Inspiring cycling stories – Paralympic cyclist Megan Giglia 

Gold medal winning Paralympic cyclist Megan Giglia has overcome multiple challenges and now makes it her mission to inspire others through cycling and beyond. 

In 2013 at 27 years old, Megan Giglia had a haemorrhagic stroke that left her unable to use the entire right side of her body. Just 3 years later, she was a Paralympic cyclist and won the first gold medal for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. 

A sporting story

Megan’s love of cycling started early. She grew up on a farm and learned to ride on an old cycle her mum got her, bouncing off the walls of their alleyway until she could stay upright. “And then I remember being pushed on my bike really fast down the hill as well, and I had no choice but to pedal!” Megan told us. 

“I loved cycling but as a kid it was never competitive,” she said. As Megan got older, it became part of her daily life. “It was my preferred method of transport. I had a motorbike license and my driving license but I loved riding around on my mountain bike.”  

As well as cycling, Megan was always a big fan of sport in general. “I always loved sport. I was never a high achiever in sport. I wanted to be, but there was always someone way better than me. Obviously I’m a Paralympian, but I would never have had the opportunity to compete at the Olympics.” 

Megan turned her love of sports outwards, helping other people find the joy in being active. “I worked as a lifeguard and a swimming instructor. And then from there, it kind of grew and I became a personal trainer. I had loads of coaching qualifications. And then I worked in the education sector for PE as a sports school sports coordinator and it just grew and grew and grew.” 

Bad luck strikes

It was all going well until Megan started noticing odd symptoms. She was getting bad headaches, a stiff neck and one of her eyes was bloodshot. A check up at the hospital revealed that she was effectively having a brain aneurysm, and she was admitted for treatment. 

She was in hospital for two months before she self-discharged. “But when I got home, I was suddenly stuck in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t know how to get around and didn’t know what to do. So I got on a bike. I got on a bike and I tied my hand to the handlebar, my foot to the pedal and I just tried to ride it and I did this over and over again, and I fell off and I hurt myself and I even rode over my dog.” Fortunately, the dog wasn’t hurt! 

Megan used cycling to help her get moving, but also to overcome the depression threatening to drag her down. However, there was more bad news to come. Six months after her stroke, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. Her long-term relationship had also broken down, and Megan was at rock bottom. She got in touch with a friend and asked if she could come and stay with them for a while. The only problem was it was over 120 miles away.  

“I got on my bike and I tied my hands in the handlebar and I tied my foot to the pedal and I cycled. I have no idea how I made it alive! When I got there I had three weeks of wallowing in self-pity, kind of smelling on the sofa, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life, how I could get myself sorted. And it was her mum actually that gave me a kick up the backside I needed. 

“She said, look, Megan, don’t let other people define you. Don’t let the world tell you what you can and can’t do. You love sports. So I want to give you a challenge. I want you to go and find a sport and be the best you can be in. It doesn’t matter what that looks like, as long as you’re happy in it” 

Finding sport and cycling again

The pep talk gave Megan the push she needed to get off the sofa. It was all the more powerful when it emerged that her friend’s mum was battling terminal cancer at the time, and didn’t have long to live.  

“That made me realise how grateful I should be for the life I had and actually the chances I had. So I did exactly that and I tried. I tried athletics, which was awful because I couldn’t walk.  I tried wheelchair racing but I just went around in a tiny little circle and 8-year-olds were passing me a lot faster.” 

Then Megan got in touch with British Cycling. They’d just closed an opportunity but opened it back up to give as many people as possible the chance to try out. “So I applied and I was successful. I didn’t really think I was going to get anywhere but three years down the line, I made it onto the line for Rio 2016 at the Paralympic Games, and I won the first Gold Medal for GB.” 

The Paralympics was another life changing moment for Megan. Surrounded by other Paralympians, the focus was on what she could do, not what she couldn’t. “You weren’t made to feel like you couldn’t do something, you weren’t isolated, you weren’t discriminated against, you were just you and everyone took you at face value and celebrated your successes. And even when you had losses, it was still a triumph.” 

Inspiration and inclusion

For all her Gold Medals and her film-worth life story, Megan doesn’t like being called an ‘inspiration’. “I find that word really cheesy. I don’t like talking about my successes, really, and even on the on the podium when I was receiving my gold medal I died of embarrassment. 

“How I got over that embarrassment is I actually dedicated all my races to people that have either had a stroke themselves or have lost someone to a stroke or a head injury. It wasn’t just about me, it was about everyone else. The Paralympic stage was a perfect place to raise awareness and actually give other people hope and give them a way out. Even if it just helps one person.” 

Since her triumph at the Rio Paralympics, Megan has been using her drive and talent to help as many people as possible. She is passionate about inclusion in cycling as she knows what a difference it can make to so many. “For me it’s about making sure that everyone has that opportunity to be able to ride and that they do it and it’s fun.” It shouldn’t matter what challenges people face, she believes. It should be about making sure cycling is accessible to everyone. 

Until recently, Megan worked here at The Bikeability Trust as Development Officer, bringing her expertise to a project to revamp the cycle instructor training. “I wanted to make sure that everyone had access and was able to have the opportunity to become an instructor, and be able to spread that passion.” 

Helping others

Megan also runs the MG Cycling Academy. The Academy does lots of work in schools, delivering practical cycling skills but also telling her story to help children realise they can reach their potential, no matter their struggles. 

The MG Cycling Academy also offers opportunities to children in care and from disadvantaged backgrounds develop a new skill, training them up as cycle instructors.  “Anyone that works for me generally has a disability themselves. It’s not that I’m actually trying to headhunt [people with disabilities], but it’s about creating that inclusive environment.” 

Family forward

Now in a happy, settled relationship, Megan also has full custody of her young nephew. From a hard start in life, she and her partner have given him the stability and love he really needed. 

“I just want to be able to make him realise that actually no matter what happens to you in your in your younger years, even if it isn’t good, everyone’s going to have their own troubles and their own struggles and their own triumphs as they as they grow and no one person’s life is the same as another.” 

Cycling has also played a part in their story. She was keen for him to be able to ride, “cycling is a huge life skill. It’s a rite of passage that every child should have access to.” 

“Originally when he was younger, he wanted to be like me. But as he’s grown into himself, he knows he doesn’t want to be an athlete. He knows he doesn’t want to do that because he doesn’t like losing for a start, at all! But cycling is a great way for him to spend some time with me. He knows what it means to me, but also he can just go out, he can have some independence.” 

Cycling freedom

While winning gold medals like his mum may not be in his future, getting out and about on rides as a family is still super important. “It’s in my family, cycling is still always going to be at a forefront.” 

For Megan, cycling has always represented freedom and joy. It helped see her through some difficult times in her life, as well as providing some amazing moments. And she’s not going to stop any time soon. 

“We just recently got a cycle carrier. It’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I’ve got a saddle on the front, on the crossbar as well, and I have them all hanging off me at the moment, and it’s fantastic. Just exploring the world with them and travelling around, being able to explore and see all these little hidden places in England, Scotland, Wales, just all around, really. You know, [places that we] just we don’t even realise are there. But actually we have access to, by jumping on a bike and dragging them all along for the journey.” 

Find out more about the cyclists representing ParalympicsGB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.