24 Hours with No Borders Emmie Collinge, racer, translator and photographer
Ottsjö Northern Sweden
The alarm rings briefly before it is switched off. Life slowly rustles under the sheets. Outside it’s still pitch black, and the sun won’t rise for another few hours; there are only six hours of daylight up here in the middle of Sweden.
Lights from the houses nearby reflect off of the deep blanket of snow that throws everything into silence, as the cold bedroom temperatures are braved by Emmie Collinge, gravel racer for the No Borders Gravel Team, who now starts another 24 hours in the off-season.
Much like her training, her work is done in a polymath style, whether it’s translating for the cycling industry and tourism clients (German, Swedish and Italian into English), marketing and social media jobs, copywriting, podcast producing or photography, constant change is synonymous with Emmie’s life. ‘It can be a challenge to keep fit when on the road so much [Emmie is based in Northern Italy], but that also keeps me inspired. Whether I’m in a hotel gym, on the home trainer, riding on the road, or running and skiing on the snow like I am here, training is probably the only constant in what some might see as a chaotic lifestyle.’