Little one learning. Tahmina's son, Feltham, November 2024 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google review: "My 8 year old son was hesitant to learn to ride his bike. After many attempts, I decided I needed to seek help and thankfully, I found Fiona. From the first lesson, I knew he started to be more confident. By the second lesson, he achieved his goal to ride independently. Not only does she teach you how to ride a bike, but she teaches how to ride safely. I highly recommend Fiona for anyone learning to ride a bike. Thank you for all your help and wish you the very best!"
An adult learning for the first time. Kumari, Woking, November 2024: "As an adult beginner, I didn't believe I could learn to ride a bicycle but my husband encouraged me to try lessons with Fiona. Three lessons later, I was surprised and happy to finally be able to balance, glide and cycle with a measure of confidence! Fiona is simply awesome as an instructor, she is patient, explains everything clearly and encourages gently to go to that extra step. Last weekend I was able to cycle 8kms with Fiona guiding me to navigate pedestrians, dogs, runners, other cyclists and gates! I am looking forward to a whole new world of cycling adventures with my husband, thank you so much Fiona!"
Getting the love back: Shiva, Barnes, March 2023
"When I first contacted Fiona, I had spent years being afraid of getting out on the road with my bike for fear of falling, and felt immensely frustrated through repeated failures. Fiona has been a godsend and is by far the best cycling instructor I could have asked for. Her energy, good humour, and patience encouraged me to persevere. Now I can cycle on the road with confidence, and look forward to using my skills for commuting, adventures and more. If you are an adult that has yet to take the plunge, take the opportunity to learn with Fiona. You won't forget it!"
Road safety training for friends William and Benjamin (age 12), Wimbledon, October 2023
William: "Fiona is a very friendly and helpful teacher. She answered all the questions we asked with good detail. After 2 sessions (3 hours) of cycling I feel more confident on junctions and roundabouts. Thank you for teaching me Fiona."
Benjamin: "Hi Fiona. Thank you for teaching me all the skills and necessities to cycle safely on roads and junctions. After these two sessions, I feel significantly safer when cycling and I am very pleased with the amount of knowledge I have gained. Thank you so much for teaching me how to cycle confidently."
Road safety training for Christina, Chiswick, February 2023, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google review
"Fiona was the perfect teacher to help me get started with cycling again. Having not been on a bike for at least 10 years, I was a very nervous beginner. However, Fiona was very good at making me feel comfortable and confident. She [was] able to balance letting me go at my own pace whilst knowing when it was time to go give me a little push. I could have not imagined that after just 3 hours of lessons that I would feel comfortable cycling on the road. I will definitely be returning for further lessons!"
Road safety training organised through school: Zack (11), Kew, March 2015
"It was fun and enjoyable and not at all boring. I learnt a lot of new things and was able to master them quite quickly." Zack completed a course based on Level 2 of the National Standards for Cycle Training.
Giving a teenager freedom and his mum less anxiety: Jennie's son (age 15), Putney, June 2020
"Fiona is the Mary Poppins of the cycling world. My teenage son had no experience of road cycling whatsoever and was keen to start. He somewhat reluctantly agreed to have a few lessons and I am so pleased he did. I think he realised afterwards how important it was, and he now has a really good grasp of road safety. I would recommend Fiona to everyone. Happy son, calmer mum!"
Getting back on a bike with confidence: Jennifer, Tooting, January 2018
“At 64 I thought my cycling days were over but then I was given a bike and had the good fortune to find Fiona. After several sessions with her I now have sufficient safety and road craft skills and confidence to set off regularly by myself and even to sign up for some group rides. Her friendly manner, professionalism, enthusiasm and ability to motivate plus meticulously planned and researched routes make every outing a most enjoyable adventure. She has opened up a whole new chapter for me and I couldn’t recommend her highly enough.”
