Magic Archives -

It’s R U OK? Day but make sure you fit your own mask first

September 10, 2020 Nicola Brain health, Magic, Mental health, Mindfulness, Women cycling

Today is R U OK? Day which is a fantastic initiative to encourage us to pause for a moment and ask the people around us – R U OK? This is a topic that I’ve written about before because I feel really strongly about playing a role in making mental health a priority for everyone including our healthcare workers and Government decision-makers. The reason I’m writing about this topic within my cycling blog is that I know that cycling, and exercise in general, have so many positive benefits for mental health conditions. I’ve written about it several times before today so I’m

HOw you stay upright on a bicycle

October 12, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Magic, Women cycling

I confess that I don’t have much of a ‘science brain’ so the wonderful world of physics has never been a strong point of mine but given my passion for cycling, I’ve always been a bit curious about how you stay upright on a bicycle. In the past I’ve often explained to riders who are nervous about going around corners faster they feel is possible is that there are centrifugal forces that will stop you from toppling over. In doing a little research this is certainly one of the factors but there is actually quite a bit more to it.

Do you worry about not keeping up? You may be suffering from FONKU

October 3, 2019 Nicola Magic, Mental health, Mindfulness, Women cycling, Women's health

I have to admit that I’m not a great fan of silly acronyms but I was rather proud of myself when I came up with FONKU – Fear Of Not Keeping Up. For me, it really sums up my own fears and lack of self-confidence and from talking to other female road cyclists it really is an issue. When I first wrote about this in February 2018 I got some great comments from other riders like “Great acronym – I knew straight away what you were talking about! I think another “fear of” that stops me riding with bunches at

Say yes to spotlight moments and magic will follow

May 15, 2018 Nicola Magic, Women cycling

I read a great blog post the other day encouraging readers to say yes to spotlight moments, written by fellow PR professional Catriona Pollard. Catriona and I have known each other for quite a few years. She was actually the catalyst for this blog – Women Who Cycle. Nearly seven years ago I was attending a business lunch where Catriona was the guest speaker. She was talking about blogging, and it sparked an idea in my head that a week later led to the birth of womenwhocycle.com. That’s a bit of an aside, but Cartriona writes a lot about establishing