STIRLING cyclist Kerry MacPhee is one step closer to Commonwealth Games selection after meeting the qualifying criteria for mountain biking at the weekend.

Kerry who is originally from South Uist in the Outer Hebrides but has made Stirling her home for the last 9 years met the criteria at the first round of the British elite mountain bike series in Essex.

MacPhee has spent the best part of this year training and racing across Europe with the Scottish National team, and it looks like the hard work is beginning to pay off. The race wasn’t without its drama’s though as Kerry punctured a tyre on the 3rd of five laps, forcing her to bike with a flat rear tyre for half a lap and losing 1min 30sec in the process whilst dropping from 2nd to 6th place.

This didn’t deter her though and she quickly moved back into 4th place, finishing within 106% of the winning rider, Top 30 world ranked rider Githa Michels of Belgium, as per the criteria.

MacPhee said: “It was a tough race, particularly after puncturing and having to really push to stop me dropping too much time until I was able to get a wheel change but I knew from the start of that race that I was biking well so it wasn’t difficult to stay calm and focus. I have never been so drained crossing a finish line and I am ecstatic that it is all coming together”.

Next up for Kerry is a 5 day stage race in Holland with the National Road Race Team as she works towards selection for the road team also.

Following this will be another opportunity to achieve the qualifying standard for mountain bike in the Czech Republic before heading off again with the road team to Belgium and Holland. The final race before the Commonwealth games teams are announced will be a mountain bike race in Cornwall.

Kerry credits her quick progression in the sport to local businesses and groups who have got behind her to help her realise her dream. Providing bikes, mechanical support, servicing and kit amongst other things for Kerry are local bike shop Rock and Road Cycles in Bridge of Allan.

She said: “Rock and Road were there at the start when I was still very much focused on triathlon and the relationship has just developed and grown from there.

“At the moment I am travelling so much with both the mountain bike team and the road bike team that I would be stuck without them taking care of my bikes and making sure I am as prepared to races as possible, they have been invaluable. I don’t think I would be where I am in the sport without them”.

Another shop to get behind Kerry recently are Stirling Optical on Port Street. They are supporting Kerry by helping her with every aspect of her eye care, from contact lenses to race glasses. She continued: “Every athlete wants to be seen in a pair of Oakley sunglasses however my budget has never quite stretched to being able to justify a pair so I was thrilled when Stirling Optical suggested I pop in. They are thee sports glasses to have. Besides my bikes, my glasses are the only constant at the moment as I chase qualification!! They are also helping me financially which is a massive help in allowing me to continue traveling and racing” Kerry has been a regular on the triathlon scene in Scotland over the past 3 years and up until the goal of achieving games qualification took over, she was regularly coaching and training at The Peak based Stirling Triathlon Club.

MacPhee added:“Just before I made the switch to cycling, my focus was very much triathlon and the club supported me financially to pursue my triathlon goals and also help with the cost of coaching fees. Thankfully they are completely behind my decision to switch solely to cycling and it looks like that decision is paying off. I am very grateful to the club for their continued support”. You can follow Kerry’s progress via her twitter page @kerrymacphee.