“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb

To say that Anka Martin thrives on adventure would be an understatement. Whether it’s by helidrop, water taxi, or multi-day bike tours in the wild New Zealand forest, adventure seems to be woven through her spirit with a mandatory caveat.

Anka is the first Juliana Bicycles athlete, and now an ambassador, who comes from a DH and 4X race career. She made her way to the World Cup level and to the World Championships representing South Africa, before realizing she missed the adventure of backcountry riding and switched to longer races like Cape Epic, Mega Avalanche, and the Enduro World Series races.

These days, she spreads her passion and love of bicycles around the world (with some yoga teaching along the way). Anka is owner-operator of Soul Trails, which guides their guests through culturally immersive bike adventures in amazing backcountry locations, such as New Zealand, Europe, UK and Botswana.

Anka is also co-owner of the three-day NZ Enduro race, a local race with international acclaim. Her passion involves uplifting women, children and men in Africa through initiatives like World Bicycle Relief and Velosolutions pump for peace projects. With any free time, she helps her husband Sven with his photography business and pursues a 500-hour training to become a Yoga Medicine Therapist.

What's one thing that no one knows about you?

"I used to get into bar fights and break glass bottles all over the place."