How to find other female mountain bikers to ride with

This guest post was written by Betty over at http://bettymountaingirl.blogspot.com

I brought up the topic of mountain biking alone, in this last post as a way to progress as a rider. A few great comments from other ladies brought up it’s about who you ride with. While, I’ve found hitting the singletrack solo has helped me lose the free advice, I also agree that riding in groups is extremely important. So how to find that right folks to ride with?

Here are some ideas to find other woman mountain bikers:

The shop ride

Almost all serious local shops have mountain bike rides. It’s a great way to hook up with local riders and a great way to learn new trails. It’s good to have an idea of what kind of mileage they typically tackle and if they “drop” riders. Basically- do they wait for everyone at every trail junction or not? I’ve gone on loads of shop rides and I always eagerly chat with other lady riders. We are definitely in the minority on most rides. Typically when I join a ride of 17-20 men, we may have two or three females. I also take this opportunity to ask the other female riders who they normally ride with, where they ride, and if we can ride together sometime.

The local mountain bike nonprofit- NEMBA or WOMBATS

Not everyone is as lucky as we are in the Northeast to have a great non-profit bike organization like NEMBA (New England Mountain Bike Association), but it’s worth the internet search to see who you can drum up. This local organization is how I’ve hooked up with other great laid-back riders. Another non-profit, female specific group to check out is WOMBATS (Women’s Mountain Bike and Tea Society).

Lead a ride

So maybe your local shop doesn’t lead rides and there aren’t any non-profit groups in your area. Consider approaching your local bike shop and proposing that you lead a ride. Most shops field tons of questions about local riding and would probably gladly pass the nod your way. Think you’re not a good enough rider to lead? Give it a try! I started leading rides for NEMBA a few years back, knowing just the basics. When folks would call or email for ride info- I was upfront and honest. Mainly, they were just excited to hook up with others riders- they weren’t looking for a full outfitter.

The bike race

This may be different for the guys, but I’ve met many lady riding partners at bike races. Typically the ladies field is pretty small and we all get to chatting. The great part about finding riding partners at bike races is that you are typically getting in touch with someone who has been riding for a while and might be a great match for your skills.

So what do you think? How have you found your riding buddies?


About Betty Mountain Girl

Woman Riding Mountain BikeBetty first fell in love with biking chasing her brothers around their city block in tights and a skirt. Since then she’s taken to the trails more than the road, but continues to ride in a skirt. She likes: racing people on the trail who don’t know that they’re in a race, wind in her hair, mud on her legs. She dislikes: the feeling of wet grass when wearing sandles, slugs on the tent in the morning and wearing panty hose.

Her daily blog: http://www.bettymountaingirl.blogspot.com/

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