Friday's Local Hero: Restoring the faded glamour of a Highland castle to its splendour of old would be considered a curious kind of strength training but that is the approach of Lee Craigie to a task rooted in romanticism.

Restoring the faded glamour of a Highland castle to its splendour of old would be considered a curious kind of strength training but that is the approach of Lee Craigie to a task rooted in romanticism. Her hours of toil with a traditional building company are no labour of love.

The strenuous shifts are borne from necessity. Craigie is currently Scotland's leading elite female cross-country mountain biker, validating that status by winning the national championship last month and impressing in sporadic appearances on the UK stage.

But it is not enough for the Inverness-based rider.

The limits of her ability remain unvisited, a consequence of her incremental improvement and a deficit of training time to explore the boundaries. That journey is one she is determined to take but, without the fare, how can she buy a ticket?

"When I need to get a lot of cash in quickly for a competition or something, I know I can do labouring," she admits, detailing how entering a British race can easily cost around £400 every weekend and admitting that she recently had to miss one because she couldn't afford the diesel to travel south. "In the back of my mind, it's great strength training but I've got to be careful that I'm not too tired to get out on the bike after an 11-hour day on a building site."

It is the kind of dedication that Roy Castle would have admired but should the nation's best not be supported, at least in part, by the cycling authorities? "You would think so, wouldn't you," Craigie says. "You can feel bitter about it and make up reasons but I really don't know why it is."

One popular school of thought lays the blame on the broad shoulders of Chris Hoy. The exploits of the Knight of the Realm at the Olympics thrust track cycling into the public consciousness, putting pressure on those with the budgets to increase funding in that particular discipline. With seven medals available in both London in 2012 and at the Commonwealths in Delhi next year but only one in mountain biking - Scotland are unlikely to even be represented in India - the decision to invest in young athletes with podium potential omitted the 30-year-old Craigie on two counts.

So success brings money but, without money, success is almost impossible. "It's a catch 22," she admits. "We need someone to medal at world level and put mountain biking into the spotlight, which will attract funding and enable Scottish Cycling to give athletes what they need to be able to train at their best. You need to be able to give them a wage so they don't have to do what I'm doing this week on a building site. I'm never going to medal when I'm out labouring and not able to train or rest enough before a race."

As well as the generous support of various local sponsors, including Square Wheels in Strathpeffer, who lend her a bike - albeit one significantly heavier than those of her British rivals - for the season and help out with kit, and Lifelines near Lochlucy, who provide physiotherapy, Craigie's costs are partially covered by her job as a child councillor, working with those who are struggling at school on a self-devised programme called Cycletherapy.

The premise is that by using bikes as a focus - be it riding them, fixing them or building trails - the kids can relax and clear their heads of negativity then return to school better equipped to deal with the challenges of the classroom. It is a mechanism Craigie often employs herself.

"Being on the bike is the best form of therapy I can ever have," she enthuses, having never lost her childhood passion for taking to two wheels. "You almost feel invincible and it regulates your mood because if I don't get on the bike I get so grumpy because of the withdrawals.

"Sometimes, in winter, when you finish work in the dark, cycle in the dark and come home in the dark, it's horrible and you can't be arsed but I know I'll get into a groove and the endorphins will start to release and I'll get that feeling." That motivation is bolstered by the constant quest for improvement, not only because she believes there is more to come, but also to meet the high standards set by her family. Father Kenneth - who matches any prize-money Craigie wins - represented Scotland as a rifleman, mother Lesley did likewise in squash and sister Kim plays for the national rugby team, emulating grandfather Arthur Murray.

"I'm spurred on by the history of it," admits Lee, who exudes a quiet confidence ahead of the UK championships on her home course at Innerleithen later this month. "I'm the only one who hasn't represented Scotland and it sort of feels like I'm never going to because we don't have a Commonwealth team. But my performance hasn't reached a plateau so I'm determined to keep training more and invest more until I stop getting better and maybe I can eclipse them all by competing for Britain one day."

For Craigie, that really would be a labour of love.