Rachel Laura Atherton is a British professional downhill mountain bike racer, and is a multiple time UCI World Champion. Atherton began riding BMX at the age of 8 and mountain biking at the age of 11. She was both Sunday Times' Sportswoman of the Year and BBC Midlands Junior Sportswoman of the Year in 2005, and then BBC Midlands Sportswoman of the Year in 2008. In October 2015, a video of Atherton overtaking 91 competitors in five minutes during a race went viral.