Haibike Hero:
Kara
Beal
Three years from zero to hero!
Get to know Kara
Having only started her eMTB journey a few short time ago, Kara is now well and truly a part of the cycling scene, and her love for the sport is only growing stronger. Since taking up mountain biking, and with help from her boyfriend Tom Cardy (who also happens to be one of our Haibike Heroes), Kara has been transitioning into a full-time mountain biking influencer and content creator; documenting her progress along the way and helping to inspire female cyclists all over.
Kara held a commendable career as a full-time nurse, before slowly transitioned into an eMTB rider and content creator with a little help from her partner Tom Cardy. Whilst Kara is relatively new to mountain biking, her enthusiasm for the sport shines through and it's this passion and joy for pushing her boundaries that has us hooked.
Bringing a unique ‘new rider’ perspective to everything she does, Kara’s enthusiasm and curiosity for all things two wheeled is boundless.
Q&A
When did you start riding?
I started riding about 3 years ago in 2019.
Why did you start riding?
I started when I met Tom. As a professional Slopestyle rider who had at the time become sponsored by Haibike, he told me to try out the ebike, and since that moment I haven’t looked back, I’ve loved riding MTB ever since!
Where did you grow up? Did that have an impact on your riding or type of riding you got into first?
I grew up in a small village called Copthorne in West Sussex. I rode bikes a little bit when I was growing up but my passion really developed later in life for me.
Were there other hobbies before biking came along?
I was really into Thai Boxing before riding, which actually helped with the biking as my fitness was good. Now riding is my full-time job it takes up pretty much all of my time so I don’t really have space in the schedule for any other hobbies, but I am not complaining because getting to do your hobby as a job is pretty cool!
What’s the coolest moment you've had riding?
The coolest moment I have had actually happened pretty recently. I was invited to the Global Bike Festival and got to ride with Martyn Ashton who is someone that has really inspired me to keep going and not quit. So that was a pretty special moment to be able to follow him down a trail on his adapted bike. He also said to me I was his favourite rider to follow too which was really cool!
Kara’s enthusiasm and curiosity for all things two wheeled is boundless.
EXPLORATION - IT'S A COMMON THEME TO EBIKING: TELL US ABOUT SOME MEMORABLE PLACES YOU'VE RIDDEN…
I’m really lucky that I have gotten to ride some amazing places. I recently went on a European road trip and it was my first time riding in the mountains, it was breath-taking! Both the views and the natural trails. So good.
TELL US ABOUT WHERE IN THE WORLD YOU WANT TO GO NEXT WITH BIKING…
Ever since I started riding it has been my dream to go riding in Whistler bike-park in Canada and I’m hoping that maybe this year, or next, I can make that happen!
DO YOU EVER RIDE ALONE? HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO SOCIAL RIDING?
I have only ever ridden alone a handful of times as I always get to go riding with Tom. However the times I have ridden alone it’s perhaps not quite as fun because there is nothing like have the support and encouragement from your friends. Still, the ebike lets me get out whenever I feel like it, that’s very cool.
TELL US ABOUT A TIME YOU 'GOT AWAY WITH IT’ A MISTIMED JUMP OR A BAD LINE CHOICE, HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
There have been plenty of times this has happened to me ha ha! Sometimes it is pretty scary especially if the consequences are high, so in those circumstances it makes your heart race and you then learn where the limit is and rein it back in a bit. Most of the time you can laugh about it though, especially when no one got hurt! And it’s all part of the progression.
DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR NEW RIDERS?
My advice for new riders is to take your time, and only do things you are comfortable with. It is better to come back to something than to try something too difficult and get hurt, this will only knock your confidence and sometimes that can be hardest thing to build back up again. Most importantly, the best advice I can give: enjoy yourself and have fun!
WHERE DOES YOUR CREATIVE INSPIRATION COME FROM? ARE THERE PEOPLE ON SOCIAL YOU LOOK TO?
My inspiration for videos has probably come from watching and learning from Tom Cardy and Sam Pilgrim. I have seen these two boys make so many videos, not just the riding part, but the behind-the-scenes process too. It really made me want to give it a go, and I hope, encourage other people like me to do the same. I think that social media is an amazing platform for sharing your own personal experiences with other people. Once I started, I soon realised that there are so many people out there who are beginners, and they inspired me to keep sharing my story and journey on the bike.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO RIDE THE MOST?
I absolutely love riding the ebike. It motivates me because it has helped me to progress so much, and I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my riding ability. Instead of getting 5 laps in you can get 10 because of the ePower, so that means you have twice the number of laps to be able to improve. Doubling your time at the trails = double the improvement, simple!
TELL US SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU…
Something you guys probably don’t know about me is that I am VERY clumsy. You pretty much can’t take me anywhere without me knocking something down, spilling something or tripping over! I am actually more stable on the bike than my feet believe it or not ha ha!
Meet the other
Haibike Heroes
They are the heroes of a new era. Special people with special stories, outstanding, courageous and inspirational. People who dared to take a chance at an early stage, to devote themselves to a new sport at a time when many people didn’t even recognise it as such: our Haibike Heroes.
