We reckon if anyone can spot up-and-coming talent, it’s TRACY MOSELEY. Martha Gill, 18, is her latest pupil and one to watch out for this year.
Photos: Ben Winder
Moseley first spotted Manchester-born Gill at the inter-regional XC championships at Hadleigh in 2013. It wasn’t Martha’s performance that stood out but her flat land skills and the amount of fun she had playing on her bike.
On the back of this, Moseley invited Martha to her women’s weekend in North Wales and, as the youngest member of the party, Martha fled upstairs to do homework at the end of the day instead of socialising with the rest of the women. This attitude was enough to convince Tracey that Martha was worth investing in so when Paligap approached her looking for a new female rider she recommended Martha without hesitation.
Last year, with the UK Marin team, Martha went from strength to strength winning every UK Gravity Enduro in the Open Women’s category. She also started to dabble in the Under 21 category at the EWS (despite being three years below the age limit).
Her first race was a “baptism of fire” at Samoens. Moseley said: “With 20 minute race stages and huge thunderstorms right before our race runs, the stages were more about survival than racing! Martha just took it all in her stride, showed no nerves or emotion and just got on with it!
“Most young riders would have either freaked out or crashed their brains out! I loved her level headed approach in that first international race and since then she has grown in confidence, character and cheek!” Martha finished the year second in her EWS category and picked up three podiums and three stage wins along the way.
We had a chat to Martha to find out more about her and her goals for the season ahead:
