Parcours Wheels At Cicle Classic Contributed By Amelia Tyler
This year, Parcours is very excited to support Alba Development Road Team. A Scottish based Women’s UCI Continental Cycling team, that prides itself on athlete development and really looking after the cyclists, their well being and health. Hoping to set the athletes up for success and moving on wards and upwards in the women’s Pro peloton.
Their season started back in February with some of the athletes, taking part in the British Track Championships, before heading out on the road for the first to the 2024 road season, with the Cicle Classic, in the UK. A team of eight riders took to the race, and we caught up with Amelia Tyler (who finished 5th), with team mate Eilidh Shaw finishing in 2nd.
We learn about how Amelia got into sport, and her transition into cycling. The highs and lows, but the incredible support she’s been given by the Alba team. We also get an insight into the race, the muddy conditions, and the very key team support and aspect to cycling.
Enjoy!
Parcours Wheels At The CiCle Classic 2024
Finishing any cycling race is amazing. After dodging potholes, muddy farm tracks and an elite peloton of 130 cyclists, finishing 5th in the CiCle Classic is euphoric. In 2023, when I crashed out of the race, I thought it was all about luck. It’s not about luck, its grit, team and equipment. 
I have been in competitive sport my entire life; swimming, running and then triathlon. In 2021, after a few broken bones from a cycling race accident, I ironically left tri and focused on the bike. It was a slow transition. I was anxious about the peloton but after cycling down France with my dad the following summer I felt fit and wanted a challenge. I successfully took first place in a couple of local races and was fortunate to ride for Team Ulster at the Ras Na Mban where, as an unknown, I shocked everyone by winning the best Irish rider jersey. The Ras was also my introduction to Alba. The team’s Kate Richardson won the GC and I met Bob Lyons. On the final day of the Ras I moved to Edinburgh to study biomedical science where I have been studying and training for the last 2 years. The following year, Bob invited me to Alba’s training camp where he offered me a place on the team.
My first full season was a steep learning curve and intense from the beginning as I navigated the GB race scene. With the last races of 2023 behind me, I went into winter with Bob as my new coach. Winter training in Edinburgh is tough and two weeks into training I was knocked off my bike by a car. After four weeks, I was physically able to cycle on the roads, but I couldn’t get my mind off the risks. I started taking the bus instead of cycling to lectures and going to the Wattbike on sunny days. It was not until our Calpe training camp that I opened up about this anxiety. With support for Alba, clear roads and university 1,000 miles away, I went on my first solo ride.
After a disrupted winters training, I did not believe I was prepared to race. Without the support from the team, I would not have put myself forward the CiCle Classic. I went to CiCle to support my teammates. Bob and Elaine Lyons have created a strongly supportive team dynamic. They take care of the team, and they push the athletes to perform beyond their own expectations. 
CiCle is a great British race - it is almost always going to be wet. This year, after the wettest 18 months on UK records, the race was a mud bath. CiCle being the first major race of the year, the bunch was very sketchy. As a team, we worked hard to stay towards the front to avoid the madness behind. Even so, I remember a few corners in which I heard the painful noise of carbon meeting tarmac. The first 30km of CiCle was full gas as every girl wanted to be at the front into the first sector. The mud riddled course did not only challenge the riders grip but also our ability to see. 40km in, my glasses were off so I could see through squinted eyes.
By 45km, the race had split to pieces but it was going well for Alba. We had Beth Morrow, Eilidh Shaw and myself in the leading group supporting each other. CiCle is not known as a climber’s course, but the attacks on the short sharp hills whittled the group down. On the last sector, Beth needed a bike change so we were unfortunately down to 2 riders. On the finishing circuit I was relieved to be done with the farm track sectors and focussed on providing the best support to Eilidh. She is a strong sprinter, so I closed any attacks in the last 10km to help preserve her energy. The race dwindled down to 10 at the front. We had all battelled the 104km of true British roads and mud. I wasn’t aware of my position, I just knew Eilidh was ahead. I was delighted to hold onto 5th and aid Eilidh in her 2nd place podium finish. With our faces and bikes were covered in mud, the team united to tell our individual stories of the race. 
Everything can go wrong on the CiCle – it tests the riders and the bikes. It’s the wheel setup that takes the biggest hit. The Parcours wheels with tubeless setup were fantastic. It was essential to ride at a lower pressure – 60 psi – to find a bit of grip and take some of the knocks out of the road. The deep section carbon wheels are stiff, transferring power efficiently to the road surface. I enjoyed them both on the sharp climbs and powering along the flats to get back on the group. After a serious clean of the bike back in my University halls the next morning, I was off on the bike again. With all the sand, mud, water and knocks, they were still true and ran fast for the next race. Do I care what they look like – yeah, I do. The deep section wheels look great against the light blue Handsling bike in Alba colours. They are a great bit of kit.