When the Alba Development Road Team launched in early 2022, I looked on with a mixture of excitement, admiration and scepticism.

It was a novel and ambitious idea.

Alba would be Scotland’s only women’s road cycling team and the team’s primary objective was to develop riders to a point where they would be able to make the step up to becoming fully professional riders.

On paper, it was an excellent idea; who wouldn’t be in favour of Scotland having a team that would support riders as they aimed for the top level of the sport.

However, the easy part was making the plan, much more difficult was actually executing this plan.

It’s unspeakably hard to set up a successful enterprise like this, even harder to ensure it continues longer-term.

On a base level, the money required to set up and then maintain a road cycling team is immense.

Literally hundreds of thousand pounds is the bare minimum required and, in this current financial climate, that’s quite an ask.

But Bob Lyons, of whom Alba Road Team was the brainchild, held an unwavering belief that he could make this idea work.

Alba Development Road Team was Bob Lyons' idea (Image: Alba Development Road Team) Nearly three years on, Lyons has been proven unequivocally right, and all of my scepticism has been proven entirely wrong. Which is something I’m delighted to admit.

Alba Road Team’s third season........

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