SHE dreams of one day following in the footsteps of her hero Katie Archibald, and Erskine cyclist Lusia Steele is going about it the right way after landing her seventh national title of the year.

The 16-year-old, who attends Park Mains High School, won the Madison title alongside Ellie Park at the Scottish Championships in Glasgow earlier this month, her last race in the colours of her club Johnstone Jets.

It came just a week after Archibald, who won her first Olympic gold in the team pursuit in Rio this summer, won Madison gold on the same track.

For Steele, it was a bittersweet moment as she prepares to bid farewell to her Jets teammates, but she admits she was proud to be bowing out on a high.

“After watching Katie Archibald ride the Madison at the Track World Cup in Glasgow, I was desperate to get back on the track and ride it myself,” said Steele, who benefits from being part of the SSE Next Generation programme.

“I was at the event on the Friday and the Saturday. I didn’t get to see Katie in action but I did watch it on TV.

“She’s a bit of a hero of mine, a lot of the things she has achieved is what I am going for myself so it’s nice to know she has done the same, especially with her winning gold at the Olympics. It makes me really excited that, hopefully, I can follow in her footsteps.

“It wasn’t an easy race at all, we didn’t go in knowing that we were going to win. There was competition but at the same time, we knew it was definitely possible.

“It was my seventh Scottish title this year, which is something I’m really proud of. It’s been a really good year for me and great experience.

“I’m going to miss youth racing next year, and my team. I’ve been riding for the Jets since I started in 2008, so it feels a bit weird to be moving on.

“It was quite strange when I won the title because I knew it was my last race for my club. I would have been quite disappointed if we hadn’t won that last race and I’d have wanted to do it again.”

Next season will see Steele step up to junior level, a challenge she can’t wait to get under way.

And a long-awaited invitation has added to the excitement, as she prepares to give something back to the club that helped her to where she is today.

“I’ve just been invited to the Scottish Cycling Performance Programme so I’m working with them at the moment, and hopefully it means I can go to a few races abroad,” she said.

“I was hoping for the whole year that I would manage to get on to the programme, so I’ve been really working towards it. I’m full of determination to get going.

“I’m also working towards my level one coaching award, and hopefully I can go back to the Jets and help those coming through.

“It’s good to give something back and a lot of the young ones, they all know me so I’m excited to work with them and help them.”