Tanja Gutmanus

Tanja has been riding a bicycle since she could walk, but only really started cycling seriously about 4 years ago. She is a proud member of two local cycling clubs; The Newmarket Eagles and B1 Gruppo. The Eagles are great for the long adventure weekend social rides, where B1 is great for the mid-week hammer rides. Through these cycling clubs, Tanja has not only learned how to ride in a paceline, but she has also developed life-long friendships with people who she likely would have never encountered in the non-cycling world. Tanja has the fortunate opportunity to be able to ride with her Dad, who is also a cyclist and whom used to race when he was a young lad living in England. The odd weekend (when she’s not racing or running) her younger sister will drive-up from Toronto to join for a weekend club ride, which is really special when the 3 of us get the opportunity to ride together.

In her spare time (other than cycling), Tanja likes to travel; snowboard; cheer on Liverpool FC; go to rock concerts; watch crime documentaries and psychological thrillers; go on hikes; dog-sit and discover new local restaurants. She is of British, Greek, Latvian and Egyptian descent and has had the privilege of traveling to over 32 countries and has lived in 4. Now that cycling has become her no.1 hobby and passion, Tanja looks forward to many holidays that will require her to pack her bibs, helmet and cycling shoes. She lives for the post-ride coffee camaraderie and is a big enthusiast for encouraging people to just get out and ride! 

Age: 34

Hometown: Newmarket, Ontario

Bikes in the garage: 2018 Trek Madone Project One, 2024 Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper.

Favourite Biomaxa Product: Pro-ride chamois crème.

Favourite Food: So hard to choose a favourite as I love ALL food, But probably any high-quality, fresh sushi and the rack and a half ribs meal at Bâton Rouge! Oh, and Ferrero Rocher chocolates—I could eat those all day. 

Favourite place to ride: Vancouver, British Columbia—casually along the seawall, but also riding the Vancouver Triple Crown: A hilly hat-trick for climbers combining Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour.

Best cycling memory: As a passenger; riding on the back of my Dad’s bike as a child through the English countryside. As a cyclist myself; riding through Girona with my B1 Gruppo friends and experiencing the beautiful routes and climbs of Els Angels, Rocacorba and Tossa de Mar.

Aspiration (What you dream about achieving next on your bike): To beat my fastest ever km/hr average speed on a club ride and to tackle more European bucket-list mountain climbs!

To relax I: Change into trackpants (if I’m not already in them), crawl into bed or bury myself into the couch with lots of blankets, a good show, a cup of tea and some yummy snacks. 

If you weren’t riding/racing bikes – what do you think you would do instead?: I’d be a lot wealthier, less fit and get to sleep-in on weekends! Haha. But in all seriousness, I probably would snowboard professionally or get back into running or soccer.

Biomaxa Ambassador Since: Spring 2024

Social Media Profile: @harlem_shuffle89 (IG)

                                        Tanja Gutmanis (FB & Strava)