Shona Black

Shona is registered blind and cycles with Talking Tandems, a Scottish charity that aims to facilitate the health and social benefits of tandem cycling for people who are blind, partially sighted or have a duel sensory loss. When Shona was gifted a tandem last year, she contacted her local cycling club to find a willing pilot. David Shand stepped up, and the pair now cycle confidently together two or three times every week, despite David never having ridden a tandem before, and Shona only able to see faint blurry shapes.

Shona and her guide dog Woody are active members of the Portovelo Cycling Club, with Shona joining the immediate group ride every Sunday.

Shona nomination reads, “I nominate Shona as one of the 100 Women in Cycling for her positivity, enthusiasm and drive. She has by example encouraged others with visual impairment to cycle and demonstrated visual impairment is not a barrier to becoming an active member of a local cycling club.

“We meet monthly in a local pub and it was quite funny when Shona and her friend both turned up first with their guide dogs and asked the barman if there were tables reserved for Portovelo Cycling Club!”

Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling is an annual list celebrating inspirational women who are encouraging others to take part in this wonderful and life-enhancing activity.