LIVING
R
ebecca Kennedy is the
highest ranked senior
female in the UK and
has a brown belt in
judo, boxes twice a
week, cyclies when possible and does
yoga for flexibility. She currently studies
textile design at Heriot Watt University,
Galashiels and finds that cycling was
a way of distracting her from her
diabetes. Her father works in the Forestry
Commission, so she has had plenty of
space and time to develop new skills. By
the time she was 14 she was competing
in mini downhill races. Her grandmother
lives near Fort William which is where she
watched her first world cup. Then she
was hooked.
"Trying to compete at this level takes
a lot of commitment both in time and
resources", says father David Kennedy
who drives her to every corner of the UK
to compete throughout the year. Rebecca
adds, "The only way my dad can cope
with the stress of racing at these speeds
is by not watching me, not least because
if I fall I seem to do it right in front of him.
I am very focused and determined to
make a name for myself in this sport and
as racing veteran Chris Ball said, 'keep
doing what you are doing and you will get
there. Rachel Atherton took 10 years, to
get where she is today."
Girl power
There are very few women competing at
a high level in Downhill Mountain biking;
Rachel Atherton is one of Rebecca's
greatest inspirations. Tracey Moseley,
current Enduro World Champion,
comments, "Since retiring from Downhill
racing in 2011, I have continued to watch
out for the up and coming young riders
in the sport and Rebecca's name is one
that I have spotted at the top of the results
sheets for sometime now. She loves the
sport and is obviously determined to get
better and better. With such success in
British Women's Downhill it's important
that we try and maintain that history and
keep producing new talent."
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at
the age of six, she's now 20 and injects
four times a day and tests about as many
times. She describes her diabetes control
as 'very good', and has an enviable
HbA1c of 6.8%. While she knows about
carb counting, she finds it complicated to
keep calculating carb values so she tends
to go low carb. She says, "I'm careful
about what I eat, and have a lot of protein
and fruit and veg. When I'm training, as it's
so intense, I eat carbs before and after to
keep my energy up, but not snacky carbs,
it's more likely to be fruit or handfuls of
continued over
"I'm careful about what I eat, and have a lot of protein
and fruit and veg. When I'm training, as it's so intense, I
eat carbs before and after to keep my energy up, but not
snacky carbs, it's more likely to be fruit or handfuls of nuts
and raisins" -- Rebecca Kennedy