Badass Biker, Wife, and Mom, Meg Valliant
Meg flying high at Woodinville Skatepark
Question: What’s cool, daring, jumps bikes, shreds on skateboards, works on cameras, is a mom with two kids and loves to wear TomboyX gear?
Answer: Super badass Meg Valliant!
We caught up with Meg to get the lowdown on her hobbies, her badass family (husband, Jason, and two young kids), her new film and her work to inspire more women to get on their bikes and go.
Tell our readers what you’re known for, Meg.
I’m known for lots of different things, actually. I’m a motion picture camera technician. I work in the camera industry doing work in a rental house – I’ve been doing that for 11 years. I support movie sets and TV shows and things like that. But most people know me for my bike riding. I’m a professional mountain biker and I do a lot of jumping competitions for women. I’m a certified mountain bike coach and work for a company called Sweetlines. I’m also a Liv Cycling Ambassador and I represent them by doing local community events, regional events and support the brand by encouraging more women to ride bikes.
How long have you been riding?
I started riding when I was five years old. But I didn’t begin mountain biking until around the year 2000. I was working in a bike shop at the time and had a group of friends who were all riding mountain bikes. They invited me to go ride with them. I loved it. I still ride BMX bikes, too, but I ride mountain bikes more often now.
Not only are you a camera tech and a cyclist, but you’re also a mom. Tell us about that.
Yes! I have two fantastic children. I have a seven year old daughter named Cinder and a three year old son named Cru.
Cru! What a cool name!
It’s the name of the main character from my favorite movie that came out in 1986 called “Rad.” It’s about a kid who rides BMX – great movie!
Do your kids ride bikes yet?
Yes. My daughter is very involved with a lot of the stuff I do. A lot of the things I do are things she can do with me, so I take her along. There are events that have ages from six to eighty. She can compete in her age bracket with other girls. She loves being around all of these strong women.
I bet that’s really empowering for her.
Definitely! She learns a lot from watching the older women ride and being engaged in the sport.
Have you ever seriously injured yourself?
Oh yeah! Most of my injuries have been from fast-pitch and skate boarding, though. I’ve broken my ankle, my thumb, torn an Achilles tendon, knocked out my teeth, broken my nose three different times, lots of sprained ankles, broken my tibia twice, a few hairline fractures, torn my meniscus and dislocated my thumb.
So you ride dirty!
I’m 36 years old, so in 34 years of riding, I think I’ve fared pretty well.
We heard you were working on your own film. Tell us about that.
I’m currently in post-production and completing the final stages of a documentary. It’s called “The Sisterhood of Shred” and it’s a film about women who jump bicycles. People can keep up with it and find out release and screening information by checking out the Facebook page for it.
You’re a self-proclaimed Tomboy.
I’ve always been called a tomboy – I used to think when I was little that it was because my dad’s name was ‘Tom’ and I was like the little boy in the family. (Laughs) I played with the boys and never thought anything of it. ‘Tomboy’ was always a word that was there. I related it to my dad and I related it to the cartoon “Tom and Jerry” – good things. I liked to be called a tomboy.
What is your favorite TomboyX product?
My favorite is the Good Carma Boxer Briefs. The ones with the buttons on them. They’re super soft and have a comfy waistband. Oh, and the thing that I really love the most are the belts. I wear them every time I ride, and every day when I wear my jeans. I also love it because I can open beer bottles with it. That’s nice. It also matches my bikes.
Who is your favorite tomboy?
I have so many! Ellen (DeGeneres) is a big one because I like what she does in the community and for people in general. She’s funny and nice and I love her. There’s also Lyn-Z Pastrana who is a great skater. She travels on the nitro circuit. She’s a mama, too. She goes big and really pushes the limits. The list goes on when I think about the different categories of women that I know. In the BMX arena, I would say women like Dani Lightningbolt. In the mountain biking category, I admire Lauren Heitzman and Tammy Donahugh. It just goes on and on. I can’t pick just one. I’m involved in so many things that they all inspire me. I get inspiration from so many women doing all kinds of things but they’re just doing it to the limit!
