'Lucky' is our Weekly Rider! It's so much more than cycling for her... stress relief, confidence, social, exercise and adventure... When not on the bike, she's a freshly qualified Lawyer, self confessed typical millennial that loves brunching and eating smashed avo. She's also an ex-two wheeled petrol head that chose pedal power over engine power... and now rides with the awesome Fondo Cycling Team.

Siobhan Luck - aka 'Lucky' - Deepdene, Victoria

Cover Image - Pete Dunlop @fondocycling

Dream Bike

Oh this is a tough one for me! My two best friends are actually about to have new bike days so it has been playing on my mind a bit lately! My custom painted Trek Emonda is one of a kind and I really do love it... That being said, I have been toying a lot with the idea of a Cervelo R3 or a Cannondale Supersix Evo Hi Mod - custom painted and top of the range specs of course!

I'd also love to upgrade my Trek Fuel EX 9.8 to something a little bit lighter at some stage, but it's already way too good for my level of skill right now!

What is your favourite local ride

Generally anywhere that there's good company and even better food and coffee, I'm in! I do enjoy a good Mount Pleasant loop through Eltham, it's short but with plenty of punchy climbs so you always feel good after it. At the moment though I've been spending a fair bit of time on the mountain bike at Westerfolds Park, away from the traffic and just enjoying a bit of solo time where I can listen to tunes and work on my skills.

What is your current cycling goal

My current goal is to get back on my bike a bit more and to enjoy it when I do. Between work, illness and bad weather, my bikes have been a bit neglected lately. As I've spent a bit of time off, it's always tricky to get back into it without putting yourself into a bit of a hole mentally remembering how fit you used to be! I'm certainly keen to get my fitness up so I can truly enjoy the experience that is a week of riding in Adelaide watching the Tour Down Under.

When I am on the bike I....

...Am stress free about the rest of my life. When I'm riding I seem to be so focused on what I'm doing, whether it be pushing myself, struggling up hills or just riding along chatting to friends, there doesn't seem to be time to think or worry about anything else.

How did your love of bikes come about?

An old boyfriend actually got me on the bike initially. He built me up an old mountain bike from scratch and then I went out and bought myself a Giant TCR. I rode off and on though, struggling to keep up and to not compare myself to him (he was ridiculously talented and had many years of experience on me). But it was actually when I was going through a rough time three years ago that my psychologist suggested I ride to help with my mental health. It certainly helped me overcome the depression, body image issues and social anxiety I was facing at the time. Cycling really brought me out of my shell and into a whole new phase of my life.

Share a cycling memory

Probably one of the most memorable rides I've ever done was the Rapha Prestige in Brisbane in 2016. A friend of mine convinced me to come up and do it so we got together two teams, consisting mostly of Fondo girls, and set out to ride it all together at an easy pace. Well, it turns out that Brisbane has actually quite a lot of vertical so easy pace never truly felt easy.

Then after much climbing, we reached the much anticipated "gravel" section I'd heard so much about from the boys. Apparently to Queenslanders gravel just means dirt with big loose rocks! This was a couple of month after having built my beautiful custom painted Trek Emonda, so the sight of these rocks was not welcomed. But the paint chips that came weren't even the worst of it. A few kilometres later it started to get steep - both up and down, and Anna Thomson and I found ourselves off our bikes. Tears were shed and panic attacks were imminent but we finally made it out of the "gravel" section.

By the time we got to the food stop a couple of kilometres later we were well and truly over it. We decided there was no way we would do the next little loop that consisted of a lot of steep climbs, so we sat at the general food store eating ice cream out of the tub and chatting to other buckled cyclists as they came in. By the time the rest of our team returned we were back to our happy selves for the final 15km or so home while everyone else seemed pretty well cooked!

I love to ride because....

...It connects me with so many people. Cycling has introduced me to some of my best friends and even now it still gives me the opportunity to meet new, interesting people and take me to places I would have never seen otherwise. Riding also allows me to challenge myself when I need to but also helps me to relax when I need time out. And, perhaps most importantly, I love to ride because it allows me to justify the amount of food I seem to consume - forever at the cafe in my lycra!

Lucky is fortunate enough to be sponsored by Fondo cycling - seriously comfortable kit designed specifically for women by women and Melbourne Cycling League - a seriously cool club like no other!