A mum wanting to gain her road confidence so she can ride safely with her children: Coralie, Kew, July 2015
"I booked a 2 hour session with Fiona to improve my technique and boost my confidence, for cycling by myself and also with my children. I found the session extremely useful – Fiona gave me key techniques and tips which will be useful in any situation. She explained and demonstrated everything very clearly. I now feel much more confident, and will take her tips and try to teach them to my children when we are cycling together. I would definitely recommend Fiona."
A new commuter who wanted help with her route: Emma, Tooting, June 2017
"I contacted Fiona at CycleWithMe as I wanted to cycle to work from Tooting to the Tottenham Court Road area. I felt some trepidation at the prospect and was unsure of whether I would be able to do it. After 3 sessions with Fiona I have completed the commute there and back on my own with confidence and with a massive sense of achievement. Fiona gives very clear and practical guidance and has a calm and reassuring style of instructing. She cycled with me on a practice attempt and this provided me with the support and encouragement I needed to get started plus some excellent information on keeping safe and following the rules of the road. I would highly recommend Fiona's service to anyone who feels a bit daunted by the prospect of cycling and needs the tools to get started"
A regular commuter wanting advanced road safety skills so a course was organised through her employer: Laura, Business Client, Sept 2017
"Thank you! It was a great session and I’ve already seen a huge difference in my cycling since Friday! I’m so much more confident and comfortable on my bike and am enjoying my commutes more and more. It’s such a valuable session and your patience and clarity really made it informative and enjoyable so thank you. I’ve already recommended it to friends and family!!" Laura completed the advanced course based on Level 3 of the National Standards for Cycle Training
First big event, Hot Chillee's London to Paris at a specific speed arriving in Paris to meet the Tour de France, January 2019: Elizabeth, Balham
"In January 2018 I made the crazy decision to take part in a group ride from London to Paris. This was no ordinary cycle ride as I was about to find out, 100 miles a day for 3 days running, at speed, is quite a challenge for a seasoned rider and I was a complete novice. This was where Fiona came in, a friend who had taken up cycling and worked with Fiona to train for Ride London, introduced me to Fiona, and I honestly could not have made it without Fiona’s training and support. Fiona had to go back to basics with me, how to use the gears, brakes, road safety, and then moving on to using cleats and optimum nutrition. Fiona is always encouraging, and makes you feel you can achieve anything, she also shuts down any negative thoughts you might have. After 7 months working with Fiona I did the ride and whilst it was incredibly tough for me I could not have been more well prepared by Fiona. Fiona’s husband also deserves a mention as he supported on some of the longer training rides, setting a pace to push my speed. I cannot recommend Fiona more highly, she is incredibly professional, goes more than the extra mile, and makes the rides great fun." Elizabeth is still cycling with me.
Aiming high, literally, to the top of the Tour de France's famous Mt Ventoux! Anita, Ealing, July 2017. Anita went on to train with me for and completed the Etape du Tour in 2019 (a stage of the Tour de France!):
"I was bought a beautiful, road bike for Christmas which sat unused for 3 months. In order to get cycling I set myself the challenge of riding up Mount
Ventoux! With very little previous road cycling experience I needed help. Luckily Pearsons Cycles in Sheen recommended Fiona to me.
Fiona is an excellent cycle trainer. Right from the start she listened to my goals and organised my training accordingly. From ensuring that I was road aware and cycling safely to
developing my technique I felt that I was in a competent and safe pair of hands. Starting with shorter, relatively flat routes Fiona tailored each subsequent ride to increase my stamina and
improve my hill riding ability. Each session was really well organized allowing me to totally concentrate on my riding whilst also taking in the spectacular views of the Surrey Hills!
However the best thing about my training is that Fiona’s love and enthusiasm for cycling is infectious. She is great fun to cycle with and I would recommend her to others whatever their level
and previous experience. She will definitely help you to improve.
So did I get up Mount Ventoux? With all my superb training, you bet I did!"
Pearson Cycling Club, March 2015, Ride Captain Training
"...the training was very well presented and informative ... we will discuss the potential for training further members at a later date." The club followed up with more training in 2016, 2018, 2022.