HAVE you spotted a mysterious light high above the Massan Road after dark?
Perhaps you’ve caught sight of a headtorch bobbing through the night and wondered who on earth would be tackling the winding road at that hour.
If so, you’ve probably encountered Benmore’s Billy Fowler — the UK’s Road Race Unicycling Champion — putting in the miles ahead of this month’s World Unicycling Championships.
Billy will travel to Steyr in the Viennese Alps, Austria, to compete at UNICON 22, the world’s largest unicycling event. More than 1,200 riders from 28 countries will descend on the town over two weeks to compete in 30 different disciplines.
Representing both Scotland and Cowal, Billy will take part in an incredible nine events, including the 10km road race, sprint races and a gruelling series of mountain unicycling — or Muni — competitions featuring uphill, downhill, cross-country and cyclo-cross racing.
What’s even more remarkable is that Billy only started riding in 2024 after receiving a unicycle as a joke Christmas present.
Rather than leaving it gathering dust, he embraced the challenge and has spent countless hours training on Cowal’s steep, bumpy and often windswept roads, becoming a familiar — and occasionally bewildering — sight for motorists across the peninsula.
Now, less than two years later, the reigning UK Road Race Unicycling Champion is preparing to compete against the very best riders in the world.
Anyone who would like to support Billy’s journey to Austria can make a donation via his crowdfunding page at One Wheel, One Dream fundraiser.
Every contribution will help fund his trip to the championships — and perhaps even cover the cost of a puncture repair kit for the long road to Vienna.
