Two months on from their selection for the Scotland's Youth Cycling Talent team and Highland Institute of Sport, Highland mountain bikers Magnus Davidson, Kenta Gallagher and Marc Sinclair have passed their first milestone.

A fitness test at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University last weekend confirmed all three are in as good a shape as they were at the peak of the summer's racing season. 
 
“The fitness index tells us very accurately where they are at,” said Scottish Cycling's National Development Coach, Gary Willis.  “They are at the base winter fitness stage of the programme yet they are where they were for peak season fitness last summer.”
 
The results show encouraging signs that the programme is working.  In past years, winter training would have consisted of low intensity cycling on the Learnie Forest trails.  This year they have a structured regime of on-the-bike training, much of it done on the road, with sports science support, Strength & Conditioning HIS Mountain Bikers REJ training and nutritional advice from the Highland Institute.  In a word, the approach is 'professional'.
 
“Of the three, Magnus was the most trained and the other two were riding their bikes,” said Willis.  “It's very encouraging and just shows what a bit of structure and routine training can do.”
 
Fifteen year old Davidson from Cromarty, the oldest of the trio by a year, has big targets in 2007 and is delighted with the progress he is making in the off-season.
 
“The Strength & Conditioning training is a first for us,” he said.  “We never had access to a physio before and the nutrition is all new.  It's helping a lot and you can notice the difference already.  At the fitness test on Saturday we were a lot stronger than before and our power had increased.
 
“My main target next year is to win the British Mountain Bike Championships. By the end of the year I'm hoping to be selected for the British Olympic Development programme for the Mountain Biking programme.  Already I feel I'm on the way.”
 
In 2006 Davidson won the Scottish Cross Country Series Youth title in Aviemore, became North of Scotland Road Champion and is currently third in the British Cycling MTB Youth rankings.  Fourteen year old fellow Black Isler, Sinclaire, from Culbokie, was a sliver medallist in the Scottish Cross Country Juvenile series.  Gallagher, 14 from Inverness took top spot in the Juvenile category of the Scottish Cross Country Series and was a silver medallist in the Scottish Championships, whilst also making a successful debut as a downhill racer.
 
It's a happy coincidence that the three live on the points of an equilateral triangle, half an hour from each other.  It means they are never short of reliable training partners.  It's highly convenient also that the newly upgraded Learnie Red Rock trails are right on their doorsteps.
 
“It's where I started riding and they've been recently developed, so they have grown as I have,” said Davidson. 
 
“Marc and I have been training together for the last year, we are really good friends and we go out and do our long miles together, which is a lot easier than doing it yourself.  Kenta has started to come out training with us as well.  The three of us have become close and they're good training partners.”
 
The proximity of the Learnie trails has played an important part in their development but there's a certain amount of luck that three of the most talented young mountain bikers in Scotland all come from the same area.
 
“It's a strong generation of Highland cyclists and it's obviously a huge advantage that these three all live so close together,” said Willis. “We can do a lot more team training as well as the individual work.
 
“Their main next goal is the 2007 British Champs but longer term we have our eye on this generation as the one representing us in the Olympics.
 
“We want to have an 18 to 19 year old mountain bike squad that are gaining that kind of experience at that age so that when they are in their 20s the multi sport environment of a major Games is no great shock to them.”
 
Said Highland Institute of Sport Manager, Chris Hildrey: “As newly inducted athletes the Mountain Bikers have been a lot of fun to work with.  The guys all work very hard and apply themselves to make the best use of services from the Highland Institute of Sport.
 
“The training group of three means there is good progression through competition and the regular local support provided by Scottish Cycling and their coaching staff has been key to the immediate success of this programme.”
 
The Delhi and London Games might seem a long time away but the Highland boys are already well on track.