Roadie Girl Turned Mountain Girl?

I’m a road cyclist who would like to mountain bike, for me, mountain biking has been on the list for a long time .  So why is it so hard to venture outside my comfortable road cycling box and hit the trails?  I groan as my mountain bike calls to me every time I pass it on my way to the kitchen. .  I love the trails and spend many hours hiking and running in the woods.  Mountain biking would add yet another dimension to my love of exploring nature.  With more and more women interested in mountain biking, what better time to check out trail riding?

How do I go about learning to ride trails?  Where do I ride?  Can I trust my bike to go over roots and rocks?  Is descending possible without feeling like I'm going to crash?! All these questions and more would go through my head.



Super Fast...Not really

 

The plan was simple:

• Get out on the trails.

• Find other women to ride with. 

 

So here is what I've been up to on the mountain bike......

Like most women getting into cycling I want to feel safe and comfortable.  Gratefully, I have a Specialized Fate, a mountain bike specifically designed for women. Along with the Body Geometry Fit from the pros at Specialized and Twenty20 Cycling, I feel completely comfortable on my bike. 

My beautiful Fate

 

Next step, to find other women to ride with and learn the skills I need to enjoy the trails. Social media is where I started.  After checking around I learned about several women's beginner clinics and group rides in my area.  Awesome!  That was easy.  It was also encouraging to hear that most of the clinics and even the women’s group ride would provide a bike if needed.  I invite a few road cycling friends to join me.

I participate in a clinic sponsored by an organization dedicated to getting more women on mountain bikes.  Perfect!  I arrange a meeting with one of the founders for a pre clinic ride.  Although I was nervous, I loved my ride!   We start out easy and then hit most of the basic skills needed to navigate the local trails.  There definitely was a bunch of things going on in my head while I rode. Rocks, roots, streams and clipping in and out without falling, to name a few.  The clinic the following weekend reinforced what I had learned and more such as trail etiquette and group riding.  It was great to ride with other women learning to mountain bike.

Now it's time for my extreme mountain biking video........



Ok, I'm not jumping a log an then landing on a Grizzly's back but I can see that in my future...minus the Grizzly part!  I'm on my 29er and I'm enjoying the trails and my beloved woods!

Time to break it down....

At one of the clinic leaders suggestions, I removed one of my fears about not being able to clip out by switching to flat pedals.  Just getting that out of my head helped.  On my own I work on the skills one by one.  I have several short trail loops that require skills that are hanging me up. The more I ride the more comfortable and enjoyable the experience has been.  Through all this I've connected to other women who want to learn to ride trails.  The experts at Twenty20 Cycling continue to provide support with advice about how to make my mountain bike journey the best.

I can't say I'm mountain biking with complete confidence, but I'm definitely on my way.  Whoo Hoo! Mountain biking!   It's fun and not as hard as I expected.



Definitely Roadie Girl Turned Mountain