Downhill mountain bike racer Bex Reilly is reaping the rewards of moving north for university. After a season in which her upward progress was tempered by its share of crashes in major races, a move to Glasgow is bringing beneficial results. The 18 year old from Auchencairn, Castle Douglas, finished 2009 second overall in the national rankings. She came first in the Scottish Series and second in the Scottish Championships. It was a great season by any standards yet two blots stick vividly in her memory. She said: “I set my goals high and I wanted to be selected for the World Championships in Australia. “I was selected for Great Britain to do two World Cups and put so much pressure on myself that I messed them up. “At Fort William, on one of my favourite tracks, I crashed in qualifying. Then in Slovenia I put too much pressure on myself, crashed and didn’t qualify again. “I showed I had too many weaknesses, there were too many inconsistencies and I also struggled with the whole mental game of racing. “However, I learnt so much from a national point of view so it was the most successful season yet and I know what I have to work on.” It’s an honest assessment from an athlete who has been racing in the uncompromising sport for less than a handful of years, who has improved rapidly as a result of being incredibly competitive. In 2008 she was selected for the Scottish Development Talent team and spent that year learning about how everything works. She is now at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University studying product design and innovation for a term. She is on the University’s Elite Athlete Sports Bursary Program and has been supported by the West of Scotland Institute of Sport since 2008. Her move north brought her closer to WSIS headquarters, the Palace of Art and after two blocks of winter training she is stronger than ever. She said: “I had been working at the David Keswick Centre in Dumfries, mainly learning correct lifting technique. “But I was injured a lot through last season, having hit several trees and rocks, so it was hard to get into a good programme. “When I came to Glasgow I was injury free and have had the last four months to concentrate on working really hard. “Strength is very important for downhill racing and I have been getting world class support from the WSIS. Through them I receive physio, nutrition and lifestyle coaching, which is helping me to get the balance right between an athlete and student lifestyle and ultimately become a better athlete.” The season was due to start informally at Innerleithen last weekend had it not been for snow clinging stubbornly to the forest roads. The race was cancelled yet two more are planned as pre season warm ups before things start in earnest in April. Bex has learnt from some hard lessons in 2009 and is tempering her approach, whilst taking a longer term view of her ultimate goals. “By the time I finish university I’d like to be consistently qualifying for World Cups. Long term, I want to be the best I can be on the international World Cup circuit and a regular on the podium. “After a fantastic new year I'm set to gain as much experience as possible in the new season and make it my most successful year yet.” | 
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