International women's day: meet Kerry MacPhee

Kerry MacPhee is one of those athletes that you just have to sit back and admire. Racing as a pro despite not getting paid to race full-time, you'd never believe it as she goes out and kicks butt week in, week out. She's competed for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games, won the Three Peaks Cyclocross race and holder of the fastest time to complete the West Highland Way, we couldn't be prouder to have her riding and racing Genesis bikes. 

In honour of International Women's Day, we sat down with Kerry and picked her brains about all things cycling-related. Enjoy. 

Kerry! We’ll start with a really ambiguous question – if you had to name one thing, what is it about cycling that you love so much?
If you've got access to a pushy, you've got access to the world. The people, places and communities I've passed through or stumbled into just because I'm on my bike blows my mind, all because I'm pedalling! I am the person I am today because of all those nuggets of interaction, opportunity and growth that just happen all around me when I peddle. The bike is also the best place to have really meaningful conversations and put the world to rights - you don't have to look the people you're with in the eye and we tend to be more vulnerable and open when this is the case so the bike is the best therapy and bonding experience you can have with other humans! 

You mostly ride your gravel and mountain bike, what is your favourite aspect of mountain biking?
In life, I think it's important to do something that makes you push yourself outwith your comfort zone as the beauty of learning and growing into that is humbling and grounding. I feel this about mountain biking. I'll go out and suddenly clear a gap or drops that's been evading me and just like that, I've unlocked a new 'level' to my mountain biking and this keeps happening over and over again  so you're constantly giving yourself mini fist pumps and the best buzz! That type of instant feedback is gold but so too are the crummy ones because it teaches you that patience, perseverance and a decent pair of brave pants will eventually get you to where you want to be too. The best transferable life skills! 

By contrast, what do you like about gravel cycling and how does it differ from road or mountain biking?
Gravel riding is a bit more of a switch off cognitively compared to mtb but I find you move through different landscapes more quickly and it gives you access to some stunning nooks and crannies that otherwise would remain hidden. I love the history surrounding gravel rides on old drove roads or through glens, and I love how as a discipline it's like the great equaliser where your DH, TT, road, track and CX pals can all ride together. And, coming from mtb, I still get an absolute buzz shredding the skinny tyres hard on the gravel! My current favourite thing as a Gaidhlig speaker who rides in the Trossachs is teaching other people about what loch and hill neames mean and their etymology. Never a boring day on a bike ride!

You're a real champion of diversity and inclusivity, what do you see as the main barriers for people getting into cycling?
I truly believe in you gotta see it to be it. I've loved championing women's cycling and also adaptive cycling too and I'm acutely aware of the invisible hands that have afforded me the opportunity to do what I have by bike and I love the thought of paying that forward. Many times on my own journey, I've thought "oh! That's a thing... women can do X or adaptive cycles can do Y" because I've been exposed to it. Granted, not everyone can find the courage to do something intimidating but the first step is seeing that it is available to you whether that's adaptive cyclists riding with non-adaptive cyclists or women shredding the gnarr together, the second is seeing that there are welcoming spaces for you and that those are accessible but these spaces need to be visible and welcoming. Definitely a positive of social media being able to share this but for sure demonstrating that all shapes, sizes, speeds and creeds have a place on a bike is a powerful sight. 

What else can we do to encourage people to ride bikes and bring new people into the sport?
I really feel like gravel is a brilliant starting point for many. Road riding can be intimidating and can be difficult to have the social aspect on too if you're nervous and mtb, whilst completely accessible too can verge into too technical for many but gravel just seems to cater so well for all abilities. It really is the great leveler - My Gravelfoye riding pals are made up of a world cup downhiller, a time trialer, road racer, track cyclist, adaptive cyclist, xc'ers and everything in between but we all get along brilliantly riding gravel as there's a bit of something for everyone in there. There are fantastic events popping up like Dirt Divas mtb and gravel festival who I work and coach for and we do intro to gravel riding, gravel coaching and just fun, confidence building sessions that can unlock the confidence needed to bring people into the sport. These spaces are amazing for people looking to dip their toes into something new!  We also put a big emphasis on clubs in the UK but these can be intimidating places for people also so it's about growing opportunities that are accessible without pressure, perhaps sourcing e-bikes for beginner sessions because the fear of getting dropped for many is a huge barrier or . 

You're an inspiration to many people, are there are female riders that have inspired you to ride?
When I first started out and as a bit of a late bloomer to the sport, I loved Norweigan rider Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja who was winning world cups in her 40's! Total inspo! I now take inspiration from crazy cats Lael Wilcox- they love the suffer of an insane bike packing journey but they look like they're having an absolute blast in the process. That energy is so infectious and I know like me, they'd get stuck into their first coffee of the day in a ditch in the peeing rain and feel like it was the best coffee they've ever had. Golden!

What's your favourite piece of riding kit?
Well technically it's still the depths of winter here in Scotland and every ride is still a blaze of orange! I have the Roam 2.5l waterproof jacket and also the flux super lightweight waterproof jacket and both are in awsome orange! Those 2 jackets are my stables right now and I love them! 

Can you name your happiest time on a bike or a favourite memory?
This is an easy question! Granted, there are many happy memories but the stand out is the final time lockdown lifted. My good pal Stu Thomson phoned me through the week with lockdown set to lift on the Friday. We'd been riding our bikes so much we were pretty fit and he said "fancy riding the West Highland Way on Friday to celebrate lockdown lifting?". I'm a sucker for an adventure so of course it was an "aye, why not?!" I got to Thurs thinking "I guess I should get organised for a big day oot tomorrow" then we got up at the crack of dawn, drove to Milngavie Fri morn and set off on the best adventure ever with the promise of a life home from our pal Pete. It was an amazing day! Such a stunning, brutal, gorgeous and rewarding route! We quietly wanted to do not too badly having been inspired by our late and much missed  friend Rab Wardell and his record setting FKT and I think when you're pedalling on happiness and gratitude fumes, good stuff happens! We got to The Green Welly and realised Oh crumbs, we're on track for a sub 12hr finish! We pedaled our wee hearts out on that last stretch to arrive in Fort Willian in 11hrs 45mins... man what a feeling and a new FKT! Pete bought me a congratulatory raspberry ice-cream from Sammys fish shop but safe to say, most of it ended up on the deck after I spewed from the effort and I love ice-cream... managed the cold fish and chips after I came back to life a couple of hours later, haha! 

You had a pretty serious injury not so long ago, how important was it for you to get back on the bike?
Up until my accident, I'd never really broken anything or had really wild injury stories so clearly, my body was storing it all up so I could do it in style! I never really let myself think I'll crash when I'm riding and I think this has always meant that when I have, my body has been relaxed enough to bounce back but after the baddy, I was actually quite nervous and lost a lot of confidence. This made me quite stiff too which is not great for potential future accidents. It was important to practice what I preach and give myself opportunities for mini fist pumps and the bike helped with this massively. It translates into my day to day too these wee nuggets of success are a gateway for me and teach me that if you keep the heid you'll be braw. 

If you could give one piece of advice to anyone looking to get into cycling, what would it be?
Dig out yer brave pants and give it a whirl! And if you're in Gravelfoyle, hit me up and I'll gladly accompany you on your first steps into an amazing new journey!