My name is Maddy and I am 11 years old.
I’ve loved bikes as long as I can remember – I had a balance bike before I could walk, and I could ride with pedals when I was three. I do most of my biking at Glentress. I started with the greens, but my favourite trail these days is Hit Squad Hill.
I ride with my club, KICC, most weekends during termtime. I started riding with them when I was seven, so it’s been four years already. KICC is super fun, we ride a variety of stuff, sometimes technical, sometimes flowy – technical stuff can be scary, but it is very fun and I love it when I’ve done something really gnarly! The leaders are great and excellent at the vital task of making sure we get a snack break.
I’ve also done a few mountain biking courses – memorably there was the time I did Dirt School in the snow, rain and hail one Easter. Got to love biking in Scotland! Luckily I love mud. Bit of a contrast to riding in Morzine this summer where it was 30 degrees and full of brake bumps.
My first proper race was Race the Worlds in 2023 – I crashed and ended up sliding down a muddy hill but I was ok (did I mention I love mud?) and continued the race. As my dad had suggested, I went gas, gas down the flat bit. It wasn’t enough to beat anyone, but I really enjoyed the experience. Since then, I’ve done a few more races, I really enjoy them.
We also went to watch the World Champs up at Fort William last year. I got a picture with Rachel Atherton and we saw loads of amazing riders. Phoebe Gale is an ex-KICC rider, and it is really inspiring to see people from my club doing such amazing things.
Going forward, I want to get fitter so I can go on longer rides and climb the Spooky Wood hill without difficulty (real ones know the pain). Riding bikes is awesome.
Thank you Maddy for sharing your experiences in cycling with us. If you would like to tell your cycling story for our monthly Scottish Cycling BlogHer article, please email Melanie, our Women and Girls Development Manager, on: [email protected]