If you’re a mum, or you’re pregnant, and you’re also a keen cyclist, it can be incredibly hard to not only find advice about cycling with a bump or with young children, but also to see any examples of women doing this in the cycling media. It’s rarely written about, it’s not photographed, and in fact it’s only fairly recently that more brands and organisations have started to provide support, advice and even maternity leave for athletes.

‘Kelly’ is a film that addresses this, and more. Following the story of Cotic ambassador and Komoot Community Manager Kelly-Jayne Collinge, it follows her journey into cycling, how her sponsors and supporters reacted when she revealed her pregnancy (spoiler: not all were supportive) and how she’s redefined adventure with her young son and a group of like-minded adventurous women.

Spindrift was invited to come along to the premier of the film ‘Kell’, and host a panel discussion after the event with Kelly-Jayne Collinge and several other amazing women, discussing cycling, motherhood, pregnancy, accessible trails, representation of women in cycling, what the bike industry is doing to support women and diversify how cycling is portrayed - and what it could do better. And a whole lot more besides.

Joining Aoife and Kell on stage were Dr Fiona Spotswood, an academic researching women’s perceptions of mountain biking and who has been a previous Spindrift guest, plus:

Dr Phoebe Sneddon, medical doctor, cyclocross racer and women’s ride group organiser

Bron Black, cyclist and one half of the UK’s only all-female hovercraft racing team

Vicky Balfour, mindful mechanic, writer for MBUK Magazine, and disability and access advocate

Cotic is an independent British bicycle brand based in the Peak District, UK, who make modern steel mountain and gravel bikes.

Joining me in the lounge this week is the great and powerful Vicky Balfour

Vicky is a bike mechanic, bike guide, writer, presenter and as discussed, perhaps most importantly, a mum.

Coaching people to become independent and creating an inclusive, welcoming environment to help get people into mountain biking and learn to look after their own bike is the basis of what she does.

But with that comes a whole lot more. As she says, “Fixing the bike is also learning to fix yourself”, something that came up a lot in our conversation!

We discussed:

The role of a stay at home mum and the stigma around it

Caring for someone with a disability

Why not being true to yourself is so detrimental for your mental health

The power of finding a passion

Representation and inclusivity in extreme sports

How our idea of success changes as we improve at something

Dealing with anxiety

The sexualisation of women in the media

And much more. An awesome episode with an awesome human. The world sorely needs more people like Vicky, stoked to have had this conversation, hope you enjoy!

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

Are you desperate to go on more outdoors adventures but feel like you never have enough time?

Vicky Balfour’s story might just be the spark of inspiration you’re looking for!

Vicky lives in Kent and is an avid mountain biker, bike mechanic, writer, special needs parent and founder of Vicky Bikes, her business offering bike mechanic and cycling sessions.

Her mission is “to enable people of all ages and backgrounds to find pockets of adventure within the boundaries of everyday life.”

Listen to the episode to find out her tips for adding more adventure into your weekly routine. You’ll also hear why she moved from city PR to mountain biking and setting up her own biking business, as well as how nature and being outdoors helped her through a very difficult couple of decades in her life.

Vicky took me mountain biking in the Kent countryside for this episode and we recorded it in the middle of a wood! It was such a great morning and an absolute highlight of my years recording The Outdoors Fix.

She shares her tips for mountain biking routes and getting outdoors at the end of the episode, so make sure you don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature at the end for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

I hope you enjoy the episode and please feel free to rate and review it, or tell your friends about it!

Liv x

In this episode, we talk to Vicky Balfour about adaptive bikes. As well as being a regular Mountain Biking UK Magazine and BikeRadar workshop contributor, through her, and her family's love of cycling, Vicky has direct experience using adaptive bicycles and can be regularly found on cycling adventures with her daughter, who rides her own adaptive trike.

In this podcast, Vicky helps guide us through the different options to consider when choosing an adaptive bicycle as well as the requirements and challenges that a rider’s individual needs can pose, whether they’re looking at making changes to an existing two-wheeled bike or buying a need-specific bike or trike.

In the last episode of our six-part series, we’re honing in on your beloved bike.

We discuss why you should give your bike some TLC – whether that’s your four-season dependable, a snazzy summer bike that’s been in hibernation, or something that’s been tucked away in the shed under a blanket waiting for some more sunshine.

We quiz mechanic Vicky Balfour on where to start when it comes to home mechanics, and why you should even consider it in the first place, together with BikeRadar.com’s deputy editor and serial bike tinkerer Jack Luke and host Katherine Moore.

A little mindful mechanics can not only unlock the performance potential of your bike, but also make sure that you get every last mile out of those all-too-scarce parts.

March 2022

In this episode I have a very informative and inspiring chat with Vicky Balfour who runs Vicky Bikes. An MTB, Gravel and Road rider herself, Vicky is also a Level 3 IMI Qualified female bike mechanic and talks about how and what made her get into bike mechanics, what her top tips are and some of the amazing events she's worked on.

16 March 2021