Despite filming a workout series with iFit in Cappadocia, Turkey when I was eight-weeks pregnant, riding my bike while pregnant was no easy feat. I stopped riding before you could really even had a bump! Those pregnancy hormones are no joke - they took the wind right out of my sails.

After Hudson arrived, I wasn’t sure how it would feel to get back on the bike. I was apprehensive, to say the least. Concerned that my lack of fitness would make climbs miserable, that my skills may have deteriorated into nothing, and my aggressive style would have faded away. But ultimately, getting back on the bike was like putting a giant piece back into the puzzle of who I am.

So, here are my top tips for getting back on your bike post-baby!

Let’s talk anxiety. I never imagined that the hardest part of pregnancy would be managing my mind, but it’s been getting the better of me these last few weeks. 

I didn’t really notice my anxious thoughts until about 2011 after a really bad crash in the halfpipe. That crash unraveled my belief in my ability to control my fate and keep myself safe. My mind became the master of, not just thinking about, but seeing the worst-case scenario unfold in almost any situation.

Pregnancy is at once the most empowering thing I’ve experienced and the most vulnerable. We’re creating LIFE! And when baby H is kicking and squirming inside me, I feel overjoyed, but when my body starts doing weird things, it’s a big effort to keep my cool. To tease out “normal” pregnancy symptoms from “abnormal” or the no-need-for-concern to the better-go-get-checked-out.