Teenagers’ dream of women’s pro peloton

She may only be 16 years old but Ripon’s Ella Jamieson is a girl with a dream to take on the women’s pro peloton.

With the eighth edition of La Course by Le Tour de France starting this week, Jamieson has hopes to one day race with the elites as part of Great Britain’s road cycling team.

Jamieson first started cycling when she was 12 years old after her stepdad, Paul Shears, encouraged her to accompany him on cycle ride and went on to train with Clifton Cycling Club in York.

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Four years later, Jamieson now trains with the GB Apprentice squad, and has hopes to race in the women’s Tour de France, the Olympics, and beyond.

“The Olympics at some point would be amazing if track works out for me,” she said.

“I only started two years ago so I’m not as skilled on the track, and the road is definitely my favourite.

“To feature in the women’s Tour de France one day would be incredible. It’s so inspiring to see it finally going ahead next year.

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“I love Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig – she’s so cool! I love the fact that she’s always smiling and up for giving it a go.”

Jamieson certainly has the experience to be a world-class rider in the future, having finished third at the National Road Championships in 2019, and has ambitions to work her way up the British Cycling pathway to be one of the best Britain has to offer.

Having just finished her GCSEs at Ripon Grammar School, Jamieson now spends most of her time cycling, racing, or having a café stop at Johnny Baghdad’s in Masham.

Jamieson said: “I love cycling because of the opportunity to meet so many different people. I’ve made so many friends through it, all kinds of people. It’s so nice to bring that all together.

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“There are only seven girls on the GB apprentice squad, but we’re from all over so it’s nice to have different interactions with people I wouldn’t necessarily be able to talk to in everyday life.”

Jamieson’s career has been supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Wall’s Pastry, with an innovative on-pack Wall’s promotion giving consumers a chance to win a handful of money-can’t-buy experiences.

The on-pack promotion launched earlier this month and involves 50p from every pack sold going towards supporting the next generation of SportsAid stars.

Wall’s Pastry is proud to be championing the next generation of UK athletes. For more information about Wall’s Pastry or the on-pack promotion, please visit www.walls-pastry.co.uk/.

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