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In her helmet, goggles, thick black gloves
and all-over body padding, mountain biker Niki Gudex is one
fearsome-looking chick.
She looks even more frightening careening
downhill at break-neck speed - dodging trees, rocks and anything
else in her path. “One or two people have said I shouldn’t
be doing it, and that downhill racing is dangerous,”
Niki, 22, says. “But it’s only as dangerous as you
make it.”
When all the bulky body armour comes off,
it’s hard to believe that the petite girl underneath
is the same person. Where does she get the strength? “Look,”
she says, proudly showing off a bulging bicep. “I ride
300km a week. Plus I do three hours’ weight training
every week.
Niki’s at her best when the adrenaline
is pumping. She’s been a skateboarder and a competitive
snowboarder, and took up mountain biking on a whim two years
ago. Her first cross-country ride ended in disaster - but
it didn’t stop her! “I turned up in cargo shorts,
a T-shirt and skate shoes,” Niki says, “and I didn’t
bring any water.” The hot sun and gruelling race forced
her to pull out before she reached the finish - shaking, nauseous
and hallucinating.
The next race she entered she won - and
she’s been winning ever since. Niki’s best result
was in December, when she won her division of the 2000 Australian
National Downhill Series - one of 10 awards she’s won
in downhill and cross-country events. Now she’s got a
coach, a new bike and a champion rider boyfriend Grant Day.
As if the training and competitions aren’t
enough, Niki also studies graphic design and models occasionally.
In fact, her slight build has led to a few raised eyebrows
when she tells people what she does. “I don’t care
what anyone thinks,” she says. “It’s like anything.
You just have to be active and say: “I want to do this!’
- then do it!”
Profile: Jessica Parry.
Photographer: Michael Omm.
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