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Anna B.

@annaintheoutback

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🇭🇺/🇨🇾
https://www.strava.com/athletes/85400368
Riding bikes & taking photos.
I occasionally draw stuff as well. @stardustsoul.art

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A collection of pics from the past few months. I have a "bionic" right leg now, and if all goes well, it will serve its purpose for many years to come, over millions of steps and pedal turns.

A week ago I climbed Kionia Peak, all the way from sea level, and the weather up there kicked my ass. Something that's happened many times before, but this one felt special. Not many people associate happiness with riding a bike through a thunderstorm for hours, and yet I was happy. Every drop of cold water hitting my skin felt like a touch of life. A reconnection to Nature and all things beautiful.

Thinking back now, one of the most vivid memories left by the long months of convalescence comes from an evening in April. It was less than 2 months post surgery and I had one of my frequent "episodes" at that time - a spell of weakness and dizziness lasting for hours, caused by any random movement that made my unstable circulatory system go haywire. I was driving home from work, and was not sure I would make it. I considered pulling over, in case I would black out. I took deep breaths, focused on the road, and my heart pounded with fear. It was terrifying to be so weak, so unlike my usual self.

A lot of things happened over those months that are best forgotten. I am working on that.

Reaching Kionia represents the end of my long recovery process, nicknamed Project Phoenix by a dear friend. Or does it? Still a lot of places to go on this journey, and many more milestones to reach. My right leg doesn't just feel good now, it feels excellent. Better than the left one, which has been experiencing recurring muscle issues caused by the long break from sports.

I recently had a conversation with an idol of mine, @sabine.spitz about a similar ordeal she went through at the peak of her career. It made me reflect on what brought me here: The willingness to go beyond logic and reason in search of my limits, making memories for a lifetime along the way. I can only hope to experience such moments again, someday.

Ride to live, live to ride. taken in Eptagonia Village by @annaintheoutback

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6 days ago

Top level MTBs in 2026 be like...

#iamspecialized_mtb #mtblife #batteries #lotsofbatteries #hightech by @annaintheoutback

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a month ago

"Dream/Bike"

It started with a wheel.

I am a cyclist who creates art, or an artist who rides bikes. However you look at it, these 2 very different aspects of my life are intertwined and influence each other in subtle ways.

Recently I had an extended period of my life where I have lost cycling due to health reasons. And I missed it, the same way that you miss a beloved person if you haven't seen them for months. So I did something I've never done before: I began doodling bikes in my sketchbook.

I usually don't depict "things", inanimate objects that exist in real life. They don't inspire me. The bike is a different story, as I have always felt that it has something like a soul. Not on its own, but shared with the person who rides it. I made several sketches, and then took a large sheet of black paper and drew a wheel. Things escalated from there.

Each of the magical creatures emerging from the wheel represents positive human traits that are important for cycling, sports in general, and life itself.

Clockwise, from center: The dreambird embodies the striving for mental and physical freedom. The firebird is passion and love for the craft. The hippogriff represents perseverance/resilience. The Oriental serpent dragon with its pearl of wisdom is knowledge gained through experience. The celestial stag is the desire to excel. The winged lion roars with courage in the face of adversity. The unicorn signifies honesty and humility. And the dragon is strength of body and of mind.

As for the Sun - it is not a trait, but a feeling. A vital one. HOPE.

Media: metallic pencils and pens. Work duration: no comment by @annaintheoutback

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2 months ago

It's already 5 months since the surgery to fix a complete occlusion of my right external iliac artery. Due to the extent of the damage, I had to get a bypass which takes a long time to fully integrate into the body. Even so, I might experience complications in the near or distant future, and will need to visit a specialist Dr for control every 6 months. It is something I have to live with.

Now, let me de-influence you a bit. There is this weird urge on social media to present severe setbacks as something almost romantic and cool, with people constantly grinning in hospital and recovery pictures, acting like they have the time of their lives.
That is not true in most cases, and it was definitely not true for me. The entire process - from the onset of debilitating pain last August, through months of suffering until I got a correct diagnosis, to the surgery that left me barely able to crawl out of bed for weeks and the long months of rehabilitation that followed - was brutal. I did not need this. It did not make me stronger, or better, or more determined. It nearly crushed me physically and mentally. But... Just *nearly*.
I am lucky to have the most amazing Mom and friends who supported me through this.

I don't know yet how far this new body will be able to take me. Regaining faith in yourself is harder than rebuilding muscles. Over the past few months I went from walking like an old lady to rucking with heavy loads, lifting proper weights, and turning the pedals on the trainer for up to 1 hour. Life goes on, until it doesn't.

