On Being a Cycling and Mountain Biking Writer

Helen Smeaton

Guest Writer: Helen Smeaton

Cycling and writing have one beautiful thing in common – freedom. When I ride a mountain bike, I am free to explore, discovering new trails while breathing in the mountain air filled with fragrant wild herbs. Sometimes cycling is hard, especially on tough hill climbs, but as the saying goes, “no pain no gain” and, once at the top, the breathtaking views are always a just reward, as well as the exhilarating descent of course!

Writing is very similar. I have the freedom to write about anything to do with cycling whether it’s the latest hot cycle clothing item, why anyone would want to ride a mountain bike with only one gear (yes that does mean you ride in the same gear both up and downhill) or ways to allow a disabled child to enjoy a bike ride. When its gets technical, I have a bike mechanic husband to explain the finer detail, which I can then put into plain English for readers to understand. Sometimes, writing is hard, especially when stuck for ideas, but the reward of seeing thousands of people read your articles every day makes up for all the hard work. And is it really that much of a chore doing something you truly love?

I get great pleasure out of teaching people the basics about cycling – I am always amazed at how few people know how to fix puncture! Plus I continue to learn more and more about one of the healthiest activities in the world by keeping up to date with what’s happening in the cycling and mountain biking world. And if I get fed up with writing about bicycles, I have total freedom to write about anything else, now that I bike and write for a living.

About Helen Smeaton:

Helen Smeaton is Feature Writer for Cycling and Mountain Biking at Suite101.com. She lives in Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, where she runs a mountain bike and walking business with her husband Alistair called Wheelie Cyprus. She is passionate about keeping fit in the great outdoors and quit the rat race back in 2005 to follow the dream of running her own outdoor fitness business.

Helen now enjoys the freedom of being able to write whenever she has time off the bike. Writing is a big part of her new life and provides a flexible secondary income as it fits perfectly with the cycling day job. She’s managed to publish a short e-Book, the Cyprus Cycling Guide, which can be found on her travel website Cyprus-Travel-Secrets. She runs her Cycling Biz and a wedding website Cheap Wedding Secrets.

When she’s not biking or writing, she loses herself in yoga or spends many happy hours cooking up spicy Asian delights in the kitchen.

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