![](https://swtrf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marina-Hauer.png)
Marketing and PR for South Wales TRF
I caught the biking bug in ’21 after watching too many adventure videos during the Covid lockdowns. My partner had been into bikes previously so I thought I might as well have my mid-life crisis early and get a license. And wasn’t that one of the best things I’d ever done!
I started on a very pretty BMW F800GT, but knew early on that I wanted to be in the ADV space, so I didn’t have it long. My first taste of dirt riding was at the ABR festival in 2022, and from then on I was absolutely hooked. Funny how quickly the road-riding mindset of “gravel is death, mud is death” can change. Here I was actively trying to seek them out!
With no local trail knowledge (or any real off-tarmac knowledge at all), I joined the TRF in autumn ’22 and never looked back. We’ve been on mountains, in rivers, in bogs and in the desert together, and all of it has been entertaining, challenging and all-round brilliant.
After trying almost every modern adventure bike going, I finally settled on a KTM 890 Adventure R, a fellow Austrian soul that suits me perfectly and goes with my hair. I’m self-employed, which means I can join the more retired members on weekday rides, and I’m a national TRF ambassador for bringing more women to this brilliant hobby of ours.