Name: Durita Holm
Age: 40
Lives: Sierra Nevada, Spain
Rides: Giant road bike, Commencal Supernormal mountain bike

What are you proud of?
My ability to set a goal and then follow it through (also called stubbornness, hard-headedness or even stupidity). My well-developed instinct and gut feeling for remaining true to myself. My talent for bringing up children and dogs (same thing, I have discovered). Not taking failure or defeat too personally or seriously. And I’m an unstoppable monster when it comes to mixing cement.

What have you done?
When I was 19 I got an old 44-foot sailboat more or less shipshape, and a year later I set out to sail around the world. Three years later I got back home with a little blond sea troll on my arm (my daughter Freyja), and my circumnavigation of the globe complete. I did a lot of mountainbike racing for about 6-7 years, and have done some bike-packing. I have written four books, and am working on my fifth. I have built two houses.

What are you scared of?
I have never defined myself in relation to what I’m scared of, but now that I come to think about it: I become a whiny little girl when around cockroaches. On a more personal level, I am scared of showing any weakness – I’m working hard on this though.

What are you up to?
My next project is very earthy: I own 6000 square metres of land, and I’m preparing the land and myself for 365 days of only eating what my own land can produce (I’m getting a goat and some chickens), and only using my bike as transport, no matter how far I or my five-year-old daughter need to go.