IN THE SADDLE: Kirsty Medlock, TotalWomensCycling

How many bikes do you own and where are your favourite places to ride?
At the moment I own five, but there’s always room for another. I’ve had to retire the Boardman I rode round the coast after clocking up 10,000 miles since I bought it in 2010. I’ve got a Specialized Ruby to tide me over, while I save my pennies for another.

Hailing from Yorkshire, you can’t beat the cycling around the Dales. There’s a route I cycle with my folks that manages to take in Brymor Ice-cream, Wensleydale Cheese and more importantly the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham.

What’s the biggest rush achievable on a bike?
As a bit of a masochist I like climbing, so for me it’s that feeling you get when you’ve just conquered an epic ascent.

You’ve recently become full-time site editor for TotalWomensCycling. What does the role involve?
It’s my job to mould the site into what our audience want, to select content that appeals to our wide-ranging readership. I have to keep my ear to the ground to cover all the launches, cycling events, and products out there available for women. It’s quite a task I have on my hands, but one I’m relishing.

For people who haven’t yet heard about TotalWomensCycling, can you explain it briefly?
TotalWomensCycling.com is a website that’s been created to provide female cyclists of all levels with inspiration, knowledge and know-how. The site is written by women for women; covering road, MTB and urban cycling for women whose first crank of the pedals means the start of a good day.

What’s your background in cycling?
I’m a newbie to the industry but come from a cycling family. Dad got me in the saddle the minute I could walk, getting me to cycle everywhere, including 172 miles of the coast-to-coast when I was 10-years-old. I left a career in healthcare publishing to cycle round Britain’s coast with my Dad and decided to make cycling a more permanent fixture with this role.

What has been the reaction to the site?
It is off to a great start; you’ve just got to look at the amount of Facebook likes and Twitter followers we’ve gained. Now’s the time to build the site into a community, a platform for women of all abilities to grow their passion for cycling, in a female-orientated, non-intimidating, non-elitist environment.

totalwomenscycling.com