Brief info
Ana Sanches is the founder of Bikeworks Repair Shop. Ana showed a natural gift for mechanics from a very young age, and spent most of her childhood fixing toys and other objects from around her home. One of Ana’s earliest memories, at age 4, was when she removed one of her bike’s training wheels and learnt to ride with just one, then removed the other training wheel and taught herself to ride on two wheels.
Ana worked as a mechanical engineer in her hometown of Sao Paulo, Brazil, then in 2013, she embarked on a new chapter of her life by moving to London. She set her sights on opening her own bike shop, starting a professional City-and-Guild training programme, run by Bikeworks. Her exceptional mechanical skills caught the attention of others, and even before completing her Level 2 course, she secured a position as a bicycle mechanic at Bikeworks. Ana went on to become head mechanic and in 2018, she opened her own workshop under the Bikeworks umbrella.
Ana’s journey as a mum of two, an immigrant, female, and lesbian mechanic has been met with its unique set of challenges. However, she fearlessly defies expectations, breaking down barriers and proving that diversity and inclusivity are vital in the cycling industry. Ana’s shop serves as a platform for creating surplus and providing opportunities for the next generation of mechanics to establish their livelihoods, just as it has done for her.