Year 13 student Elizabeth McKinnon’s cycling achievements have been outstanding, being selected for Team GB and winning three national trophies out of six over the last year. She recently won The National Trophy Cycling competition and has also just achieved second place in the British Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships in the Lake District.

After completing her GCSE studies at Oxclose Community Academy, Elizabeth chose Durham Sixth Form Centre to study Maths, Chemistry and Biology alongside spending her spare time competing in national and international cycling competitions.

During November 2021, Elizabeth was delighted to be selected for Team GB and competed in the Netherlands in the European Championships, the youngest to compete in her category. September 2022 saw Elizabeth being selected again for Team GB after success in another national competition. Over ten days in November she went out with GB to Belgium and competed in three races. Firstly, the UCI World Cup Maasmechelen Cyclo-Cross and then against professional elite cyclists Fem van Empel and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (gold medal Olympian) in Koppenburg, later progressing onto the European Championships. 

Elizabeth’s first international podium was in December when she came third in Antwerp racing for Team GB against cyclists from across the world. She is hoping to be selected again for the 2023 UCI Cyclo Cross World Championships, which take place in Hoogerheide in the Netherlands. Beyond that Elizabeth will be participating in road cycling and mountain biking seasons until the Cyclo-Cross season starts again. 

Following her studies here at Durham Sixth Form Centre, Elizabeth hopes to become a professional cyclist, alternatively to progress to a university which has a great cycling programme, to study Pharmacology.

We wish Elizabeth all the very best – I’m sure we are seeing a future Olympian!