Women’s Mountain Biking: What’s Your Story?

August 14, 2015

by Mered­ith Wires

I am a woman, and a moun­tain biker.

I start­ed bik­ing about sev­en years ago out of neces­si­ty. Literally.

I accept­ed a job at a resort and was respon­si­ble for devel­op­ing, coör­di­nat­ing and guid­ing out­door recre­ation pro­grams includ­ing; canoe­ing, kayak­ing and moun­tain bik­ing. I admit, a pret­ty sweet gig. My first day on the job, I learned we would be offer­ing an Intro­duc­to­ry Moun­tain Bike Tour and I was the guide. Sur­prise! I was excit­ed to learn a new skill, but a lit­tle ner­vous that I would need to teach this new skill as soon as possible. 

I grabbed a bike and hit the trails with a few expe­ri­enced acquain­tances and fell in love. There was some­thing about being immersed in the for­est, with two wheels and beau­ti­ful trails that my heart couldn’t resist.  I quick­ly trained my lungs to han­dle the climbs, my leg mus­cles grew stronger and I was ready to guide.

I taught the basics and improved every­day – try­ing not to make it too obvi­ous I was a begin­ner myself! After a few months, I bought a used moun­tain bike and start­ed invest­ing in some gear. I also start­ed to real­ize I was part of a larg­er, amaz­ing com­mu­ni­ty of moun­tain bik­ers, but I did ques­tion: where were all the ladies?

Back then, I took tips from the men on the trails, rode with men and seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. Always feel­ing slight­ly intim­i­dat­ed about keep­ing up and being strong enough. As the years went by, it became eas­i­er to find women to ride with – clubs formed, women-only trips and skills camps start­ed being offered and the female pros start­ed to take front stage.
   

I have seen the women’s moun­tain bike com­mu­ni­ty grow. Women’s rides, women’s gear, women spe­cif­ic bikes and of course, more women! We have tak­en this sport under our wing. I enjoy stay­ing con­nect­ed with what’s hap­pen­ing in the greater wom­en’s moun­tain bike com­mu­ni­ty — check­ing out trends, news, gear reviews and con­nect­ing with women across the globe.

When I meet women on the trails or go for a post-ride bev­er­age, I am always so intrigued to hear about their story.

How did they get into moun­tain bik­ing? Where do they find their inspiration?

Every­one has a unique sto­ry about how the sport speaks to them, their expe­ri­ence on the trails and con­nec­tion with moun­tain bik­ing as a sport and passion.

WOMEN’S MOUNTAIN BIKE BLOGS TO FOLLOW:

IMBA — WOMEN’S MTB 

SINGLETRACKS.COM — WOMEN’S MTB

MOUNTAIN BIKE 4 HER 

MTBCHICK 

TOTAL WOMEN’S CYCLING