Women and Technical Mountain Biking

There is a misconception that women confront more physical and mental barriers when it comes to gaining technical mountain biking skills compared to men. Everything from a lack of upper body strength to being overly cautious (or sensible—depending on one’s perspective) has been attributed to women’s seemingly lack of proficiency with, or desire for, riding technical terrain. However, a moment of reflection calls into question these misplaced assumptions. Consider Michael Rasmussen, who prior to turning to the road, was considered one of the world’s fastest mountain bikers. At 130 pounds on a 5 foot, 9 inch frame, Michael Rasmussen (who’s nickname is “The Chicken”) is far from the epitome of masculinity. Rasmussen, like many pro-mountain bikers, gained his technical abilities and aerobic conditioning the same way most male and female armatures do (setting the debate about drugs aside); namely, by training and practicing skills.

There is a real question about whether girls and women who take up mountain-biking experience the same opportunities for skill development as their male counterparts. I recall a few years ago during a group ride, I observed a few male mountain bikers jeering another male mountain biker to ride a very, very steep drop. One rider called up to the man nervously straddling his bike at the top of the drop, “Come on man, take off your skirt!” At the time, two thoughts were in my mind. On the one hand, I was bothered by the sexist suggestion that fear was a female characteristic and only “real” men are willing to take risks. On the other hand, I distinctly remember thinking, “I am glad I am girl so I do not have to put up with stupid taunts.” In retrospect, however, such peer pressure perhaps does lead men to develop their technical skills--not because their men--but because anyone’s ability will be improved by attempting more difficult trails.


Women who share the desire can achieve the same technical challenges as men; they just might not be getting the same encouragement to do so. I am not recommending a “what-are-you-chicken” approach to skill development. But rather, women, particularly those new to the sport, need to know that improvement comes from practice, practice, practice—not from how much you can bench press or the size of your quads. In fact, women bring strengths--wider hips (strong legs and core do not just deliver babies), the ability to store fat (promoting aerobic endurance) and, on average, lighter frames—to the sport.

The above comments do not suggest that some individuals do not have genetic traits that make them better athletes. Although I have grown tired of hearing about Lance Armstrong’s lung capacity and large heart, such comments do suggest an important point relevant to this discussion. Men, on average, whether professional athletes or couch potatoes—have larger lungs, hearts, and higher levels of muscle-building testosterone—than women, on average. It is for this reason that women compete against women and men compete against men at the highest levels of the sport. But most cyclists are not elite athletes and sex differences, however “real,” are not that significant on a Sunday club ride. It is important to note, that some women have genetic advantages over other women making them more likely to excel. I will never be as fast as Alison Dunlap or even the woman finishing last in a pro race. Yet becoming faster on my bike by learning to set up before corners, laying off the brakes or conquering a difficult climb that was my nemesis for weeks still makes me feel darn good!

I will never forget the day I rode the entire Hard Rock loop without putting a foot down. I was riding with Valerie Naylor. We did two laps. The first lap she did not put her foot down and I pedal dabbed twice! I made sure I cleaned my second lap. No taunting, no disparaging comments, Val cheered me on the entire lap, but the competition made me focus and ride well just the same.

On a final note, I and other women I know have greatly improved our mountain biking skills riding with men. But we did so not because we were riding with men but because we were pushing ourselves against better riders who pushed back. I improve just as much pushing myself against women riders who are better than me (at least for now).

If, you want to become a better mountain biker and conquer your nemesis whatever it is, first,

• Ride with riders who are a notch or two better than you (if you are at the front of the group, find a harder group ride!)

Here are some additional tips:

• Take tools, tubes, air, food, water, and wear a helmet.

• Do not be afraid to get dropped (getting drop only means you pushed yourself!)

• Do not apologize for making people wait (if there still there, they needed the breather—and if you ride up breathing hard, it makes them feel better about themselves)

• Team up with people who are willing to go back and practice trails they did not make; not every ride should be about keep up with the group; make sure you designate some rides just to work on skills.