Mikayla Perry

Meet Mikayla Perry from Lightspeed Cycling 

Personal Background & Cycling Journey:

 

  1. How did you first get into cycling? Was there a specific moment or person who inspired you?

I first started cycling around my house on a balance bike as a very small kid before I was big enough to have my first push bike. Both my Dad, Mum and my older sister all rode bikes so it was natural for me to start riding at a very young age. Until the age of 8years old I was only mountain biking with my family for fun before getting my very first track bike. Thats when I started racing and venturing into other types of riding like road. 

 

  1. What was it like growing up in a cycling-oriented family/environment? (If applicable)

Growing up in a cycling-oriented family was and is the best. Im so thankful for my parents teaching me to ride at such a young age because it has meant bikes have been in my life for as long as I can remember. So many of my best memories with my family is on cycling holidays, trips to competitions all around the country and just riding in the outdoors. I think its so nice to grow up having so many activities to make strong bonds and memories with your family and I have been grateful enough to have that from the day I got on my first bike. 

 

  1. What do you love most about cycling? What keeps you motivated?

Theres two things that I love most about cycling. Number one is constantly being outdoors. I have always loved being outdoors and cycling gives me the opportunity to do that every single day. Riding outside is so refreshing and the perfect break from everything else thats happening in your life in that moment. 

 

Number two is seeing results from the hard work that we are always putting into our sport. Being able to push myself physically and mentally is really rewarding because you get so much satsifaction from it. Sometimes its after completing a hard training session because you were able to finished it or its months down the line when your at a race and do better than last time. I think this is what keeps me motivated the most out of a few reasons, nothing feels better than doing better than you expected in a race or having improved from last time when you didnt achieve what you wanted. 

 

  1. Besides the cyclists you mentioned, are there any other role models or inspirations in your life?

I couldn't narrow it down to one or two people because so many people have got me to where I am now both on and off the bike. All of my family members and friends inspire me in different ways and show me so many aspects of life that reminds me to do what I love. Apart from my family and friends, I really look up to the women cyclists in the NZ team. From Sammie Maxwell in mountain biking to Shaane Fulton and the other womans track team to all the kiwi women on the road, all of these women inspire me because not only are they are making their mark on their area of cycling but they also are such amazing people and public figures. Its really inspiring seeing athletes you look up to competing at such a high level whilst also having a degree and or running a business, especially when your finishing up at college and deciding what the next years in your life look like. They are perfect examples that you can achieve your goals in multiple aspects of your life and thats what inspires me the most. 

 

Competitive Experiences:

 

  1. Can you tell us more about your training routine? How do you balance school and cycling?

Balancing school, work and cycling has taken time to figure out how much I can manage at one time while still achieving my goals both academically and in cycling. My coach Steve Wallace is amazing and creates training programs for me that help me to progress in my cycling but also programs that work with all the rest of my commitments. As my school timetable is that same every week, I have learnt what training sessions work best when I complete them before school starts or afterschool to make sure I can do everything I need to in that day. There is definitely times when either school or cycling takes priority over the other as there are times throughout the school year when work loads of both increases, but I have learnt to know when that will happen and to manage that with the support of my family, friends, Steve and my teachers. 

 

  1. Which race are you most proud of to-date? 

I think the race I am most proud of to-date would be Age Group Road Nationals in Cambridge. I was nervous going into the race because I hadn’t done much road racing in the beginning of the year having missed elite road nats and because we were racing with the open woman and U23s. I am really proud of this race because I exceeded my own expectations by staying with the bunch a lot longer than I had expected after multiple surges and attacks up some climbs and because when I did get distanced on the main climb, I caught back on to then stay with the group. I really enjoyed this race also because I was getting to race with the older U23s and open woman like Bryony Botha and Sharlotte Lucas which meant I got to learn new tactics and ways to move around a bunch that I hadnt raced against before. 

 

  1. What's the biggest challenge you've overcome in your cycling career so far?

I think the biggest challenge i’ve overcome is coming back to racing only two years ago after quite a few years of not riding my bike. Coming back to racing straight into U17 and then U19 was really challenging because majority of the girls in my grade had been racing for the time I was off of my bike. This meant the level of competition I was racing against was very strong whilst I was only starting again. I think because of this I saw improvement at every race I attended because I was starting near the bottom and working my way up in both a physical strength perspective but also a tactical one. You learn so much about the art of racing by racing, so in order to get better at that I just had to throw myself in the deep end at races until I could see that improvement. 

 

  1. What's your funniest or most embarrassing moment during a race? 

I think the funniest moment during a race would have been when I was in U13 or around that age and I went the wrong way during a race. In the moment it wasnt funny when I realised but looking back on it, its quite funny. There weren't any people on the corner saying where to go so luckily my dad was following and told me I was going the wrong way. 

 

  1. What's the most important lesson you've learned from a race or training experience?

Its kind of simple but I think the most important thing I have learnt is to never give up. In the moment giving up sometimes feels like the best option but after doing it you never feel good about it. At lot of the time in races you feel like you cant give anymore but If in that moment you just hang on and fight you will most likely save more energy further into the race because you wont be fighting to catch back on. Its the same in training because if you put that effort in when training and dont give up when it gets hard, you will be stronger for races and more likely be able to go with the moves you want to follow. 

