10 years ago, Martha Gill came to us via our then UK distributor, as a young up and coming XC racer who wanted to try the discipline of Enduro. We helped her out with her first bike and the relationship quickly blossomed into one of friendship and support both ways. Some 10 years later, a world championship title and countless Crankworx podiums we caught up with Martha to ask her some quick-fire questions.

Favorite Marin bike and why?
That's a very tough question! The main thing I love about biking is being able to ride different bikes doing different disciplines. Having said that, I have been really enjoying riding the PROTOTYPE DH bike at the moment and lapping out the bike park.

Favourite memory from 10 years at Marin
That one time I pranked Marketing Director John 😂 (That's a story for another day!)

What is your relationship like with Marin and the people there?
The people at Marin are truly like extended family to me, my relationship with the brand and everyone involved grows stronger each year!

Why have you stuck around for so long at Marin?
Ever since I started riding for Marin I've felt valued and understood as a sponsored rider, I’ve never felt any pressure to get results or be a certain way and they’ve supported me in every step of my career. I love working with all the people at Marin as well as what the brand stands for, we’ve got the same goal of sharing the love of bikes and having fun along the way!

How has your career evolved in the last 10 years?
When I first started riding for Marin it was on the UK Enduro team, I was just starting to dip my toes into the enduro scene and a bit of support from the team allowed me to go to some EWS races. Over the next few years, I gradually built up to racing the full EWS Season, winning the u21 title and getting a few top 10s in the Elite category. A few years ago, I started to dabble in some Crankworx events when the schedule worked with the enduro races, I loved the dual slalom racing so much! I eventually decided to switch my focus from enduro to Crankworx as I started to enjoy those events way more, and that’s where you’ll find me today!

Do you still consider yourself as a racer?
I consider myself as a bike rider, you can give me any bike from a gravel bike to a jump bike to a downhill bike and I’ll always be having fun. I love the different aspects of riding and pushing myself, but I think I’ll always be part racer and have that bit of competitiveness! I’ve grown up racing bikes in a variety of disciplines and currently nothing gets me more fired up than being on the start gate and doing some head-to-head racing!

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
Riding bikes and having fun! I’ll continue to race Crankworx for as long as I enjoy it, I’ve still got a few goals I want to achieve as an athlete but there are also things I’m excited to do when the time comes to stop racing. I started a Crankworx team this year (Gowaan Collective) which I’m looking forward to growing and seeing how it develops in the future. I want to be able to support the next generation to achieve their biking goals and pass on what I’ve learnt in my time being in the bike industry and training and racing. In the last few years, I’ve also developed more of a passion for videography, filming and editing videos for friends and other riders, it’s definitely something I’d like to pursue more in the future!

List your 10 favourite things in no particular order:
Friends & Family

Chocolate

Bikes

Music

Wheelies

Pumptracks

Loam

Pianos

Frozen Margaritas

Laughing

What advice do you have for young girls wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Get out there and just have fun riding your bike! Ride flat pedals, don’t take any racing too seriously, surround yourself with people that will help you progress and achieve your goals!

If you could change anything, what would you have done differently?

I do sometimes think it would’ve been cool to have been introduced to riding skateparks and pumptracks at a younger age. But in general, I don’t think I’d do anything differently, I like to think that I’ve learnt from any mistakes or bad decisions and that’s what makes me who I am today!

What else have you got planned for this year?
Crankworx Innsbruck is this week and then the final round in Whistler in July! I’m looking forward to some time at home in the UK after Crankworx has finished. You might catch me at the last EDR World Cup round in Loudenvielle! And hopefully a little trip to Utah too. 👀

How has it been trying to set up your own team?
It’s been really fun starting the Gowaan Collective, no one has started a Crankworx team before so it’s exciting to go down this new path. It’s definitely been a hard year to do it though, with the industry struggling it was understandably difficult for any brands to come on board. Jayden and I already ride for Marin, and Leatt were happy to add Jayden to their roster, so at least we sort of look like a team! I’ve invested quite a lot into it personally but I’m sure it will pay off in the future, I’ve got bigger plans for the team, and I can’t wait to see what it will look like and what we can achieve in a few years' time!

3 things that need to change with MTB to make it easier for women / girls to get involved?
- More World Cup teams (across enduro, downhill & xc) supporting more female riders

- More females in high production riding films/more content budget from brands for women to use

- More opportunities for young girls/women to meet up and ride together, so they can find friends in the sport and help push each other to progress

3 Custom bikes

We wanted to do something special for Martha to celebrate, so we have made her 3 custom painted and matching bikes to ride this year. A Rift Zone 27.5 for Dual Slalom duties, an Alcatraz for pumptrack duties, and an Alpine Trail for enduro duties

Each bike is full of easter eggs celebrating the things that are special to Martha! Look for her at the next event and see if you can spot them all.