Cycle Aberdeenshire, as Live Life Aberdeenshire’s umbrella brand for cycling within Aberdeenshire Council, are delighted to confirm that they have entered a third year of their mutual partnership with the Aberdeenshire based UCI Continental Women’s cycling race team, Handsling Alba Development Road Team.
With their third full season in 2024 having brought huge success with Eilidh Shaw claiming the UK National Road Series and the National Circuit Series titles and many other top performances across the UK and Europe, the team, under the guidance of team owner and manager Bob Lyons, has bolstered the squad with a number of new riders including Olympic Track Cycling medallist, former World Track Champion and Aberdeenshire’s own Neah Evans.
Eilidh has now signed for the Team UAE Development Team and that progress defines the overall aims of the Handsling Alba Development Road Team and their prime objective of providing the platform, support, guidance, mentoring & race programme to fulfil potential and achieve individual aspirations.
The full 2025 team roster is (GB unless stated):
Keira Bond (USA)
Neah Evans
Amy Gornall
Mari Porton
Maddie Leech
El King
Arianne Holland
Beth Morrow
The renewed partnership will see the team continue to utilise the Press Reader application, available to all Aberdeenshire residents via Live Life Aberdeenshire library service, so that the riders can stay abreast of news and magazine articles whilst away from home at races.
The team assisted Cycle Aberdeenshire with the successful presentation of the “Bike Blethers” event in November 2024 at Inverurie Community Campus, and 2025 promises a year of insights and highlights within the elite pelotons of women’s cycling at home and abroad. The team will also adopt the Cycle Aberdeenshire Women’s and Girl’s Cycling Ambassador role that has been held by Neah Evans since 2023, with the team now collectively taking on that mantle and providing themselves as fantastic exemplars to girls and women of all ages across Aberdeenshire.
Team manager Bob Lyons, speaking after the team’s official launch for 2025 said “2024 really was an amazing year with Eilidh’s achievements and her transfer across to the Team UAE Development Team is the example that defines the ethos and ambitions of the team. We are delighted to now be entering our third year with Cycle Aberdeenshire and the promotion of cycling, and specifically Women’s and Girls cycling through all our riders adopting the Cycle Aberdeenshire Women’s and Girl’s Cycling Ambassador role that Neah has performed individually over the past two years.”
Councillor Anne Stirling, Deputy Leader of Aberdeenshire Council and Chair of the Communities Committee, said “I can’t believe that we are now into our third year of partnering with the Alba Development Road Team, with last year being topped off by the fantastic “Bike Blethers” event in Inverurie. 2024 saw our cycling activity grow across Live Life Aberdeenshire with the launch and successful embedding of the “Bringing the bike to you” programme and I hope that Alba have another successful year with the existing and new squad members, and it’s great to see that Aberdeenshire representation with Neah joining the team”
The photo provided shows the 2025 Handsling Alba Development Road Team and is courtesy of Jude Bytheway