On Tuesday nights during the summer months, you may see a flock of colorful shorts and bikes at the La Cuchara trailhead at La Tierra, if you have, you’ve seen our weekly women’s ride! These rides are all inclusive and great for beginners and seasoned riders alike. In the last few months I have had the pleasure of joining the ride almost every week. I have seen people joining who are new to the state and looking to connect with the community, new to biking, or just simply looking to enjoy the trails with some awesome like-minded women.
I met one of the regulars, Liz, a year ago doing a women’s skills clinic, she fearlessly launched her bike off the jump boxes at the skills area next to Frijoles trail head. She not only joins the Tuesday rides with a smile on her face but has also jumped into being on the SFFTS board this year.
Lauren and Carla are our ride leaders this year. Lauren is the ride leader who rallies the ladies every week and never shies away from a technical trail. She started mountain biking after attending a SFFTS women’s beginner clinic and then was hooked – attending years of Tuesday night rides since then. You will always find Carla searching for the route with the most climbs! Both Lauren and Carla love leading the rides to encourage women riders of all levels to practice their skills and to get to know other women in the mountain bike community.
We have two riders who both are kicking butt on gravel “adjacent” bikes. I personally love when people choose to do gravel/rigid bikes at La Tierra, but that might be my own masochism/cyclocross background.
Chrissy, a former board member, joined SFFTS when she moved to town to meet other women and join a community. She is always ready to support and encourage any rider on the trail.
It has been amazing watching women show up to these rides to have fun and develop their skills. Even though I’ve been limited on the bike these last few months, I watched when someone said, “Lets hit the wee whoops!” and when a newer rider expressed hesitation, there was a resounding, “It’s fun, you’ll love it!”. I was consistently the only one taking the “B line” and I loved it. This group of women have been so encouraging. There are no “I’m sorry” to be heard, but more, “You’re a faster climber, go ahead”. The best part of riding with all women is that women get to fill all the roles on the ride – we are the leaders, we troubleshoot mechanical issues, we pick the routes, we session features to improve our skills, and we are the teachers and supporters of each other. This is what SFFTS’s goal is. We want women to feel empowered and supported while mountain biking.
If you’ve been wanting to get out and ride come join us!
The Women’s Rides run between the months March to November every Tuesday.
Meet at 5:30, riding by 5:45.
They are always no drop, but locations vary so check for updates on Slack or the weekly newsletter for locations or possible weather cancellations.
