International Women's Day may have passed, but celebrating inspiring women never stops! We're shining a spotlight on someone who's been a cornerstone of our community from the very beginning: Sarah Mulligan.
Imagine this: 2015, the first-ever Afternoon Tea ride at the Golfie and the very beginnings for the FNY Collective. Sarah was there right at the start and from that initial ride, she now is the Chair of the FNY Collective. It's a true honour to have her leadership and passion guiding us.
So, we sat down with her to have a chat about her journey into mountain biking, and how she came to be such a pivotal member our our tribe….
Tell us a bit about your mountain bike journey, Sarah
I’ve had a bike as long as I can remember and loved racing my pals round the block on my Raleigh when I was about 7. I would say I became a mountain biker when living in Golden in Canada in 1999. We’d done a ski season and decided to stay for the summer. I was pretty clueless about the technicalities of biking and was heard telling someone about my new bike, a Specialized Grasshopper (actually a Rockhopper but who knew !!) The biking over there was so much fun and I joined a women’s group called The WOMBATS – Women on Mountain Bikes and Tea Society. Not the catchiest of names and there was more beer drank post-ride than tea, but we did some amazing rides. Someone different picked a route each week, we saw bears frequently which was so exciting, there was lots of laughter and encouragement and we once even ended up in the local nightclub still in our biking gear.
We eventually moved back to Scotland, and I biked regularly with my husband and his pals at Glentress when the main trail was Spooky Wood. We’d drive down from Edinburgh after work for a couple of hours and then again at the weekend. We moved to Peebles in 2004 and were able to bike from our back door, mostly via a piece of the most amazing carrot cake you’ll ever taste at The Hub. Roll on 2014 and me and a pal were marshalling a Tweedlove Enduro, and I thought, why aren’t we racing, we can do this. So, we did.
My neighbour and the amazing FNY founder Emma Neale took us to Thornielee one snowy day in January 2015 and we loved it. Here followed a couple of years racing local Enduro’s, biking with lots of amazing women (and men) and throwing myself down crazy steep hills and not always staying connected to my bike. I did a couple of women only races organised by the awesome Air Maiden aka Lynne Armstrong and was starting to enjoy encouraging other women to challenge themselves on the trickier trails. Timelines are hazy but I think it is around this time that Aneela, Emma and Zoe started putting the idea of FNY into practise.
How did you get involved in the FNY Collective initially?
I’d done the original FNY Hunt and it was such a great day that I couldn’t wait for the next one. I love fancy dress, quizzes and bikes so the combination was perfect for me. I took part in various other events, the Halloween 2020 ride being one of my most memorable. Me and a brave friend headed out up Gypsy Glen dressed as witches in the most horrendous weather. We had to bail halfway, got completely lost in Cardona forest, but were still laughing at the end of it all. I’ll say more about Mount FNY challenge later.
I can’t remember the actual moment when I got asked to be Chair but was good pals with Emma and had always said I was happy to be involved in any way. They were wanting to become an official charity so had to start being slightly serious and putting structure in place. I don’t think I realised I was the chair until I was informed I was going to be chairing the 1st AGM !!
How do you think MTB has impacted your life - personally, and professionally?
MTB has had a massive impact on my life, mostly on a personal level. My husband, (then boyfriend) was a very keen biker and it was something we did a lot of together before kids came along. It influenced many holiday destinations, we even took our bikes on honeymoon as were doing the Merida MTB Marathon in Selkirk not long after we got back. It has enabled me to keep fit doing something I thoroughly enjoyed. I also got to eat what I wanted as was burning through the calories at some rate. It’s tough going up hills. It even kept me fit when pregnant and I was back on my bike 6 weeks after having my 1st child.
It has introduced me to some amazing people over the years, a lot of who I now consider close friends. My kids both love biking too and it has been a pleasure watching them develop over the years; although it’s quite frustrating that they are both so much faster and braver than me now.
What’s your take on the work that the FNY Collective do, and what do you think has changed in the community since its inception?
The FNY team are tireless in their vision to get more women involved in mountain biking. It started off being more about the trickier enduro type riding but has developed into encouraging complete beginners alongside that. Every ride/course/event is so well attended that they have their own community now. They have become an integral part of the biking community in the Tweed Valley and always use local providers/businesses, sharing the love around all who want to be involved. Women travel from all over the country to attend events.
I don’t know which organisation came first but there are a myriad of women’s events now being held all over Britain, which is amazing to see.
Can you share a success story that stands out from your time as part of the FNY Collective?
I think my biggest success story was when we completed the Mount Fanny Challenge in 2020. I completed it with 3 good pals and we did a loop which took in all the main hills in our area. We covered 78km and climbed the required 2175m in a day. It took awhile but I enjoyed every minute. The training got me out doing longer rides with my best friend Krish which was even more special as we had been restricted for so long as to who we could get out with due to the pandemic.
What challenges have you faced as the Chair? What are the team like?
My first challenge was chairing the initial AGM. For anyone that knows me, standing up and talking in front of a group of people terrifies me. I think I did OK and the 2nd year was not nearly so scary. It was a bit of a challenge to know what was expected of me but we worked it all out eventually. I just have to say yes to all the amazing ideas the team come up with and try and reign them in when they get over excited and over commit.
I know the role is important as without it the team would not be able to do the marvellous work they do.
With regards to the team, they are all so enthusiastic and passionate about the FNY collective. I don’t know where they get the energy (or time) to pull everything together, but they do. The hours they put in are phenomenal. They are basically a group of really good friends wanting to share one of their favourite things which is going out having fun on 2 wheels.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the FNY management team who put in all the work to get the numerous events off the ground. Aneela, Emma, Suzy and Julie deserve medals. There is so much behind the scenes that no one sees; it’s constant for them. Women-only events have something different about them than mixed, and I don’t believe this is generally anything to do with the men involved in them - more about our confidence as women.
When women encourage women in a safe, supportive environment, there really is no stopping us. The team allow more and more women to experience this and what is there not to be proud of with that.
Who inspires you in your role?
There are so many women in mountain biking who I could mention here. Lynne Armstrong, Emma Guy, Tracey Brunger, the FNYs to name a few.
I think I am mostly inspired to continue my role as chair though by all the women who put themselves out of their comfort zone every time they get on their bike.
What advice would you give to women who are considering getting into MTB?
Just get out there and give it a try. You’ve nothing to lose. If there’s anything standing in your way - lack of equipment, lack of confidence, lack of skill - get in touch and you will receive all the encouragement you need. I have never once regretted getting out on my bike but have often regretted not going out.
So, what’s happening next?
For me? I am not so enthusiastic about throwing myself down steep trails anymore but have been really enjoying my cross country riding and have done a couple of bike packing trips around the islands off Scotland’s west coast. We plan to do the Deeside trail this year and also a gravel ride from Croabh to Jura which entails getting a speed boat back to the mainland. Sounds fun eh !!
Thanks Sarah!
Feeling inspired? Why not join the FNY Collective! Whether you're a seasoned rider or just starting out, there's a place for you with us. We’d love for more women to volunteer time, attend an event, or simply spread the word. Keep up to date with all our plans for 2025 by following us on Facebook and Instagram - welcome to our tribe!
Comments