When life hits hard some hit back harder.

Tils Punches on at the Fondo Worlds! 

I could scatter a thousand photos in this blog but I want you to read every word ... this ain't Charlie my Ai side kick this is me - straight from my heart! 

Because some wins make you smile and then there are the ones that knock the wind out of you, the ones that make you sit there, staring at your phone, eyes glassy, whispering holy  f#$&ing shitballs, she did it.

Matilda Reynolds - Tils - the people’s champ, the smiling assassin, the queen of grit — just won the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Victoria.

And honestly? I lost it. Properly.
Full-body goosebumps. Tears. That kind of lump-in-the-throat pride you can’t even explain. Because this one wasn’t just about crossing a line first. This was about life throwing its hardest punches — and Matilda punching back.

How It Started

I still remember the first call I made to her.
I said, “Hey, I’m starting a women’s team, Hydraplay Femmes. It’s our first year, I need a captain, its  a bit chaotic, but we’ve got heart. Want in?”

She didn’t pause.
She just said, “Yep. I’ll ride with you.”

No fuss, no negotiation. Just pure Tils energy - an energy I came to absolutely adore. 
And when she turned up, she didn’t just race — she showed up. For the riders. For the brands. For the Staff and the event promoters. For the energy of it all. She set the tone. She became the heartbeat.

Fierce on the bike. Funny as hell off it.
She could tear your legs off at a moments notice, she was never one to be messed with when there's a number pinned to her back, but then be first to shout you a coffee after. You couldn’t not love her.

When the Real Battle Began

Then life took a swing.
The big C.
And suddenly, all that wattage and fight had to get pointed at something much bigger than a bike race.

But Matilda? She didn’t fade. She fronted up.
She kept showing up with that same grin, even when she had every reason to disappear. She was still checking in on others, still cracking jokes, still being that anchor in the chaos.

That’s the part that gets me.
When most would retreat, she kept pushing pedals. Maybe not at world tour outputs anymore, but with double the heart. I am not ashamed to admit tears are rolling down my face again while i type this - she is so inspiring to me. 

The Win That Broke Me (In the Best Way)

Seeing her on that podium this weekend — rainbow jersey on, sun in her face, that grin stretching wider than ever — I felt it deep in my chest. It stole the air, I physically gasped. 

This wasn’t just a comeback.
This was a bloody resurrection.

You can’t measure that in watts or KOMs. You measure it in guts, resilience, and the kind of quiet courage that makes everyone else believe again.

I sat there, tears in my eyes, thinking: You absolute F#$%ing legend.

Why She’s Forever the People’s Champ

Because she’s real.

She talks like us. She rides like it matters. She makes everyone around her better — not just faster.

She reminds me of my old man, Graham — tough as nails on the bike, but soft where it counts.
The kind of toughness that isn’t about how hard you hit, but how many times you can get knocked down and still laugh as you get back up. Rocky aint got nothing on Tils! 

That’s Matilda.

To all the Hydraplaya's and bike lovers out there;

Take notes,
This is what leadership looks like. It’s not about perfection. It’s about showing up when it hurts. It’s about giving a shit. It’s about smiling through the suffering — and dragging others up with you.

That’s the DNA Tils gave my team.
And it’ll outlast every kit, sponsor, and podium shot we ever take.

What It All Means

It’s proof that the real wins — the ones that stay with you — aren’t about timing chips.
They’re about soul. About fighting through whatever life throws your way and coming out the other side stronger, softer, and somehow still smiling.

Tils, you’ve done what legends do: you’ve reminded the rest of us what matters.

To Matilda

Matilda Reynolds - World Champion.
Tils - The People’s Champion.
And the kind of human that makes you believe in comebacks, community, and courage.

You’ve earned every bit of that rainbow jersey.
And a few of my tears along the way.

 

Vaughan