What better way to kick off International Women's Day than by celebrating the best badass women in mountain biking. First up is the one and only Katy Winton, enduro racer and athlete, she is one of the most talented women we know and is a solid member of the FNY crew, supporting our work when she's not busy racing. In this blog post we ask Katy about her love of mountain biking and to tell us about her favourite mountain bike adventure.
Tell us a bit about who you are
My Name is Katy Winton, I’m a professional MTB Enduro racer from the Scottish Borders... I love riding bikes downhills as fast as possible, sunshine, eating food, sleeping and conquering hills...I’m basically a dog in human form!
When and how did your love of mountain biking begin?
It all started with my dad, he passed on his passion for MTB to my brother and me from a young age. It would be our weekends away to give mum a rest, we’d head to different 7stanes locations around the country, ride our bikes in all weathers and finish off with a hot chocolate and cake at the end! It was just fun exploring, as I got into racing I became fully hooked on the buzz going as fast as possible up and down the hills - it lit me up!
What has been your favourite trip or adventure?
Transprovence, it’s a 6 day stage race from the Alps to the sea. It is so much more than a race, it was the most epic adventure I've ever had. Sleeping in a tent, each day having no idea what’s to come, seeing new mountains, being really remote away from civilisation, riding on incredible singletrack with ever changing terrain under the tyres. We were just following the arrows and ending at another campsite no with no idea where you were, it was a magical week and still the best event I’ve ever done!
Is there anyone who inspired your love of mountain biking?
This changes all the time. My dad for sure - he got me into it and continues to ooze enthusiasm for biking. I loved doing the DeRailed podcast with a really awesome group of women (FNY got a few mentions!) and chatting to anyone who shares the passion for MTB and the outdoors inspires me. I get so much from hearing different perspectives and why people ride. The shared love for it really inspires me!
What one piece of advice would you give other women who are keen to get into mountain biking?
A great way to get the ball rolling is to join a club or a group or enter an event, it’s an amazing way to meet new friends, learn and most importantly it is fun! Hopefully it won’t be too much longer before they kick off again.
Thanks to Katy for her wise words and sharing her story with us! You can check her out on instagram or facebook.