FEATURE: Another great year of cycling for Liz Ball

2026 has been a great year for 73-year-old Liz Ball, with national age-related records set over 15, 50 and 100 miles. She has also taken Scottish age records over 10, 25 and 30 miles, and was best female in the Scottish Best All-Rounder.
We caught up with the evergreen speedster to find out more about her life in time trialling, and particularly in 2026.

“I started cycling in my 60s, to train for international triathlon. Competing as an age grouper for multi-sport events meant proper bike training was needed, so I bought a second-hand time trial bike and entered local club TTs.
“I could barely get off the bike after my first event and couldn’t cycle 10 miles home as planned! Ten years later I remain a speed junkie (everything is relative!).

“Here are some highlights of my 2026 season:

“The L5012 course (which is two rolling laps on the A66 from Keswick to Cockermouth in the Lake District) hosted the VTTA National Championships in June, with perfect weather.
“I was targeting an age record (less than 2:20.39) and just got there with 32 seconds to spare. My age-adjusted time of 1:41:55 gained me seventh place overall, first female, a group team award as part of the Scotland team and my first ever VTTA yellow jersey.
“And three days later I got another jersey! At the VTTA Northern Closed Circuit Championship at the Croft circuit with an AAT of 19:55 (third overall, first woman). Not a course for a PB but we all faced the same wind and tight corners.

“A month later I was back on the A66 for the RTTC National 100-Mile Championships, incorporating the Scottish District Championships. Again, it was excellent weather, but a tad windy on the exposed section up to Cockermouth.
“My target was to improve on my 2025 time of 5:07 (AAT 3:42), a race which hadn’t gone so well, so I had unfinished business.
“I did the first 50 miles in almost the same time as the 50 on the same course four weeks previously. So I worried about poor pacing and indeed my third and fourth laps were progressively slower. I also failed to drink enough early on.
“However my time of 4:51.10 (AAT 3:25.09) was enough to give me fifth on AAT, second female, and an age record, beating people five years younger (including one four years younger me). And I didn’t feel wrecked at the end!

“My final national age record of the year came at the VTTA National 15-Mile Championship, on the V226 in Yorkshire. This was on my old stamping ground that is the A168!
“Despite the cold and the rain, I loved revisiting all that tarmac and the familiar vista of the huge waste management building! My target was just to achieve my Standard (now Personal Performance) at that distance, but the fact that I had checked out the time for a national age record rather belied that. I had to get under 41:28.
“I couldn’t read my bike computer too well because of the rain but when I stopped and saw 41:11 (AAT 30:12) I was amazed. I’m relatively less good at the shorter distances, and was happy with seventh on AAT and first female.

“I’ve never managed to follow a training plan. I used to blame work, but now I’m retired I still seem to be too busy so I just do what I feel like and what can be fitted in.
“I go on one or two long (50 – 80 miles) social cafe rides per week with Edinburgh Road Club friends, and do park run (still just sub 30 mins) and strength exercises regularly.
“If I have no weekend TT planned I’ll go out on aero bars for a hard three-hour ride. In winter I engage with the very motivational VTTA race series on Zwift.
“I have no different plans for 2027 other than perhaps doing a longer distance event. Hopefully sanity will supervene!

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