 returning rider entered a race after time away from competition
For us, one statistic stands out the most:
Four riders who had never raced cyclo-cross before entered a race following the sessions.
From “Maybe One Day” to the Start Line
For many women, the biggest barrier to racing isn’t fitness, it’s confidence.
One participant, Emma, had wanted to try cross for years but didn’t want to turn up alone, worried she would be unprepared, was lacking skills and whether she even had the right bike. After attending the sessions, she entered the Round 2 of the Superquaich series - something she says she would not have done otherwise - and had “the best fun” on race day.
Taking part in the sessions meant she wasn’t really alone on race day, bumping into familiar faces on the startline and practising key skills and riding sections of the course in advance, helped reduce pre-race nerves.
And apparently hearing Lauren’s voice in her head, mid-race, going on about momentum was useful - we’ll have to agree to disagree on this point!
📷 Steve Murphy
Emma showing us how it’s done at her first cross race!
What Made the Sessions Work?
The feedback from riders exceeded all our expectations:
“Friendly. Supportive. Confidence-building.”
“Loved learning new skills - it was structured in a great, fun, engaging way.”
“Fun, really good briefings and explanations, felt safe, learnt a lot.”
Our three coaches, have vastly different cycling and cyclocross experiences, each bringing an alternative perspective to the sessions. We’re delighted that we were able to foster an environment where people felt comfortable enough to try something new, makes mistakes, laugh and improve.
Growing the Women’s Cross Community
Beyond the skills gained and races entered, these sessions introduced more women to the amazing Scottish Women’s Cyclocross community. New riders met regulars. Experienced cross racers passed on tips. Familiar faces on start lines helped ease a few nerves.
This is how community grows, with people showing up, learning from each other, and building momentum together.
We’re so proud of everyone who came along, gave something different a go, and supported others. And we’re looking forward to seeing even more women on cyclocross start lines next season.
Cross is muddy, chaotic, challenging and most importantly, great fun!
And there’s plenty of room for more women to get involved!
📷 Steve Murphy
Feel like you missed out?!
Fear not - we have an upcoming series of FREE coached road cycling sessions running through Spring and Summer also funded by Scottish Cycling.
Some dates for your diary:
Session 1: Saturday 25th April - Cornering
Session 2: Saturday 16th May - Bunch/Group Riding
Another two sessions with a bigger focus on crit/road racing will follow later in the summer with dates TBC
Session 3: Sprints
Session 4: Teamwork & Tactics