Kelly-Jayne Collinge has been riding off road since 2015, and in that time, has been nothing but a positive force for inclusion, equity, and opportunities. She’s the first person to say yes and, more importantly, the first person to say “no, that isn’t right”. The adventures she undertakes have left everyone breathless and more than a little envious, but those come her way purely by her being one of the most hard-working, genuine, and authentic people you’re likely to meet.
In 2020, when she became pregnant with her son Atlas, the anxiety of impending motherhood weighed heavily. This wasn’t helped by the desertion of brands and relationships that she had worked earnestly to cultivate. Ambassadors exist to promote their brands, but brands also need to champion their people. In this regard, some more-than fumbled. Some of her sponsors showed their true colours by treating pregnancy as an illness instead of leaning into the miraculous and life-changing wonder that it is.
Her embrace of motherhood combined with her pre-existing love of cycling has grown in parallel with Atlas. As he’s become more mobile, the adventures have become even longer-legged, including multiple bike-packing overnighters and shotgun-seat pump track visits. Kelly highlights that the information for new female cyclists is severely lacking; let alone pregnant ones or new mothers. The relatively recent creation of accessible routes and women-only riding groups has been a huge boon and certainly helped Kelly step into her new chapter of life with renewed confidence, or at least a little less trepidation.
A movie by Liam Iggins. Produced by Cotic Bikes. Supported by komoot and Velocio.