Katy’s early career was spent on the Scottish Talent Team pursuing her dreams of competing in the XCO event at the Olympics. She proved to be a superb all-rounder, taking second in both the Scottish Road Race and DH Championships in 2012, but almost quit the sport a year later, until she rediscovered her passion by starting to race enduro. Now one of the world’s top enduro racers, she has achieved multiple podiums in EWS races and the overall series and has just signed for Nukeproof Bikes.

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Current bike: Nukeproof Giga

How times have changed from the years spent on hardtails racing XC during my teenage years! The Nukeproof Giga I have now is something I could only have dreamed of back then. The best components, geometry and tyres – it’s a beast! Despite it being on the longer-travel side, it still has a poppy and responsive feel. Bikes have come such a long way and this one has given me so much confidence and the biggest grin on my face after a sick descent. It signifies so much to me too and is a bike I’ll cherish forever; I can’t wait to race it!

The Honda’s state-of-the-art reputation was the stuff of childhood dreams

The one that got away: Honda RN-01

I remember as a kid hearing about this mysterious bike that some DH racers were riding and winning by miles on it. It had some sort of gearbox – it could click to change gear before the corner and by the time you were out of it, it would be changed. Now, this was bike shop chat I overheard as a kid, so this may not be factually true, but the fascination around it and how different it was to anything else, made it really stand out to me. I would love to have seen that bike, to understand it and know what was going on. But actually, I really like my child’s memory of what seemed like wizardry and how it captured my imagination. May the Honda bike forever elude me!

First cool bike: Homemade special

I’d had a few wee bikes over my childhood as my dad shared his passion with my brother and I. Two wheels were our activity away from Mum to give her some peace! We had many adventures together. When I was really young, a bike I cherished fondly was a bike my dad put together and built himself. It had five gears (an important number as a kid), some mint BMX tyres on it and fancy brakes to help me learn one-finger braking. I remember on my birthday opening the house door and seeing it; I was shocked with delight. I didn’t know I was getting a bike. It was a purple frame with no branding. It felt like my own bike that no one else would have! It was so special to me because Dad had made it happen by collecting all the parts and putting it all together.