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Eilidh Shaw signs two-year contract with UAE Development Team
October 9, 2024
Promising Scottish rider Eilidh Shaw has signed a two-year contract with the UAE Development Team.
Promising Scottish rider Eilidh Shaw has signed a two-year contract with the UAE Development Team.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season, taking two domestic wins and picking up her first UCI podiums at the Tour de Feminin. Shaw has been on the team’s radar for some time and won the Scottish national road championships in 2023. She also took a second-placed finish behind new junior world champion Cat Ferguson at a UK race in April, prompting the team’s scouting system to kick into gear.
From there Shaw met with Cherie Pridham, UAE Team ADQ’s Head of Sport, and it wasn’t long before an exciting two-year contract was proposed. Shaw will be one of eight riders from seven nationalities to race for the UAE Development Team in 2025 and the multi-disciplined all-rounder hopes to develop at one of the best teams in the world.
For a rider who first took up cycling at the age of nine, the move to the UAE Development Team felt like the realisation of a life-long dream.
“I did quite a lot of sports when I was younger and it was hard trying to fit everything in but cycling was the one sport I enjoyed the most and I just progressed from there. In the beginning, I was into mountain biking and I absolutely loved bouncing along the trails near my home in Scotland, having fun and being outside. I wanted to get faster so I joined a road team after that, and now I’ve ended up at the UAE Development Team. It’s exactly where I want to be,” Shaw said.
Shaw may have only met with Pridham in the middle of the season but the up-and-coming talent was well aware of the team’s strength and commitment to developing young riders.
“When I was racing in Europe I could see how good their style of racing was. Then when it came to being in contact with the team, everyone was super welcoming and friendly. It looks like a really nice environment to be part of and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone. This will be my first big step in terms of cycling and it will take me to a new level and on a much bigger team. It’s a whole new challenge and there will be lots of learning but I can’t wait to get started,” she said.
Wins in the CANYON Guildford Women's Grand Prix and the Dudley Grand Prix were obvious standout moments for Shaw this year but between June and late August, she was one of the most consistent riders in the UK, picking up top-fives in almost every race she entered. She enjoyed her first WorldTour outing at the Tour of Britain Women for the Alba Development Road Team but it was her results in Tour de Feminin in May, where Shaw finished 11th overall but claimed two impressive podiums, that created the most pride for the rider.
In that race, Shaw went up against some of the best U23 talents in Europe, in a stage race that provided a whole set of challenges.
“I think my first UCI podiums in the Tour de Feminin were a big step for me in terms of my result,” she said.
“It was a stage race, and I’d not done many of them until that point, so to back up those results day after day was really cool. The hills in the race were tough, but they suited me quite well. I had to deal with torrential rain too but I had to pick the right wheels at the right time and it was incredible to get on the podium too. I was Scottish national champion last year too and that meant I got to wear the national stripes this season,” Shaw added.
Another reason Shaw chose to join the UAE Development Team was because of the planned integration between the WorldTour staff and the development team. Riders from the top-tier team will also race with the development athletes at various points, giving Shaw and her new teammates the chance to learn and share experiences with the best in the world.
“That’s really special and the level of integration stood out to me. Not many teams do that and it will give me massive exposure to great things. I get to possibly races with the best riders in the world and I can’t wait,” she said.
The future is incredibly bright for Shaw and she impressed the team with her enthusiasm and obvious talents on the bike.
“I think that my strengths are in the punchy parcours and the one-day races. I’d like to develop into more of an all-rounder and just see where the future takes me. Next year I’d like as much racing exposure in as many different races as possible. I’m still not sure where my skill will develop at that level, so a bit of everything would be really cool,” she said.
Melissa Moncada, the president and head of the team, believes that Shaw’s talent and winning mentality will be key ingredients for the UAE Development Team.
“Eilidh has had some brilliant results this year on the road but it was her personality and passion for the sport that also stood out during our early conversations. We are putting together a highly talented development team and Eilidh has all the qualities required to have a successful future,” Moncada said.
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