Interesting article re: women in mtb
BusyRaeNOTBusty
Posts: 7,166 Member
http://mtb4her.com/female-mountain-biking-its-a-small-world/
Starting out in mountain biking is can be very daunting in respect to the technical aspects of fast speeds and navigating tricky terrain, so many women who are introduced to the sport through a male companion often feel like they are not allowed time to learn proper mountain bike skills, and are often rushed through their rides if their male partners do not have patience to wait for them. On the average, women are generally not as fast as men and much of the riding can become a struggle of sorts trying to keep up with the guys as to not get dropped and lost in the forest. This is not very relaxing and it can become frustrating, making you feel like you are not good enough to be a mountain biker. Guys listen up, relax and have a little patience when on the trails with us, maybe we are a little slower than a guy but we kick butt on the trails too. Once we have mastered the sport it can be hard to find another female to ride with. I have ridden with many more men than women riders and find that most of the female cyclists I meet are into road and don’t mountain bike very much, if at all.
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Did you post this for me?
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Maybe. :drinker:0
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This is why I'm going to the all-women MTB clinic. I'm sure I'll still be intimated as hell, but I don't have to sleep with them afterwards!0
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I just don't think my desire to do it is strong enough. The last bit of that article is right. I love the road and smooth speed. We'll see how this spring goes...0
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If you're getting dropped on a fun/instructional ride, then your guy/leader is an *kitten*.0
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Indeed! I permanently dropped the last guy who dropped me on a ride. My man would never drop me on a trail, just as I would never drop him on the road.0
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If you're getting dropped on a fun/instructional ride, then your guy/leader is an *kitten*.
Yes.
But he's good in good in bed so I kept him around. And he doesn't do it anymore (probably because I'll only ride with him when he's on a recovery ride).0 -
I learned how to mountain bike the really hard way. I got talked into going on a weeklong biking trip to Moab UT and Fruita, CO - the mecca of US mountain biking. The guys needed transportation and I had the massive SUV - problem solved. I had no idea what I was getting myself into - I had maybe ridden 25 miles of gentle singletrack before the trip. Well, I got my *kitten* handed to me repeatedly (first blood was always mine) and finally tapped out on the infamous Slickrock Trail. The guys I went with had no mercy/pity for me, so I was often left behind to navigate the easy 2/10 trails alone while they went off for hours to conquer the 10/10 trails. On the last day, I hired a mountain guide to go learn how to mountain climb just to AVOID riding the famous Whole Enchilada trail, which I wouldn't have survived. Needless to say, I came home bruised and utterly defeated and let my "new" bike rust for over 2 years.
I only got back on the mountain bike once I befriended an older, seasoned guy biker who was willing to show me the ropes. (He also wanted a riding buddy who wouldn't kill him, either.) He was a trailkeeper, so I repaid him with volunteer trail work. When we rode, he taught me basic technique/etiquette, but also let me stop/slow, take outs, and retry sections... and he didn't ditch me or push me beyond my limits. Over time, I got pretty good (okay, decent). But I got lucky finding a decent teacher. But there simply aren't that many good teachers out there. I rarely see other women mountain bikers on the technical trails - and when I do, they are usually racers. Most of the time, it's a lone wife/girlfriend barely hanging on behind a more experienced guy (you can almost see the fear/hesitation at every turn). It makes me sad that there aren't more female mountain bikers, but I understand the barriers to entry. I've helped a few female cyclists learn how to ride road, but it's been tough finding female riders (new or experienced) to ride singletrack. Several of them have been burned, perhaps riding a loner bike too big for them and they were pushed too hard, and they simply don't come back.
If you can't tell, this makes me really sad...0 -
I guess we are lucky here in Rotorua, we have over 100km of single track and fire roads at every level so people only have to come to one place to learn the basics then step up to the next level..
We have locally run MTB skills clinics, for groups of ladies, men and mixed and even one on one if that is what you are after..
We have a shuttle bus service with regular hours for those of us incapable of climbing up to the fun down hill stuff..
There are as many women as men out using our forest, with all abilities in the mix.. it's just fantastic!!0 -
Gosh, mountain bike clinics would be awesome. We have them for kids, but not for adults...0
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My women's club in Denver puts on women's only clinics several times a summer. It's super nice (and it's nice to have a women's club).0
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My women's club in Denver puts on women's only clinics several times a summer. It's super nice (and it's nice to have a women's club).
I should talk to the local group that sponsors the kid's MTB clinics... I wonder if they would be game to hosting a "pilot" ladies clinic. (If there's just no interest, well at least we tried.) We also have some talented ladies that are active in the local/regional/nat'l MTB/XC racing circuits - I wonder if they would be interested in being ride hosts. Gotta start somewhere...0 -
My women's club in Denver puts on women's only clinics several times a summer. It's super nice (and it's nice to have a women's club).
I should talk to the local group that sponsors the kid's MTB clinics... I wonder if they would be game to hosting a "pilot" ladies clinic. (If there's just no interest, well at least we tried.) We also have some talented ladies that are active in the local/regional/nat'l MTB/XC racing circuits - I wonder if they would be interested in being ride hosts. Gotta start somewhere...
If you're are interested, this is the club I ride with:
http://thedirtdivas.com/
If you contact Nancy (the lady in the lead) she might have some ideas for you.0 -
My women's club in Denver puts on women's only clinics several times a summer. It's super nice (and it's nice to have a women's club).
I should talk to the local group that sponsors the kid's MTB clinics... I wonder if they would be game to hosting a "pilot" ladies clinic. (If there's just no interest, well at least we tried.) We also have some talented ladies that are active in the local/regional/nat'l MTB/XC racing circuits - I wonder if they would be interested in being ride hosts. Gotta start somewhere...
If you're are interested, this is the club I ride with:
http://thedirtdivas.com/
If you contact Nancy (the lady in the lead) she might have some ideas for you.
Thanks for the contact. I will reach out to Nancy. I think my area is long overdue for some ladies' events & riding clinics (not just here's-how-to-change-a-flat clinics!)
Edited to add: I just recently searched for women's groups and found a Trek page that mentioned the Dirt Divas!0
