Two major UK cycling awards are now open for nominations—BikeBiz Woman of the Year and Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling. Both offer a chance to recognise women making a real impact in mountain biking—whether through trail building, inclusive leadership, community advocacy, or industry innovation.

There are many inspiring women shaping UK MTB every day. Below are three individuals iBikeRide has chosen to nominate this year, for the tangible and lasting contributions they’ve made over the past 12 months.

🌟 Charlie Kingswood – Co‑founder of Hafod Trails, SheRides Ambassador

• Charlie co-founded Hafod Trails, a family-focused uplift bike park in Carmarthenshire. 

• As a dedicated SheRides Ambassador, Charlie hosts regular women-only social rides at Brechfa Forest, supporting confidence-building and community among female riders.
• Charlie has helped grow Hafod Trails from a small personal project into a full-featured park with green to black trails, focusing on inclusivity, safety, and the needs of everyday riders.

🌟 Dr Fiona Spotswood – Project FIAS Lead, Ride Leader, Community Advocate

• A qualified mountain bike leader and Associate Professor at the University of Bristol, Fiona's academic work focuses on understanding people’s experiences of sport and physical activity—particularly among marginalised groups.
• She leads Project FIAS (Fostering Inclusive Action Sports), a research-led initiative tackling gender inequality in MTB. Through FIAS, she developed a toolkit to help build inclusive women+ mountain biking communities.
• Fiona also founded and runs Bristol Shredders, an off-road bike club for children and their grown-ups, creating a supportive environment for early rider development.
• She serves as a trustee of Ride Bristol, the charity responsible for protecting and expanding the city’s MTB trail network, contributing to inclusive access and sustainable development.

🌟 Aneela McKenna – Co-founder of MTB Colour Collective, EDI Consultant, Trail Advocate

• Aneela co-founded the MTB Colour Collective, a grassroots initiative focused on improving racial representation and access in UK mountain biking. The collective supports community rides, leadership pathways, and partnerships with national bodies. She is also a c
  o-founder of FNY Collective and MissAdventures.
• She is the founder and lead consultant at Mòr Diversity, with over two decades of experience in equality, diversity, and inclusion—working with organisations including the Scottish Parliament and British Cycling.
• Aneela is a co-chair of British Cycling’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Group, a volunteer with the Tweed Valley Trails Association, and a qualified coach and guide with Go-Where Scotland.

📝 Where and How to Nominate

🔹 BikeBiz Woman of the Year 2025

• Honours women making a significant impact across the UK cycling industry.
• 👉 bikebizawards.com/enter
• NB BikeBiz have a myriad of awesome categories beyond just Women covering all aspects across the whole industry you can nominate for also. We nominated a few MTB hero's for these also.

🔹 Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling 2025

• Celebrates women changing cycling through community work, sport, influence, or industry roles.
• Nominations are open until 5pm, 28 July 2025.
• 👉 cyclinguk.org/100women/2025

🗣 Final Word

“These three women—Charlie Kingswood, Dr Fiona Spotswood, and Aneela McKenna—are just a few of the many making UK mountain biking more inclusive, accessible, and inspiring. If there’s someone who’s had an impact on your riding or local trails, now’s the time to nominate them. Recognition helps create momentum—and these awards are a powerful way to show support.”