Dee Hollingsbee

I came pretty late to mountain biking – when I moved to Peebles, as a skier and snowboarder, I was resolute in my opinion that cycling UP mountains was just for crazies. But within 2 years I was on to my second bike, had passed my Trail Cycle Leader qualification to lead with our local kids club, and even taken part in a seven hour endurance race.

I’ve always been pretty fit and active – an ex dancer who met her husband while doing ski seasons in the French Alps (Irish chalet girl meets Cornish plongeur), and was a keen runner until injuries put an end to that, so have taken up swimming as an alternative. With biking, I love that virtuous feeling at the top of the climb and the buzz of coming back down – even at my speed – but I think it’s the camaraderie of riding with like-minded women here in the Tweed Valley that I love the most. Constant support and encouragement, nothing to prove as we’re trying to fit it in with life and family, and of course coffee, cake and many many laughs.