 

Future Goals:

  1. How did you feel about being selected to ride for your current team (if applicable)?

I was really happy to be selected for the Lightspeed Cycling Team because Wellington doesnt have many riders let alone girls in the same age group. Being in a team environment is really fun at competitions and its nice to be able to cheer for your teammates and support eachother. 

 

  1. What are you most looking forward to about being part of the team?

I most looking forward to the rest of the NRS throughout the year with the team especially because round one at Ibuilt was really fun meeting everyone and racing together. I think our team all gets along really well so im sure the rest of the competitions on both the road and track will be great. I think its also really good to be able to debrief after your race with your teammates and learn from your mistakes together so you can grow as a rider within your team so im looking forward to doing that more also. 

 

  1. What are your riding aspirations for the next few years?

Since im in my last year of school, over the next few years I will be focusing on more national competitions and growing as a rider in my first few years of U23 through events like NTS. I think that its most riders dreams to go overseas and race but in order to do that I want and need to race as much as possible here in NZ and closer to home like Aussie to continue becoming the rider I want to be in order to make that jump to overseas racing. 

 

  1. Do you have any specific races or events you're targeting?

Age group Road Nats was a big target event aswell as the Schools racing in Cambridge. Now that both of those are finished I am focusing on the remaining NRS in order to get a good amount of road racing in before the year ends. I think ill continue to learn a lot from the remaining NRS rounds so focusing on them for me as a rider makes sense.  

 

Multi-Discipline Cycling:

 

  1. Which discipline is your favourite and why?

I couldnt decide between road and track. I love road as a whole because you get to go so many places both during training and racing aswell as the races being so long compared to track so much can happen. But track is so fun, you get so go so fast and the adrenaline is so high that its hard not to love. I wouldnt say I love all the types of races on the track but I do really enjoy elimination races and scratch races aswell as team events like mados and pursuits. 

 

  1. How do you approach training and racing differently for each discipline?

To be honest during this year my training has been completely focused on Road, I havent done any track specific training since last year. But when I am training for both my road training has a mix of hard rides with efforts, hills, long rides, basically covering everything you could think off but when training for track sessions are shorter but very intense with a lot packed into them. I like to have a nice balance between the two but I have also really enjoyed putting all my time into road training this year to build a really good base before the racing season started. 

 

  1. What unique skills or strengths do you bring to each discipline?

I think that I recover quite quickly so stage racing on the road has been good so far for example racing Ibuilt earlier in the year. So I think that would be one of my strengths on the road because If you cant recover quickly your going to progressively get worse throughout the tour. On the track I think I have good spatial awareness which means I ride well in a tight bunch and I can hold my own when getting pushed around despite usually being one of the smallest in the bunch. Track is so quick so you need to know when moves are being made and knowing how to act on them, I think theres always more you can learn to get better at this but having good spatial awareness is a part of that. 

 

GreenMonkey Gear:

 

  1. How has wearing GreenMonkey gear influenced your performance or enjoyment of cycling?

Theres nothing worse than a piece of equipment holding you back or negatively impacting your performance in a race or on a ride. My GreenMonkey kit is so comfortable I dont have to worry about this happening to me, which means that I can enjoy my racing and training a lot more.

 

  1. Tell us about a time when wearing GreenMonkey gear made you feel proud or part of a community.

A time I felt proud when wearing my GreenMonkey kit was when all the Lightspeed girls wore it for the first time at Ibuilt. I was proud to have been selected for the team and to be wearing the new team kit made by GM was a nice reward after all of the hard work that Ive been putting in. 

 

  1. Can you share a story about how GreenMonkey has supported your athletic endeavours or personal growth?

Cycling is a very expensive sport especially when equipment is constantly needing to be replaced or fixed whilst having to travel around the country to be able to race. Greenmonkey are one of the amazing sponsors who have supported me in a way that means that I can go to more races and compete more because kit isnt taking up as much of the funds and they can be put into other costs. 

 

  1. How do you think GreenMonkey stands out from other cycling apparel brands?

Greenmonkey has a good range of designs that appeal to so many different customers so I think their market is very big. All of my kit is very comfortable compared to some other brands I have so I know Ill always have a good ride in my GM kit and thats super important because if your not comfortable no matter where your riding or who your with, its not going to be enjoyable. 

 

  1. What do you hope to achieve as a GreenMonkey ambassador in the future?

I want to be riding in GreenMonkey kit overseas weather its racing or training I want to take it somewhere new. 

 

Additional Questions:

  1. What are your other interests outside of cycling?

I am really interested in fashion and sewing, I love the design process and production of making something. I was top in my year group in fashion last year and won the fashion sheild at the end of the year and I have just previously been selected as a finalist for a piece I sent down to the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in the South Island and waiting for results. 

 

  1. What's one thing most people don't know about you?

When I was in year 6, me and my friend were in the Peter Jackson film ‘Mortal Engines’ as children extras. It was a super fun experience being on set for about a week, eating good food and wearing cool costumes, especially because I got to do it with my best friend.

 

  1. What advice would you give to young cyclists who are just starting out?

Do it because its fun and you love it. There was a moment in time when I didnt love it anymore and because of this I took a break, and then when I began to miss it I started up again. Yes because of the break it was challenging coming back into a strong field but it has meant I do it because I love it and wanted to start up again not because I just kept going because I felt like I had to. Theres so much to love about cycling but make sure you know why you do it because when it gets hard and you are struggling you need to be able to carry on knowing why you do it.