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A former kickboxer who represented Jersey and Great Britain internationally has now turned her hand to – and excelled in – a different sport after recovering from serious injury.
Monika Markowska had to pause her kickboxing success after undergoing a double knee construction two years ago.
After an eight hour procedure, and a "gruelling" recovery ahead, Monika started cycling as part of her rehabilitation which "sparked her love for the sport".
Now a permanent part of the Jersey Rouleurs club, Monika and a team of local riders achieved top results in an international competition in Finland this weekend.
Pictured: Monika and other members of the Jersey Rouleurs team in Finland.
The FNLD GRVL is a demanding gravel race set in the rural backdrop of Lahti, Finland.
This year, amateur and professional cyclists from all over the world – including Olympic gold medalist Greg Van Avermaet, Women's Giro d'Italia stage winner Tiffany Cromwell and road sprinter Rik Zabel – joined Monika and her team.
One of the event's main organisers was Formula One driver and gravel rider Valtteri Bottas.
Pictured: The full Jersey Rouleurs team of competitors at the FNLD GRVL race.
Usually a non-competitive club, members of the Jersey Rouleurs this year made the decision to enter a team in the race – which sees 1,000 entrants from all over the world.
After six months of training with her team mates, braving the winter cold and early starts, Monika managed to top the table for her team in the 114km lakes route.
She placed 55th overall in a time of just over 4.5 hours.
Pictured: Monika Markowska on the podium at the FNLD GRVL race.
Monika's performance was all the more impressive after she broke her elbow just eight weeks before the race.
She also had a mix up with her bike, losing it just days before the event.
Monika said: "I owe a great deal to the training with Ian Williams, who saw potential in me that I hadn't recognised and pushed my training to new heights.
"He made my new sporting dream a reality."
She added: "The race itself was organised amazingly well and participation was a pleasure."
Monika said that it was "incredible" to "compete wheel to wheel" with professional cyclists.
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