Ride With Me: An Open Invitation to Women Interested in Mountain Biking

When I started mountain biking, I was in awe of women who rode. In the grungy, testosterone-flooded world of fat tires and dirt, they were rare. They had tan, strong arms, huge laughs and scarred knees. They were the epitome of feminine toughness and I wanted to be one of them.

In my first race, I got lost for over three hours in the woods during a thunderstorm. I dragged my mud-logged bike across the finish line long after most people had left. I was elated. I’d found something terrifying and challenging and I was hooked.

I went on to race internationally, winning two collegiate national championships. Crashing frequently came with the territory. Now, my bike takes me on long adventures, I practice dirt jumping and coach kids who ride better than I do.

My knees are a trail map of surgeries and pedal gouges. When I study the scar tissue and look back on years spent in the woods, I know there’s so much more to mountain biking than “hanging with the dudes.”

This is an invitation to women to join us out here. To take a risk. To put your feet to the pedals. I promise you won’t regret it.

Ride with me because it will quiet your mind.

There’s just something magical about taking your bike out on late summer afternoon, when the light is low and the dirt is tacky. I’ve solved the world’s problems (or at least my own) to a soundtrack composed of the rhythm of my breath, the whir of pedals and the low buzz of rubber on dirt. Riding is a moving meditation; the small things become smaller, the important ones stand out.

Ride with me because it takes you places.

You won’t believe how much ground you can cover on a bike. I’ve traversed mountain ranges, ridden to new towns and climbed to the most amazing vistas. You can pedal through the sacred moonscapes of Moab or the loamy forests of the Northwest.  You can even explore that mangy, broken-glass-covered trail between subdivisions. On a bike, you always see, smell or find something unexpected, beautiful and magical.

Ride with me because you’re braver than they think.

Yes, they, not you. As girls, we’re expected to be less aggressive, less committed and not as strong as the boys with whom we ride. Before you accept the status quo, ask yourself if that stereotype applies to you. In recent years, I’ve found more and more ripping chicks to ride with.  We're gaining momentum but there's always a place for one more.

Get out here. Pedal strong, look silly, crash hard. You’ll be in better company than ever before.