Linlithgow hot-shot Cameron Mason raring to go ahead of British National Cyclo-cross Championships

The Cyclo-cross Reds star, 23, comes into the event on the back of a whirlwind 12 months having produced the best ride of his life back in November when he broke the glass ceiling, earning a first-ever podium spot for a Britain cyclist at the European Cyclo-cross Championships, taking home silver in France seven seconds behind two-time major winner Michael Vanthourenhout. Mason also secured a top 15 finish in UCI World Cup as he continues his meteoric rise.

And now he is now hoping to win retain the British Championship title when he takes to the course on Saturday afternoon for the elite men’s race, going up against the likes of well-fancied National Series winner Thomas Mein and current Scottish champion Lewis Martin.

"Some things are easier and some things are a little bit more stressful,” Mason said looking ahead to action. “I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed and my mum and dad will cook me dinner but of course being there is some added pressure on me with it being here in Falkirk.

"I’ll see a lot of familiar faces and people I know. You want to perform on home soil. But I am looking forward to it and I am hoping that I can take advantage of it. I have been racing here since I was 10/11 years old and I know how the course works inside-out.

“I’m a bit stiff after a crash last week at the World Cup in Belgium but I am feeling good to go. I hit the deck hard but I have recovered well. The level of British Cyclo-cross has gone up a notch.

"We have guys and girls racing over in Belgium every single week now. The competition only gets harder each year so you need to make sure you also improve.”

Mason, who now lives in Cyclo-cross daft Belgium, has managed to make a name for himself not only in this discipline, but also in mountain biking and gravel with cyclocross, and this past season he also won the British Marathon Mountain Bike Championship and had two podiums at UCI Gravel World Series events.

But he says that he isn’t looking too far into the future and that he is simply enjoying life at his new team Cyclo-cross Reds, who he joined back last year after leaving Trinity Racing for a ‘new challenge’ after feeling like he was beginning to stagnate.

“I haven’t had much time to stop and think about it,” he said. “That is probably a good thing. The European Cyclo-cross silver was a big moment. When I get to February and have some time to wind down, I am sure I will look fondly on this season. I’ve made big steps forward and hopefully the Championships this weekend will round that off.

“But you have to keep going. I’m out two times a week most weeks. You don’t get time to think about what you achieved. Being at home has been a bit of a reset but my focus is on trying to retain my crown this weekend.

"There isn’t a set way to do things. That goes for any sport. If you are made of the right stuff then you can really go to the top. There will always be a space in cycling for me. Maybe it has taken a little longer than the average young rider to get to this point, but I am just doing the same things they did. I just used a different path.”

Back home, Mason believes that Falkirk hosting the British Championships will be a boost the the sport’s popularity locally and across Scotland, with event following on from the UCI Cycling World Championships held in Glasgow at the tail end of last year.

He said: “It is massive. Even if it inspires five or ten kids to try it out and give a race a go then it is a massive win for the sport. I think you saw with the UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland last year that seeing people riding past their doorstep really does inspire. The city centre in Glasgow was packed out.

“You can’t show kids what it is possible if they can’t see it. People will be in Callendar Park and see it happen. Having role models is so important and the higher the level of the race, the better, and this is the best of the best in Britain.

“We’ve had the National Series come here before but this is the Championships and that really means something, it shows to the local community and clubs like Falkirk Junior Bike Club who are helping organise the event that cycling wants to invest across Scotland.

“Callendar Park is a stunning venue and it deserves to host an event like this. It is a challenging course too.”

The rider is also a keen YouTuber and has been vlogging his cycling journey to over 22,000 subscribers, and he says that he will be once again wearing his GoPro this weekend as he looks to inspire younger cyclists.

“I’ve been at it so long now,” he explained. “There is a real timeline of my development which I like. Back in 2017 looking forward to now, it is amazing really, going from being at the back of races, hitting the top 40s and 50s to making podiums on the elite stage.

“I want to show younger people that I am doing anything special. I am working hard everyday and trying my best to optimise what I do. I use my passion to fuel what I do – there is no hidden secret to being good on your bike, you simply have to enjoy it and work hard.”