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Cyclist Isla Scott on finding balance on and off the bike

Scottish cyclist Isla Short is firmly back in the saddle as she gears up for a brand new racing season.

This follows a transformative 2025 where the mountain bike and cross-country marvel truly found a rhythm, bagging a top-10 World Cup finish and two national titles in the MTB XCO (cross country olympic) and the MTB XCM (cross country marathon) events.

Isla credits a renewed mindset, the breakthrough of an ADHD diagnosis, along with support from the Winning Students 100 scholarship programme, for keeping her wheels spinning both on and off the trails.

For Isla, the most significant victories over the past year have come from the shift in her mindset.

Following an ADHD diagnosis, Isla took time to make sure her mental toolkit was ready for the new racing season. This approach has enabled her to face challenges with grit and determination as she prepares for another season at the top level. 

Isla said: “The beautiful thing about my 2025 season is that I had something to be proud of almost every weekend. I’m proud of the immense amount of work I did around my ADHD diagnosis that allowed me to reflect on and transform my relationship with racing into something really positive.

“Discovering how to separate my self-worth from race results allowed me to enjoy racing in a way I couldn’t before and it opened up the opportunity to finally perform consistently to my ability.”

Isla competes as a privateer set up, meaning she is not part of a wider team. Taking this independent route means she's responsible for every aspect of her career, from planning travel and negotiating sponsorships to managing running costs.

With the vital financial backing of Winning Students 100, Isla’s been able to focus on the season ahead, managing the demands of elite competition while keeping her goals in sight.

Isla explained: “From a practical side, being a part of Winning Students 100 has been a massive help financially. I do not race for a team, I operate a privateer - independent - setup which means my costs are much higher, but it’s ultimately an environment that’s very well suited to me and my recent success reflects that.”

Beyond the financial boost, the scholarship has provided a crucial link in Isla’s academic journey, having found renewed focus to go back to university to study for a BA (Honours) Criminology and Sociology at the Open University in Scotland.

“My Winning Students grant feels quite symbolic for me. I’ve been to university a couple of times since leaving school and I struggled to engage in the way I so badly wanted to. It took me many years to fall in love with a subject. I’ve now developed an understanding of my brain and the tools to thrive at university level”, Isla said, “Studying has played a huge part in my positive relationship with racing too because I’m actively pursuing something else in my life in preparation for a career after retirement from sport; having value elsewhere in my life makes racing less of an all consuming force.”

Isla’s daily routine requires real discipline to maintain balance, typically tackling her studies right after breakfast, before heading out to train on her bike. Later in the day, she fits in another revision session, favouring a “little and often” approach to avoid burnout and keep stress in check.

She said: “ I don’t always get the balance right but I’m very happy to be doing both. Being an athlete is very full on and can be all consuming, but studying allows me to step away from that each day and despite feeling like I’ve got too much on at times, I recognise that the two things compliment each other well.”

Isla’s career has faced its fair share of challenges. The Peebles-based rider has had to overcome significant hurdles both on and off the bike.

Isla said: "Honestly, on my best days I inspire myself. My career has been far from smooth sailing: from a serious back injury when I was sixteen, to the passing of one of my best friends in my early twenties and endometriosis and ADHD diagnoses in the last five years, I’ve had so many reasons to walk away from the sport in a professional sense, but I’ve always been able to recognise how much it fulfills me and that’s why I’m still pursuing it. I’m inspired by people who grow through adversity rather than those who reach the top step.”

When asked for advice to help young athletes balance their educational and sporting ambitions, Isla emphasised the need to find genuine joy in both, so neither gets neglected or becomes unsustainable.

She said: “Make sure that both your education and your sport are bringing you joy. It’s okay for it to feel challenging at times, but if the balance between the hard work and fun is not right, it will probably become unsustainable and you won’t be able to do either as well as you’d like. Exploring my future beyond my sport has helped me so much in finding confidence that it’s worth balancing my education with racing.”

With the 2026 racing season just around the bend, Isla Short is shifting focus –  from fixating on podium places to enjoying the journey itself. 

She plans to stay curious and nurture a positive mindset as she pursues her sporting and educational ambitions.

“My goal is to make the best out of what I have at every given moment,” she said – a mantra that will motivate and inspire in the months ahead.

Isla is one of 106 student-athletes who gain dual-career support through Scotland’s national sport scholarship programme, Winning Students 100. 

The initiative funded by sportscotland and the Scottish Funding Council allows further and higher education students competing at the highest levels of sport to effectively balance their studies and sport.