Recently, I had the pleasure of experiencing a meeting that marked a special moment in my life. Sometimes, in the midst of our daily routines, there are occasions that lead you to reflect, to grow, and to see the world from a different perspective. I had the opportunity to spend a few days with Jacquie Phelan, who is first and foremost known as The Queen Of MTB. However, what I want to share with you today goes beyond her incredible achievements in the MTB world. It’s about the deeper aspects of her character, the unique philosophy that guides her life, and the personal insights I gained from our time together. Those hours spent with her are ones I will never forget. It’s incredible how such a short time with a person can leave you with so much: not only memories but also new perspectives that will stay with me forever. Here is The Queen Of Rats!
“She sees value in everything, even in what others consider useless or discardable.”
Jacquie Phelan is an extraordinary person. She has a special bond with rats, to the point where she has raised and cared for them over time. But it doesn’t stop there: she even defines herself as a rat, partly because of how she lives and her ability to adapt. Rats, she told me, are incredibly affectionate animals and reflect her own nature. Like them, Jacquie never throws anything away. She sees value in everything, even in what others consider useless or discardable. For example, when it comes to cooking, she doesn’t shop at the grocery store like most people. Instead, she ventures behind supermarkets, where food that is considered unusable is discarded (Dumpster Diving). But to Jacquie, hidden in these scraps are real delicacies. She is a master at transforming what others consider waste into delicious meals, finding beauty and goodness in what has been overlooked.
This philosophy is perfectly reflected in her bicycle, which she herself calls a rat bike, a stunning rig that I recently shared on the Save The Rat Bike Instagram. It’s an old steel Breezer Lightning frame. The bike is well-worn, carrying the marks of time and the many adventures it has shared with Jacquie. There are scratches, dents, and parts worn down over the years, but it is still perfectly functional, perhaps even more valuable because of all those imperfections that tell its story. Every dent is a memory, every scratch a sign of resilience, and to Jacquie, all of this is what makes her bike not just useful but extraordinarily beautiful. The “ratbike” is the perfect extension of Jacquie herself: unique, strong, and able to find value where others see only flaws or ruin.
What really struck me was how surreal it was to meet someone else who, like me, loves this rat imagery. As the founder of the “SaveTheRatBike” community, I have always celebrated this symbol, and in recent years I’ve been fortunate to meet others who share this passion. It’s incredible how something that is usually unloved, since the rat is often seen as a despised figure, a symbol of what is dirty or unpleasant, can instead evoke affection and fascination. For us, the rat represents resilience, ingenuity, and the ability to survive and find beauty in the hidden corners of the world.
“In a world that often prizes the shiny and new, Jacquie reminds us that there is so much beauty in what is raw, worn, and real.”
Spending time with Jacquie Phelan was not just a chance to meet an icon in the cycling world, but an opportunity to learn from someone whose life embodies the true meaning of resilience. Her ability to see value in what others discard, to find beauty in the most unexpected places, is a lesson we can all carry with us. Just like her “ratbike,” which continues to thrive despite its imperfections, Jacquie herself stands as a symbol of strength, adaptability, and the power of embracing the overlooked. In a world that often prizes the shiny and new, Jacquie reminds us that there is so much beauty in what is raw, worn, and real. Meeting her was an experience that will continue to inspire me for years to come, and I’m grateful for the lessons she has shared, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they may seem.
This photo, taken from Jacquie’s weblog, shows Mochi LaTrine (her sweet little rat) with the collar after the surgery: “The collar needed some fashion assistance, it’s usually just an opaque doughnut of soft plastic with a velcro closure… it needed a little perking up… Nothing a little lace won’t fix.”
Above: A gallery of some shots I took in Argenta with Raffaele Brunaldi during the pre-event for FAR Gravel and the Italian Framebuilders Festival.
Below: Jacquie and me together in Rimini.
