Spindrift

Katy Curd, Four-cross World Champion, DH racer and MTB coach

From a very unusual start in MTB racing (thanks MBUK Magazine!) to becoming a coach that helped World Champion Evie Richards to the podium, Katy Curd has had an incredible and varied career. Katy shares her experiences, from the highs of racing and a hilarious first championship race experience, to the lows, including a very candid and moving explanation of how concussion affected her physical and mental health.

Rachelle Boobar, GT Bicycles Global Marketing Manager & industry insider

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in the bike biz, then this episode is for you! Rachelle Boobar shares her journey from working in TV in Australia to a season in Whistler that just didn’t end. After learning to MTB in the incredible playground of the Sea to Sky corridor in Canada she then worked for mountain biking super-site Pinkbike for several years, and is now the global marketing manager for GT Bicycles.

She shares her insider perspective on the current bike and parts shortage, advice for anyone who’s keen to work in the bike world, and how the arrival of her baby son has changed her perspective on riding. 

Plus she talks about that time her crash video went viral on social media...

Vendangi Kulkarni, round-the-world endurance cyclist

Indian endurance cyclist Vedangi Kulkarni set off around the world in 2018 aged just 19 with a mission to become a Guinness World Record holder and become the youngest women to circumnavigate along the globe. To say it was an adventure in an understatement; close encounters with bears, dead kangaroos, visa issues, wonderful hospitality, saddle sores, incredible landscapes, mugging at knifepoint - the highs and lows were extreme, and Vedangi shares it all with us. 

She also answers questions sent in by Spindrift listeners, such as how she managed periods during the attempt, and has some advice for budding adventure cyclists. 

Ines Thoma, Enduro World Series racer

Ines Thoma is and always has been VERY competitive, and it's paid off. She's regularly in the top 5 at Enduro World Series mountain bike races, and has a passion for mass-start events like the Megavalanche.

She chats about how she made the transition from ski racing as a kid to cross-country mountain bike racing, then on to enduro, what it is she loves about this race format and her all-time favourite EWS venues. Spoiler: it's not just about having great riding!

Ines also shares her cycling and pregnancy adventures, her new-found love of eMTB and what her plans for 2021 are. 

Jenny Graham & Lee Craigie on the Adventure Syndicate, bike packing & Type 2 fun

When it comes to adventure, Jenny Graham and Lee Craigie have plenty of epic experiences under their belts (and a few record breaking ones). They are both Directors of the Adventure Syndicate, a collective of women adventure cyclists who aim to inspire, enable and encourage, they explain what the Syndicate is all about, how they define adventure, and why we should all experience a little Type 2 fun. 

They also talk about their latest adventure, Source to Sea, explaining the concept and plan behind this adventure that’s rooted in sustainability and storytelling, and better yet they want YOU to get involved. 

Mikayla Parton: Scottish downhill MTB racer & privateer

Scottish downhill mountain biker Mikayla Parton only discovered the sport relatively recently, but that hasn’t stopper her rising through the ranks to become a World Cup racer!

This privateer, supported by the likes of Greenpower, Nevis Range, Trek UK and Endura, shares what it’s like to be a newbie at a World Cup, how she discovered mountain biking and made the switch from skiing, and the highs and lows of her 2020 season which included placing 5th at the World Champs! 

Mikayla also talks frankly about the concussion she sustained at the end of 2020, how her recovery is going, her off-season training and her goals for 2021. 

Aneela McKenna; mountain biker, diversity advocate & adventurer

She's a mountain bike guide, co-founder of an MTB holiday company, community advocate, diversity and inclusion expert and force of nature! Aneela McKenna is my guest for episode 2 and there's so much to chat about!

Aneela shares the story of how she got into cycling and how she wasn't a fan to start with, her favourite trail snacks, the work she does to encourage and empower young girls in cycling, and her work as a diversity and inclusion advisor. 

Vero Sandler; freeride mountain biker & Red Bull Formation athlete

Freerider Vero Sandler chats about how she got into cycling, how she developed her freeride skills, and shares some tantalising snippets of the exciting projects she’s got coming up. 

Vero is the rider behind Vision, the female-led freeride mountain bike film and it’s corresponding amazing jump line at the Revolution Bike Park in Wales. She also talks about what it was like to take part in Red Bull Formation, a women’s freeride event that took place in Utah.