Alasdair Hooper hosts the latest episode of SportSpiel with rising Scottish cycling star Anna Shackley.

The 20-year-old seemingly came out of nowhere back in 2021 when - then aged 18 - she signed for esteemed cycling team SD Worx.

Prior to that she had mostly been focusing on the track with the British national programme, winning multiple Scottish junior national titles before winning the elite British points race and team pursuit titles in 2020.

But during lockdown her coach reached out to the SD Worx team manager and that's where the journey, and subsequent upward trajectory stemmed from.

Fast forward to now and the rider is focusing on the road and has an Olympics appearance under her belt, after she was picked as the only support rider for Lizzie Deignan at the Tokyo games. 

But there is no doubting Shakley's talent and enthusiasm for learning as she aims to develop her skills even more.

In this interview the rider talks all about that quick rise, being involved at an Olympic Games unlike any other as well as her love for scotland - and the scottish weather - among plenty of other topics.

Tune into the podcast episode below

Interview: Alasdair Hooper

All music in this episode is courtesy of Otis McDonald

Image: Getty Sport

With thanks to SD Worx for help setting up this interview