She saved a few lives as a qualified nurse, a foot tapping maestro on the fiddle, navigated the Atlantic with her parents and younger brother on a 38 foot sail boat at age 14, living mostly off the land from their veggie garden in a self built wooden cabin in the Scottish Highlands, and visiting Africa with her one year old daughter Inga, in a four day stage race.
Yup, Hannah Barnes is a formidable force of nature. This is her story.
Words: Hannah Barnes / Specialized
Growing up life was filled with mini adventures. We always loved being outside and active, no matter what the weather. Hiking, camping, sailing or skiing, making tree houses and dens outside were our staple.
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Life and our experiences are so much down to attitude, a sense of adventure and an open curious mind. |
Family holidays were spent sailing around the West Coast of Scotland on our little 23 foot sailing boat. A few years later Mum and Dad managed to buy an Ohlson 38 foot boat, took a year off work and school, and sail from Fort William around the Atlantic to the Caribbean and back. So much happened during that year, it was such a formative time of our lives. What an adventure! However, mum’s arthritis got really bad during that year, it was so painful and debilitating, some days she could hardly sit up without help. Yet she never complained and just got on with it.
Mum being ill meant that Joe and I had to really step up and take on proper roles. I loved visiting new places, meeting new people, cultures, and the nomadic adventurous feeling of travelling by small sailing boat. That year opened our eyes to the world what what you can do if you really set your heart and mind on it!
In my late twenties, Mum and Dad went their separate ways. After a bit of time feeling devastated, mum decided that she was “only 60” and that there was plenty of life ahead of her to enjoy it to its fullest. She got a mountain bike, and was instantly hooked! Cycling was a great sport for mum as her arthritis didn’t hold her back too much, sometimes the joints in her fingers are swollen and painful, but then she’ll ride her road bike instead.
Four years later mum went to Andorra for Masters XCO world champs, and won her age category. After taking up cycling age 60, I can’t believe mum has a rainbow jersey! Turning 70 this year, she still rides more than anyone I know, coaches the local kids club, and is returning to race Worlds XCO this year. Cycling, the joy, fun and freedom riding brings, and the amazing cycling community, was exactly what mum needed and has been an incredible constantly giving fountain of life.
Although not as late to the party as Mum, I stated riding when I was 18. Bikes have brought me so much joy, taken me to some incredible places around the world, and shown me the value of hard work, and that just keeping at it pays off. I’ve gotten to know myself deeply through riding bikes, both when physically and mentally at my most happy and most exhausted, digging so deep you just can’t imagine that you have anything left to give. I have read that when you’re absolutely shattered and think there’s nothing left to give, that you still have 2/3 left in the tank. Thats something quite liberating and confidence inspiring to understand and apply throughout life.
This is especially relevant and true when it comes to the challenges of new motherhood. I’ve found that these experiences I’ve had in cycling has equipped me with an inner confidence in what we’re physically and mentally capable of.
Bikes have also brought deep human connection, and connection to the land and our environment. I love that bikes can be used by anyone, anywhere, for so many different purposes: Commuting to school and work, bike packing, a mode of transport, trail riding, or just cruising around town to find a coffee spot. Cycling is one of the few sports where there is something for everyone from age 1 to 100. The fact that I can do the sport I love with my one year old daughter, and my mum, is unbelievably cool. At 10 months, my daughter Inga started riding her first balance bike. It was a really nice way for her to get around, have fun and also the independence to move when she couldn’t yet walk. I love that Mum, Inga and I can already have so much fun together on our bikes!
After having Inga, I was really keen to get right back to events and racing again. One event which I’d had my sights firmly set on for a few years but hadn’t yet been able to race, due to the Covid 19 pandemic and then pregnancy, was the Grumeti Fund K2N Stage Race in Tanzania. I couldn’t wait to finally head out to Africa!
The K2N race is from Mount Kilimanjaro to Lake Natron. It has been something which I felt instantly drawn and connected to. I’d never before heard of a mountain bike race being the vehicle to fund community development. After sparking up conversation and regular correspondence with Brett Harrison, the race organiser and founder of Red Knot Development, I was hooked and knew that one day I would be part of it. I was so inspired by his passion and commitment to improving lives in the local communities and addressing issues such as food insecurity, his work in agriculture conservation, working alongside the Grumeti Fund non-profit organisation to portect and preserve wildlife, and in education.
