Southern Ladies MTB - Cann Woods September 2016

Southern ladies mtb logo

This weekend I held the first ever Southern Ladies MTB social ride. The idea came about when running Girls at Gawton. Girls who weren't into downhill needed a way to meet more girls who ride. It seems easier for girls to meet each other on uplifts and at downhill venues due to the nature of the discipline. Being stood around longer in one place defiantly makes it easier to chat than On the move all day covering large distances on an enduro or xc ride.

My friend Lo suggested starting the Facebook group spurring on the motivation I needed. Since then myself and Lo have been on the journey together holding our own Social rides and getting the group off the ground.

I decided to start nice and simple close to home so decided on Cann for my first venue. At least that way if no one turned up it would be a short ride home!  To be honest I was anxious that many people wouldn't turn up as the weather was predicted to be torrential rain on the tail of Americas hurricane Gaston. Full credit to the girls everyone turned up which was amazing.

The day followed the format of easier official trails in the morning and harder off piste trails in the afternoon. We had a great mixed bunch of abilities and a lot of girls who had never met. Despite most people having never met there was certainly no lack of conversation and laughs

Follow us on Facebook for details of our upcoming social rides!

Our group of ladies who all braved the weather to turn upon the Southern ladies MTB ride led by Laura Griffiths 

Check out those smiles in the rain

riding it's a love hate thing

When I started riding about 3 years ago I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. I read about it in magazines, and the internet and watched videos and visited bike shops. I was made up to find something I loved. Then even better I found other people that loved it too and there was the biking 'community'. I started off riding with my husband and his two dirty ratty sidekicks Jim and Si. They had crappy old bike and threw themselves off anything and I loved it, we all wore jeans and hoodies and no one expected us to be any good even though the boys were rad and not many women rode so soon I felt pretty good about being faster than boys we saw.

we started to meet more people and our riding circle increased which was fine at first But then it all got complicated like the good things always do and riding became more than me and my band of boys, we'd joined the riding community.

Lately I haven't blogged much because quite frankly I'd had enough of the world of mountain biking. being bombarded by the pinkbike experts who always know best and meeting people all day who had the 'best' bike and knew everything about the latest equipment. And girls downhill in the southwest is having it's moment with the 661 mini downhill so facebook is bombarded with which girls shorts should we buy, and what bikes can girls ride, where can all the girls be next and we should all read women's Wednesday. YUCK! just cos were girls we are no different, stop separating us!

I'd had enough I went into hermit mode, my life of riding bikes with the boys had been slowly invaded over years and at first I welcomed it but now all I ever seem to think is shut up and ride, how did it become this?

Giving myself some distance from riding in general, my avoidance of all things social media and running I can now ride my bike again with the boys and love it :D I still get annoyed with the same things but I choose to ignore them and block it out. So I miss racing and that but isn't it really all just about you and your bike?

if she can do it full length video

Tis good! 

Watching this will make any girl go out and aim to conquer bigger jumps and set their sights higher. have defiantly got a few jumps in mind for myself! 

still don't get the boob away technique tho!

"if she can do it"

In a previous post I reviewed "women of dirt" by awsomeland. Seems they've been at it again and the same group of ladyees have been making more lovely videos for us girls to watch and get jealous of their great skills. 

And this time its going to be shown on my favourite website pinkbike!

Follow the link above to see the trailer and pink bike showing date

If She Can Do It - Official Teaser on Pinkbike