Evie Strachan climbing the mountain to glory

Strachan, 16, from Stafford, might be in the embryonic stages of her mountain biking career, but she is already making waves on the senior stage.

Staring down the barrel of her first World Championships this year, she feels ready for the big time and is optimistic she can make the grade for LA 2028.

She will seek to emulate the heroics of another British biker by the name of Evie, aspiring to reach the heights of former cross-country world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Evie Richards.

“I’ve always looked up to Evie Richards,” she said, after being selected by Aldi – the official supermarket partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and official partners of Team GB Nearest & Dearest Programme, supporting athletes’ families. “She was the world champion and is a British rider.

“She is someone I’ve always been thinking is cool. I want to follow her attitude towards sport, then also just her results in general and performance.

“I definitely want to mimic how they’re riding [at the Olympics] – they seem to be riding more technically and faster, and I really want to mirror that in my own training and riding.”

An incredible 65 per cent of athletes in Paris with Team GB have received financial support and recognition from SportsAid during their sporting journey so far. That’s 224 out of 351 members of the British team.

Strachan is one of 1,000 athletes supported each year by SportsAid, who provide crucial financial support as well as offering development opportunities through workshops and visits.

Strachan has also reaped the rewards of SportsAid’s partnership with Aldi, who also provide vital media training and nutrition sessions, as well as funding the Parent Pathway Series – a series of tailored online sessions for parents and guardians to ensure SportsAid athletes are getting the best family support they can.

Family is at the centre of cycling for Strachan, with passion for the sport similarly burning bright in her father and siblings.

“They were really excited about it,” she added, reflecting on her family’s reaction to her World Championships call-up. “It’s new to all of us, kind of stepping off each level. We are learning together, and I think that’s good and they’re supportive of it.

“They’re hoping to go out [to the Worlds] themselves and that’d be good. It’s an experience for all of us.

“I think it will definitely calm the nerves a bit [to see her family in the crowd] and I think it would feel more kind of comforting to know like there’s people cheering you on and they’re people who know you.”

As warranted to athletes competing on the world stage, Strachan is beginning to get her fair share of media attention, gaining a glimpse of the spotlight in a promotional day for SportsAid and Aldi in Poynton.

The opportunity to be part of the SportsAid and Aldi promotional campaign means they will receive enhanced financial Aid Award, to help with the cost of competing, training, and participating in sport, a monthly fruit and vegetable voucher, redeemable at Aldi stores nationwide until the end of the 12-month SportsAid award period, a private tour of Team GB’s Kitting Out experience and media training and nutrition sessions.

Despite being at a very early stage of her career, Strachan is not letting the bright lights get to her. She said: “I started off with a photo shoot today for SportsAid and Aldi. It’s been a long morning, but it’s been good to just promote all their funding and their products.

“It’s been exciting. I think I was a bit nervous when I was starting – I’ve never done anything like this.

“I think I was one of the youngest athletes they said they’ve had all day, so it’s been interesting, but it was good fun.

“It’s really motivated me to keep on top of it. I’m hoping to do more stuff like this and improve on these different areas.”

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

While the grant has been immensely valuable to Strachan in funding her progression, it’s what she has learnt on the mentality side of things that also stands out to her – discovering how to live the life of an elite athlete.

“SportsAid has helped me definitely step up towards that elite level by improving my nutrition, sleep, training, and kind of getting a better idea of how everything works,” she added. “The grant’s been helpful with funding everything. I think cycling can be expensive, especially with like mechanics and equipment, and it’s really helped me fund that and make sure I’m keeping on top of everything, improving everything, especially internationally where everything gets a bit more serious.

“They’re helping me step up further to that elite level – I’m going abroad more, doing higher level racing and point chasing to get better results.”

n Aldi and SportsAid are now in their third year of partnership. In 2024, they are supporting six local athletes, who will be part of SportsAid and Aldi promotional campaign, receive enhanced financial Aid Award, a monthly fruit and vegetable voucher, a private tour of Team GB’s Kitting Out experience and a media training and nutrition sessions. For more information visit https://www.sportsaid.org.uk/partners/our-partners/aldi