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Bianca Haw is proud to be a fun, fearless female!

Find out why mountain biker Bianca Haw is proud to be a fun, fearless female here!

What is your definition of being a fearless female?

I would say a fearless female is someone who’s not afraid to go after what they want and standing up for what they believe is right no matter what.

It’s no secret that you are one of the most talented MTB riders in our country. How did you get hooked to this sport?

I loved sport growing up and mountain biking was one of them. I often did it with my family in the holidays and once leaving school team sports became difficult to find. I have always loved Mountain biking and fell in love with that.

What does it mean to be part of the Red Bull family?

It’s pretty special, to be honest. Red Bull is a product I use for its functionality and one I believe in as a supplement during training and competition, like a bunch of the world’s top athletes. So, I’m in a pretty epic company.

Red Bull as a company is an energised environment if I can say that. When you go and visit the offices you leave there with a lot of energy and positivity. The Red Bull family are always so keen to help, chat, look after you and give you the support to be your best… that’s what it’s all about! I feel honoured to be on the team.

What is the best part about your job and the toughest part?

I think the best is living a healthy and outdoor lifestyle, being able to get outside every day, travel and be around like-minded people. We always seem to take what we have for granted and I know first-hand what it’s like to have it taken away whether it be from illness or injury and that’s when you realise how lucky you are. So, whatever hard issues you may be going through at the moment think about 5 things you are grateful for every day and you’ll realise your life is 100 times better than you thought a few minutes ago.

The toughest would probably be the disappointment you have to face. There will always be hard times if you not winning, lacking motivation or can’t find that formula you had the previous year and suddenly things seem harder… But that’s sport and its life and you need to learn how to deal with the situations that come your way.

Who would be in your #GIRLSQUAD if you could invite any 5 women for brunch?

Definitely my mom and sister – two of the most powerful women I know. And some of my best friends (cannot be named as if I leave one out I’ll be in trouble.

Please tell us more about your diet! We know that growing up on a dairy farm, cutting out dairy from your eating plan could not have been an easy decision…

That’s funny perhaps I drank too much when I was little and now suffering the consequences. No jokes, I got really sick a few years ago with Glandular fever and Coxsackie virus so I really struggled for a long time. I was willing to do anything to get better and after visiting a nutritionist she advised me to try to stay off dairy, gluten and sugar.

My sinuses, breathing and inflammation dramatically improved (FYI before these viruses I had absolutely no problem and it’s known to struggle with these symptoms after these), so I stayed off them. I have however reintroduced dairy occasionally like milk in a cuppa coffee or a cup of tea but still very minimal.

Do you allow yourself to have a cheat day and what’s your favourite foods to indulge in?

Of course! Is life really worth living then? To tell the truth, I’ve adapted so much to a ‘healthy lifestyle’. My body really craves a hearty chicken stew much more than slap chips and a burger for example.

But if it’s offseason and I’m at the beach, then I’ll happily have an ice-cream or on a cold evening some tea, honey and rusks. The trick is to never feel guilty about it. The guilt hurts your body much more than the ‘treat’ you’re having.

How many days a week do you train and what does it consist of?

5-6 days a week. Cycling, gym- strength and core and some cross training occasionally.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I run a wedding venue in Underberg, KZN called ‘Glencairn Weddings’ and farm 350 Dohne Marino sheep.

What advice can you give to women who would like to pursue a career in sports?

Learn, learn, learn! You can never learn enough. Learn everything there is to know about your sport, your nutrition, your health etc. It’ll help you a lot.

Please give us your ultimate tip or quote for an instant confidence boost.

I have this quote sitting on my bathroom mirror and every morning I look into it and repeat: “No matter how bad it is or how bad it gets, I’m going to make it!”

So, write it on your mirror to remind yourself that you’re a kickass woman.

What do you love most about being a woman?

I love being a woman…and an especially a woman in sport. I guess it’s mostly because it’s pretty unpredictable and that’s what being a woman in sport exciting.

It’s great to see women in certain sports have become more recognised and I can see a bigger audience watching women’s sport than the men’s disciplines in some cases. I have a feeling it’ll be bigger watching women than watching men very soon!

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