Pics: 1, my mantra for this whole thing.
2, beautiful Moscow.
3, honest hospital bed selfie.
4, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
5, blueberries, my favorite snack after Russia.
6, the sky is always blue.
7, March mood.
8, if your WHY is strong enough, you can bear almost any HOW.
9, return to the sea.
10, Troodos glory.
11, excerpt from Against the Odds by D. Lerner.
12, the Sun always rises.
13, from my sketchbook.
14, hiking, Akamas.
15, indoor rides to get the legs turning.
16, freshly picked.
17, perfect solitude.
18, military on the move.
19, progressing.
20, last light. by @annaintheoutback

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3 months ago

It snowed in the mountains of Cyprus, in May. A potentially once in a lifetime occurrence, and I got to experience it firsthand.
It was my longest hike since undergoing surgery on my right external iliac artery back in February. These hilly 7.5 KM, which otherwise would be a nice recovery stroll, felt like a major achievement now.
Going through hell shifts your perspective. Makes you realize how much little things can matter, especially when you don't have them anymore.
In a few weeks I will hit the 10k mark. Sometime after that I will clip into the pedals again. Regaining faith and trust in my body and my abilities will be at least as difficult as rebuilding my fitness. Sometimes the mind is harder to heal than the body.
Today was a gift. A few hours I wish I could suspend in time and relive over and over again. The gentle chatter of precious streams of meltwater, the soft call of a cuckoo which reminded me of a Kurosawa film. Clouds shapeshifting continuously, an epic play of lights and colors unfolding around me.
Still so much to be thankful for. taken in Troodos Mountains by @annaintheoutback

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5 months ago

For the sake of all the sunrises & sunsets I have seen, and all those I've yet to experience -

"He had never felt anything like that before - yet somehow he knew that from now on he would always feel like that, always, and something caught at his throat as he realized what a strange sad adventure life might get to be, strange and sad and still much more beautiful and amazing than he could ever have imagined because it was so really, strangely sad."

Jack Kerouac, The Town and the City by @annaintheoutback

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7 months ago

Our team rider Anna is in Moscow, focused, calm and ready for the next challenge. A different one, which involves a surgery on her iliac artery Endofibrosis.

Every athlete knows that the path to performance is never a straight line. There are moments that demand patience, courage and quiet strength. This is one of those moments. And if there is one thing that defines Anna, it is her resilience.

We are all behind you and we believe in your strength, your discipline and your fighting spirit. Take the time you need, trust the process and come back stronger than ever.

The track and the mountains are waiting. And so are we. #TeamVentus #trackcycling taken in Москва • Moscow by @annaintheoutback

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8 months ago

"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger – something better, pushing right back." - Albert Camus

#cyclinglife #mountainlove #roadbike #colnagoworld #cypruscycling taken in OUT THERE by @annaintheoutback

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9 months ago

@ventuscycling Fall - Winter collection is here and I'm absolutely loving it. As an all weather rider I'm looking forward to the actual Fall - Winter season, but Cyprus insists on staying in Summer mode so far 🤷

#lovecycling #lovecyprus #cyclinglife #cyclingshots #girlswhoride #colnagov4rs #sunshinydays #endlesssummer #ventuswear #ridelikethewind taken in Mazotos by @annaintheoutback

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a year ago

There is the good kind and the bad kind of suffering. The good - when you're hurting but still able to push your body to its limits & beyond. The bad - when you can't reach your limits because something is terribly wrong.
2 months ago I went from hero to zero in just a day. No more sprints, powering up steep climbs, or epic ascents. Due to an injury to my lumbar spine, even basic daily activities caused so much pain and numbness in my right leg that I could barely keep functioning. The levels of misery and discomfort I've quietly and stubbornly endured would make a self-flagellating medieval monk proud.
It was initally misdiagnosed and treated as a nerve compression/inflammation. Progress has been slow and riddled with setbacks and plateaus, and there is still a long way to go.

When I was 19 I crashed halfway thru a 100k MTB marathon and fell so hard on my left hip that a smaller bone in the pelvic area snapped. I got back on the bike and finished the race. The terrain was rough and the agony absolute. I lost the lead and went from the bike straight into an ambulance. That was the first time I had to pull with just one leg. I endured it all because my will to keep going was stronger than the pain.

Over the years I've banged up and broken myself in various ways and experienced all kinds of suffering. I did a lot of one-legged and even some one-armed pedaling. Somehow I always got my body & mind back together and kept going.
Because the world doesn't stop at anything, and neither should you.

I was building up to a great shape before this misfortune hit me.
Now I'm losing what's left of the '25 season and it hurts, but sometimes you have to let things go. Hopes, plans, dreams, ambitions, dust in the wind.
What remains is a blank slate. That void of an empty page before a new story begins.
And the first sentence of that story is,
"Despite all her sorrows and troubles (or because of them), she still loved to ride her bike." by @annaintheoutback

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a year ago

Partners in crime.

#roadcyclinglove #roadbike #bikelife #ridelikeagirl #cyprusisland #sunshine #heatwave #nevernotriding #colnagoworld by @annaintheoutback

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a year ago

June in a nutshell. A month of mountains and big mileage, despite being off the bike for almost a whole week.

It is with a heavy heart that I must give up my plans to ride the @salzkammerguttrophy for the 4th consecutive year. It is an incredible event I've been returning to for over 20 years now, and I was happy and grateful for every possibility to participate. However it's a costly odyssey from Cyprus to the Austrian Alps and this time there was just no way to make it happen.

While I did achieve notable results over the past years, I always had bad luck and was held back by illness, injuries and the lack of in-race support. I will keep the dream alive in hope of returning to the most epic MTB course in 🇪🇺 and finally being able to give my best.

I have had some major changes in my life during this year and am still figuring out where the trail will take me next. On we go....

#picdump #bikelife #mtblifeandadventure #mtblove #gravelride #gravelgrinding #outsideisfree #colnagodream #cyclingpics #cyprusisland #nevergivingup #ridetolive #livetoride by @annaintheoutback

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a year ago