Edinburgh rider Innes McDonald (Scottish Offroad Race Team) is only 16 years old but already has 11 years of riding and racing under his wheels.
Last season Innes won the British U16 Cyclocross Championship and this year he has taken the Scottish Junior CycloCross title, the British Junior XCC Championship, the British Junior/Senior XCC Series, as well as the fifth round of the British Cycling National Cross Country Series.
Recently Innes represented Great Britain for the first time, at the World Mountain Bike Championships in Andorra in both the Cross Country Relay (XCR) and the Cross Country Olympic (XCO) and was selected as a very worthy recipient of a 2024 Braveheart Fund Award in the Spring.
How did you get into the bike scene Innes, you started pretty young?
“Yes, I was brought up on bikes.
“I had my first balance bike when I was two and would ride away ahead of my parents when walking around town. Then we started going to Glentress when I was four or five.
“I started racing when I was six after my dad saw a Facebook post about a local cyclocross Race at Linlithgow.
“In my last u16 cross race, I went back to Linlithgow cross with the British Champion’s jersey on.”
You’re an Edinburgh lad, what got you into MTB as a specialism?
“Mountain bike has always been the primary form of riding that I did growing up with my family and that’s transferred over to being my favourite form of racing.
“I like the technicality of off-road riding compared to road riding.”
You’re still junior but you’re building a pretty impressive palmarès so far (this year’s Scottish Junior Cyclocross Champion, British Junior XCC Champion and British Junior/Senior XCC Series Winner). What’s the result that gives you the most satisfaction?
“That’s definitely winning the British Junior XCC Championship.
“First, it was my first mountain bike British Championships win.
“Second, after I broke my wrist, one of the first things I said to my parents was ‘I can still win the XCC’ and I believed this the whole time despite what the doctors said.
“It was also a super-close race as my form was worse after the time off from the injury. So, to prove my belief right and not let an injury stop me made it even more meaningful.”
As you say, you won the short track British Championships with a broken wrist, having taken a tumble a couple of weeks before the race, that shows some ‘grinta’…
“Yes, I had only completed a couple of road rides before race day with no pain.
“Going in, I went knowing a couple of painkillers and the adrenalin would mean I wouldn’t even feel it while racing, and an evening’s extra pain was totally worth it.
“There was definitely some risk, but I knew I had I really good shot at the win and that in the end even if I did hurt it again, I had plenty of time to heal it up before World Championships.”
You rode the c in Andorra in August, in the relay with Charlie Aldridge and fellow Scot, Peebles lass Isla Short. How did that go, and how did you find racing at altitude?
“My lap in the relay was my first experience at altitude.
“It’s difficult to describe exactly why it’s so hard but I just found my heart rate felt worse despite putting out lower power.
“I was a bit over-excited – the course was great fun – and I didn’t pay enough attention to how the course changed after the rain as I should have, which lead to some crashes and a chain-off.
“The experience was, of course, insane and a really strong last lap by Charlie got us back into the top ten so in the end we were fairly happy with the result.
“It was special being able to race with so many other Scots as well, and that made it a memorable experience”.
Still a school student, will you be staying on to do sixth year?
“Yes, I am staying on for my final year of high school albeit on a reduced schedule.
“This year, I am only taking two Advanced Highers in Computing Science and Maths, allowing me to keep the training volume high and making it easier to catch-up if I have to miss school for races or training.”
What are your plans when you finish school next summer and what are your long-term goals?
“Currently, I’m planning on giving myself a chance to become a professional cyclist, focusing on cross-country mountain bike and cyclocross.
“If I want to go to university later, I already have the grades that I need.”
What goals do you have for the rest of the year?
“The rest of this year will mostly be focused on cyclocross, with my main focus being on trying to do well at international crosses with top 10 results in UCI races.
“Also focusing on the British Championships and qualifying for the World Championships at the end of the season.”
Lastly Innes, how has the Braveheart Fund assisted you?
“Sadly, one of the most difficult parts about cycling as a sport is how much everything cost.
“It all adds up and the Braveheart Fund really helps to ensure I can get some of the equipment I need and get to all the races I need to do to reach my goals.”
With thanks to Innes for his time and wishing him all the best for the forthcoming ‘cross season.
This interview was originally published on the Scottish Cycling Foundation site.
