FionaOutdoors

They might have caused a dozen or more raised eyebrows, and certainly a few fellow tri club cyclists thought they were hilarious, but my new skiing mitts have become the genius solution to cold hands while cycling. One of the reasons that I don’t like cycling in winter is that my hands get very, very [...]

It’s great to hear about other people’s outdoor sporting achievements and goals. I “met” Andy Fallon on Twitter. His tweets about an epic cycling challenge sounded interesting. Here’s his story. Andy is 45 and married with a six-year-old daughter. He lives in Huddersfield West Yorks and spends his days working for Morrisons as a senior [...]

I’m loving the look of this new Loch to Loch ride. It’s the brainchild of the charity Asthma UK and will see cyclists heading from Loch Lomond to Kinlochleven over two days. That’s 150 miles in total. The event takes place on September 1 to 2, so there’s plenty of time to become cycle fit. New cycle [...]

This is an American graphic but many of the messages are applicable to cyclists anywhere. I like the sentiment of the messages and it’s a great way to get across a few points about the benefits of cycling. Thanks to Jen Rhee who got in touch to show me the graphic that she’d created. Created [...]

Riding a bike is healthy, environmentally friendly and great for all ages and fitness levels. From toddlers through to pensioners, there’s a cycling discipline to suit everyone’s tastes. So, in my humble opinion, it’s no wonder more and more  people are jumping on their bikes. There also seems to be a growing trend for bike [...]

It could be the continuing rise in petrol prices, or the Tour de France effect, or even, and this is in my wildest dreams, some kind of FionaOutdoors cycling momentum, but several of my readers have recently requested information about how to get into cycling. Two requests come from women. One wants to increase her [...]

A new website dedicated to Scotland’s mountain bike trails is calling for more riders to join their “community”.  TrailScotland is the brainchild of off-road riding addict Jonny Smart, who hopes the site will  become the number one UK mountain biking community website. The TrailScotland website offers a wealth of information about Scotland’s popular mountain biking [...]

My recent article about women and cycling appeared in the latest Cycling Scotland newsletter. Here’s what I wrote: More women get on their bikes Has anyone else noticed the quiet, aherm, revolution going on Scotland’s roads? There hasn’t been a great deal of fanfare and, certainly, I’ve not heard any boasting. But determinedly – and [...]

I’ve always loved a Treasure Hunt. My mum used to create brilliant hunts for my sister, brother and I when we were kids. We’d dash from a cryptic message left  under a pillow, to the toilet cistern, to the garden fence. Don’t ask how! My mum was smart. She’d have us tired out after just [...]

Entries for the latest in a growing stable of Scottish cycling sportives have been launched. The new sportive is the Highland Perthshire 100 – a challenging 100 mile route. A more modest 50 mile event will take place on the same day, called the Highland Perthshire 50. Taking place on Saturday August 27, 2011, both [...]