Ben Seven, lead organiser of Pedal on Parliament 2026 and founder of Edinburgh cycling campaign edi.bike has been named Scotland's 2026 Cycling Champion of the Year.
Image: Cycling Champion of the Year 2026, Ben Seven, pictured in front of the Scottish Parliament
Now in its tenth year, the Cycling Champion of the Year Award is organised in partnership between Cycling Scotland, Cycling UK, Scottish Cycling and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, to celebrate those having a significant impact in supporting cycling across Scotland.
Following a summer of public nominations, the judging panel selected Ben Seven as this year's winner, in recognition of his impact in raising awareness of local cycling issues and bringing campaigners from across Scotland together to push for positive change, culminating in the return of Pedal on Parliament campaign ride to Holyrood in May 2026.
Ben Seven, Cycling Champion of the Year, said: "I'm hugely honoured. It's a big surprise. I'm standing on the shoulders of many other local campaigners, especially with something as big as Pedal on Parliament. I want to give a particular thanks to Head Marshal Alex Robertson, founding member Kim Harding, and co-conspirator Shellie Holubek — and to fellow campaigners Chris Hill and Sasha Taylor who encouraged me to get involved in making Pedal on Parliament 2026 happen."
"I'm also hugely grateful to all the edi.bike readers and supporters, and to Robbie Ainsworth for his contributions - and, of course, to Spokes [Edinburgh cycling campaign organisation] for nearly fifty years of pushing for safer cycling."
Ben, an independent designer and web developer based in Edinburgh, launched edi.bike in 2023 and has published the weekly digital newsletter on a voluntary basis ever since. Recently surpassing 2,000 subscribers and 160 editions, the newsletter covers ongoing cycling developments in and around Edinburgh, highlighting local active travel campaigns and raising awareness of changes affecting cycling across the city.
Multiple nominations expressed their appreciation of Ben's work in providing a much-valued, up-to-date resource for local cycling news, as well as the newsletter's role in shining a weekly spotlight on the growing cycling culture in Edinburgh.
Initially inspired by the success of other local, digital newsletters like the Edinburgh Minute, Ben saw an opportunity to use a similar format to bring news of local campaigns and active travel developments to more people.
"I've been cycling myself for a long time, but it was cycling with my kids in our cargo bike that gave me much more of a wake-up call to highlight the barriers with cycling in Scotland", Ben shared.
"Back then, around 2022, I hadn't been following cycling developments very closely. I remember stumbling across the new City Centre West East Link route as it was being built and thinking it looked incredible. It was something I was completely unaware of but wish that I had known about. I wanted to help other people more easily find out about these things too."
Over this time, Ben has become closely involved in local and national campaigning for continued improvements for cycling, culminating in him leading the revival of Pedal on Parliament in May 2026, to bring these issues in front of the newly elected Scottish Parliament.
"It was amazing to see people come out in numbers for Pedal on Parliament. It's an honour to work closely with so many others and play a role in continuing keeping this important campaign event going. I also want to pass on my thanks to everyone who took part in the day and made it happen – our amazing speakers, especially Rose Marie Burke, our flyering and marshalling volunteers, and the folks who travelled from across the country to join us for the ride. We're looking forward to next year - watch this space!"
Image: Cycling Champion of the Year 2026, Ben Seven (centre), pictured with Luke Collins of Cycling UK (left) and Dr Cecilia Oram of Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (right)
Asked what he loves about cycling, Ben shares: "For me it's the freedom it gives you, the opportunity of easy transport everywhere you want to go, and it simply being the quickest way to get around."
A spokesperson for the awards panel said: "Over the past ten years, the Cycling Champion of the Year awards have recognised people across Scotland who are devoting their personal time and energy to improve lives through cycling."
"We are delighted to celebrate Ben’s impact in increasing awareness of cycling barriers locally and his important contribution to bringing people together to influence positive change at a national level."
"We wish to pass on our thanks to all of Scotland's Cycling Champions for going above and beyond to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy the benefits of cycling."
