Molly clinches world BMX title But Strathaven teenager won’t go pro
BMX ace Molly Shearer will stay at the top of the sport for as long as possible, but won’t turn professional.
Dad Scott says the dedicated 16-year-old, who is world champion at Cruiser Women 1729 despite her tender years, will stay on a bike for as long as she can.
Molly returned to Strathaven from the UCI 2018 BMX World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the world title in June, and will now turn her focus on the looming British Championships.
Scott says Molly is simply a typically energetic teenager, but she doesn’t have much ‘down’ time.
He said: “There were dozens of riders in Molly’s category and she has to go through qualifying. She’s top eight in GB, which allowed her to go in the first place.
“She’s bottom of the age group, and having her birthday in November is a bit of a disadvantage, because you have to ride for the year you’re going to be.
“Last year she was in the 15 years’ category and was up against riders who were aged 17 to 24, and this year she’s in that category because she turns 17.
“She’s been doing this for a long time, and her training is pretty intense; she maybe has two days off a week, but she’s usually in the gym or on a bike anyway!
“She’s a teenager – she wants to be out and doing stuff, and she has always been very active.
“It’s like everything else with Molly – she wants to step up her training and do even more.
“I don’t drive her on, Molly doesn’t respond well to that, and does her own thing.
“She comes from a swimming background where every second counts, so she’s already disciplined and she’s dogmatic; when she wants to do something she will keep at it until she has done it.
“She keeps on at herself and is very headstrong, but copes with stress. You can see it, but she copes with it.
“BMX is physical, it’s demanding, and it’s a short career – mid-20s tops – so it’s what’s best for her, but she will stay on a BMX for as long as she can.
“The last time we spoke about what she wants to do, Molly said she wants to be a primary school teacher.”
Molly’s performances over the years have caught the attention of Scottish Cycling, and sprint coach David Daniell has invited her to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow.
Scott said: “The two sports complement each other. BMX is what Molly does competitively, mountain biking is just a hobby of hers.
“She’s going to give that a crack and it’s something that’s a bit different, and might help in the winter. It’s somewhere we can book on a Tuesday between 3pm and 6pm, so we’re going to give that a crack.”
Molly riders for Stephen Murray’s Staystrong charity and receives funding from sportscotland.