AusCycling salutes the tremendous career of road and track cyclist Miles Scotson, who announced his retirement late last year.
The 32-year-old represented Australia at the elite, under-23 and junior level, transitioning from a two-time team pursuit world championship winning rider to a revered professional on the UCI WorldTour, which included a memorable national road race title in 2017.
Via his Instagram on December 31, Scotson declared 2025 was his last year in the pro peloton.
“Closing out 2025, and also closing a big chapter of my life, professional cycling,” Scotson said.
“Fulfilled my dream to turn professional and make a career from riding my bike and it’s taken me around the world and given me so many different experiences.
“It definitely has also been a rollercoaster of ups and downs and I thank everyone who supported me along the way, and those who believed in me and helped create the pathway.
“Bring on 2026 and new chapters.”
From childhood BMX racing roots, the Gawler product and Port Adelaide Cycling Club junior moved to the track at the age of 14 through the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) talent identification program.
Miles Scotson racing in the under-19 omnium national championship in 2012. (Picture: Mark Gunter)
After progressing through national and state championships success, Scotson first represented the Australian Cycling Team at the 2012 UCI Junior Track World Championships and won gold in the team pursuit.
Two years later, the South Australian won the first of his two elite rainbow jerseys in the team pursuit after riding qualifying at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships.
A debut Commonwealth Games on the track followed later that year in Glasgow.
Scotson was part of two team pursuit world championship teams. Here in 2016, he won alongside brother Callum, Alex Porter, Luke Davison, Sam Welsford and Michael Hepburn. (Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)
Scotson would race in the next two medal finals at Track Worlds, winning bronze in 2015 and his second world title in 2016, notably with younger brother Callum in the team.
At the same time as his track career was flourishing, so was his growing pedigree on the road, particularly as a time trialist.
In his penultimate year as an U23 in 2015, Scotson won the national road race and time trial double and recorded a top-10 time trial finish at the UCI Road World Championships.
He won bronze in the U23 time trial at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha.
In his final year, he narrowly missed defending his U23 national title double, finishing on the podium for both, but he impressively won a bronze medal in the time trial at Road Worlds.
His 2017 season as a neo-pro with BMC Racing Team was the first of a nine-year WorldTour career.
Scotson’s first week as a professional delivered the biggest result of his road career, when he won the national road race championship courtesy of a bold, late flyer inside the final two kilometres in Buninyong.
Scotson's celebration as he won the 2017 elite men's road race national title will live long in the memory of RoadNats history. (Picture: John Veage)
After two years with BMC, a five-year tenure at Groupama – FDJ saw him carve out an identity as a sprint lead-out specalist, before a final stint at Arkéa - B&B Hotels.
Scotson would go on to represent the Australian Cycling Team on the road for the first time at the elite level at the 2021 UCI Road World Championships.
His final time wearing the green and gold was at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in the road race.
Scotson racing at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Gracie Elvin, AusCycling’s Athlete Liaison and Alumni Club lead, acknowledged Scotson’s terrific career and welcomed him to the Alumni Club.
“Miles let his legs do the talking, winning multiple world championship medals and taking a great national road race title, but also supporting some of the best riders in the world with his reliability and adaptability,” Elvin said.
“AusCycling welcomes Miles to the Alumni Club, with the purpose of helping him through the transition away from racing and offering him opportunities to stay connected to the sport he has given so much to.”
Feature picture: John Veage