#WomensMTBDay

Yesterday was the 1st International Women’s Mountain Biking Day! It’s pretty rad that we now have a day dedicated to women mtb-ers. I didn’t always love mountain biking. When I first started riding, I was extremely intimidated–I rode with people that were way more experienced than I was. I rode pretty gnarly trails (mostly hiked them), but I kept riding-determined to get better. With each ride, I conquered a fear, whether it was steep descent, a technical rooty section, or a rock garden. With each ride, I got better. And that’s the thing about mountain biking–with every ride, there is the opportunity to become a better rider.  There’s nothing more confidence-boosting than hitting an obstacle for the first time that you were once afraid of. And it makes me so happy to see more women out there riding.

Today I lead my first group ride with the Saratoga Womens MTB collective at Luther Forest. Since I am familiar with the trails there, I didn’t mind leading. Three other ladies came out despite the drizzle.

The group rides are very beginner-friendly, no-drop rides! Since I am still recovering from a knee injury we took it slow and just had a good time and sessioned some tricky sections. We even spotted this owl in trees! It was my first time seeing an owl in the wild–amazing!

So far the group rides have been the 2nd Sunday of every month, but with the nice weather, we’re hoping for some more frequent rides. I’m looking forward to the next one!