Richards comes from Malvern and attended The Chase School.[2] She first rode for T-Mo Racing.[3] She is a member of the British Cycling Olympic Senior Academy.
Prior to 2016 under-23 cyclo-cross events were only held for male competitors, Richards therefore raced in the elite category. After the introduction of under-23 events, Richards won the first three editions (2016, 2017, 2018) of the British National Cyclo-cross Championships.[3] In addition, she was 7th in the women's elite category and 2nd in the junior category in the British national cyclo-cross championships in 2015.[6]
On 30 January 2016, Richards won the first ever women's U23 competition at the cyclo-cross world championships in Zolder, Belgium. She broke away in the first lap and finished the race 35 seconds ahead of the second-placed rider, Nikola Noskova.[7] It was the first cyclo-cross race Richards had taken part in outside the UK.[8]
Richards was chosen to be part of the UK's cycling squad at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she achieved a 7th-place finish.[9]
By the final round of the 2021 season, she scored success at Snowshoe, winning the U23 race in 2019. Her weekend began with an XCC win—her first in 2021 and third of her elite career.[10]