TYLER Clare has moved his cycling career up a gear after signing a major deal with a team based in Spain.<\/p>\n
Tyler Clare (right) has signed up with a team in Spain.<\/p>\n
The Inverness athlete has agreed a contract with Natural Greatness Rali Ale which will be one of the teams competing in the Copa Espana Series during 2026.<\/p>\n
Clare (20) is now preparing to head out to Alcoi and is looking forward to taking on top riders from across Europe as he reinforces his reputation as one of Scotland\u2019s top cyclists.<\/p>\n
Clare says it is a huge milestone in his career and is relishing the challenge of competing at the highest level of cycling of his life so far.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe team had a scout who is based in Britain and I was in contact with him last year. He got in touch with me and I was offered a place in the main team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am about to move to Alcoi which is located between Alicante and Valencia where the team is based. They will be competing in the Copa Espana Series, where the team\u2019s ambition is to do well into those races.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be racing against continental professionals and it is great to have the chance to race against those type of cyclists. These are the kind of races that I want to compete in and I will be looking to prove myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyler Clare in action.<\/p>\n
Clare is no stranger to competing in Europe during his young career as he was awarded a professional scholarship in Belgium<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n He earned a place on the Flandrien Scholarship Program<\/a> which saw him compete in races throughout Belgium which he said was a huge step up in competition.<\/p>\n He says he has become a better cyclist for the experience as he looks to make the next step in his career.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI had a scholarship in Belgium and that started off quite tough.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a light rider so Belgium\u2019s terrain didn\u2019t suit me as much as Spain. I struggled at first, but I learned to adapt and I left Belgium as a better rider.<\/p>\n \u201cThey say you go to Belgium to learn your race craft and I feel that I got that out of it. Even though the terrain didn\u2019t suit me, I learned how to adapt and get used to the level required in Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cKermesse racing in Belgium is a high level, the courses are only around 7-8 km long. But there are narrow straights and lanes with 170 cyclists fighting for every corner. You average around 30mph during the race, if you manage with all the corners it is very tough racing to keep that sort of speed. You do around 13 laps of a seven to eight km course in each race.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is non stop and different level compared to British racing.<\/p>\n \u201cMy last year was probably the best year for progression as a cyclist physically and mentally. Taking part in international racing was an eye opener.\u201d<\/p>\n Clare was first inspired to take up cycling from his father Paul, who regularly competed at Etape Loch Ness<\/a>. A member of Inverness Cycling Club when he was a junior, he started to compete seriously after 2020 and has progressed to competing at national level.<\/p>\nTyler Clare in action.<\/p>\n