With globalisation and climate change, there are increasing challenges to local farmers, and a need to quite quickly improvise and change their way of farming in order to make a living and provide food for their families. Brett’s work in conservation agriculture, to make the soil more resilient, more fertile, and to do so in such a way that it can be used for multiple generations, is needed now more than ever.
Seeing these efforts to enable communities to simply grow enough food, gives a stark reminder of how mountain biking is such a privileged sport, and if we are able to do anything to help, then we should. It’s sometimes easy to get caught up in the gear and kit and forget that it is mountain biking’s simple roots and connection to the soil, earth and nature, which are a true constant and a key reason why we mountain bike. The constant in both these narratives is that it all comes back to the soil, the earth and each other. Bringing like minded individuals to this special part of the world, to have a truly unique immersive African bike adventure, whilst raising much needed funds and visibility to RedKnot Development’s community work is such a worthy and critical cause to be involved with.
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The race starts on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, through the rugged back country of Tanzania, and finishes on the shores of Lake Natron. What a diversity of landscapes and climates in a relatively small area, incredible wildlife, and my favourite of all – being immersed in the culture and hospitality of the Maasai and Chagga people. |
It was a bit of a journey to arrive on the start line in Tanzania. Ten weeks before the race, my partner Brodie set off for Nepal to work on a film project on Mt Everest. We knew the timing wasn’t ideal as I was going to have to solo parent for ten weeks, whilst trying to physically prepare as best as could for a three day race in a completely different environment. It was too good a work opportunity for Brodie to turn down, and I knew Inga & I would be fine, a bit tired but fine.
I’d tow Inga in her trailer behind my gravel bike or mountain bike, run with her in the buggy and go on big hikes with her in the back pack. The hardest part was not having any ‘down’ time. When Inga napped, I would catch up with housework, cook, e-mails, work and life admin.
| Lack of sleep and recovery, and not the usual consistency or structure of ‘training’ was a bit of a different and unconventional approach, yet I wouldn’t change a thing and fully embraced the challenge. |  |
Inga and I were sitting on the plane travelling to Tanzania, meanwhile Brodie was at the same altitude, and all going well, summiting Everest. It was a nerve-racking week, with no communication with each other, just hoping that he would be safe and make it down alive and well. Travelling with a 13 month old baby, bike, buggy, car seat, big travel bag and hand luggage was no easy feat, but we made it! Now we just needed Brodie to safely make his way off Everest, back to base camp, heli to Kathmandu, then straight on the next flight to Tanzania to meet us for a very quick Inga handover before my commitments and schedule for the week began. A perfectly relaxing and straight forward plan! I hadn’t heard from him in over a week so fingers crossed all was ok.
It was amazing for Inga and I to wake up in Tanzania, to the sound of tropical birdsong and the start of our African adventure. I felt immense relief to finally hear from Brodie and know that he was alive and safely coming to meet us. After ten intense weeks, it was so great to finally be reunited. I’m not sure that landing in Africa two days after being on the summit of Everest, then straight to sleeping in a tent again, no rest and parent duties, was great recovery. He could hardly talk, had lost 20kg, his eyes were infected and half closed, but he was just about functioning enough to look after Inga, which was the most important thing. Even if it takes some logistics, lack of sleep and just doing whatever is needed, the benefits of being able to do what we do, work and travel, and fully involve Inga in the journey, is incredible and I am so grateful.
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We were adamant that we would make this work as a family. |
Inga being in Tanzania and being part of the race was amazing. It gave my pregnancy, birth, and navigating a new normal, a sense of perspective and deeper meaning. The prospect of bringing a one year old to the wilds of Tanzania, camping in the bush, the giant ants, the heat, huge thorns, the wild animals, mosquitos, the exotic food, travelling across the dusty rough plains by jeep… did seem a little extreme. Once we got there however it all just felt right and I’m so happy that we all went together. Inga took it all in her stride. Everyone at K2N, the organisers, the racers, of course the Specialized family, the locals and everyone we met along the way, were so incredibly warm, welcoming and just amazing towards Inga, despite her waking the camp a few times in the middle of the night!
Although I had little to no down time or proper recovery during the race, Inga completely elevated the whole experience. Meshing together my passion for riding, a fantastic race and a proper African adventure, with my one year old daughter, was something I’ll never forget. It’s certainly set the bar high for an adventurous fun filled life together! I’m not sure that Inga will remember this adventure when she is older, but it will certainly be something to stay with her forever in some shape or form.
