Relatable: why your journey matters

Doing hard things, scary things, and/or challenging things helps us grow. It shows us what we’re really capable of and unlocks confidence we can then take with us wherever we go. 

In mountain biking, it’s not always big rock features, jumps or drops, that are challenging, but there are so many other obstacles and intimidating aspects to mountain biking that prevent women and girls from entering the sport. Sometimes even getting out of the car into a carpark of people that seem to know what they’re doing is daunting. 

Dirt Maidens Ride Guides checking out a technical section of trail.

Throw in a machine that is complex to understand, trails that are unknown, hills that are hard, lingo that needs decoding, weather that can be harsh and the darkness of night riding… each challenge overcome at Dirt Maidens is done together, with support, so riders build connections and learn, and experience a variety of challenges. Each step is a step towards creation of a world where women feel as though they belong in the outdoors. Each brave woman or girl that does the hard thing creates a ripple effect in their own world and may inspire another woman or girl (or any person really) to take a step towards adventure- ‘if she can do it, maybe I can do it’…

Ordinary women and girls doing brave things is relatable to other ordinary women and girls. Experienced pros doing gnarly things is inspiring but most people can’t relate to it. We even see this in our coaching programs. The coach gives a demo, and some people find that even the coach is not that relatable ‘because you can do everything!’ and they want to see other riders at their level do the thing. This is one reason I love group coaching so much. Riders learn from each other when the group facilitation is done well. Riders encourage one another and create strong connections through shared experiences. 

‘if she can do it, maybe I can do it’…

Riders learn from each other, encourage one another and create strong connections.

No one’s story is the same. For a long time, I thought my story into mountain biking was not relatable. I don’t have a story of overcoming some huge physical or mental challenge. I haven’t had any moments of huge loss or grief and I haven’t had any serious accidents or comeback stories. I’m just an outdoorsy woman who was an outdoorsy girl and I wanted to help other women know that they can be too. I started a mountain bike coaching business by accident because I had experience coaching mountain biking and women wanted to learn. I’m not a retired pro athlete and I’m not someone who grew up in the industry. I’m a nurse, and I see the incredible health outcomes that people- especially women and girls- encounter through riding bikes in nature. I want that for everyone, and so this has become my story.

For a long time I didn’t think that my story was noteworthy. But I now see that my journey is relatable and there is a chance that other women and girls may be inspired by what I am doing and the vision that I have.

I have an incredible coaching team, and I know many of them have expressed some self-doubt. ‘Not good enough’, ‘not fast enough’, ‘who am I to be coaching this?’, ‘There are so many riders that are better than me’, ‘I’ve never even raced’, ‘I can’t even do that feature’….. and my reply is always the same. 'Your journey and your experiences will be relatable to someone. Your strength will be in the way you connect with and relate to others’.

Some of our newer coaches are closer to the beginner’s journey and can remember what it was like to be a beginner, more so than those of us who have been riding for a long time. Some of our coaches who have had injuries are relatable to those who are injured or returning from injury. Finding ways to connect through similarities is much easier when coaches are not ex-pro riders, celebrities or world record holders. It’s in the ordinary, relatable stuff that people connect. Being female and doing hard things is an important first part of that connection. Having a team of all female staff, bringing their experiences of being female in mountain biking is so crucial to our vision.

We celebrate every achievement and encourage riders to set themselves goals and challenges. We celebrate every scary thing you do. Every day you’re out on the trail. Every hill you slowly climb. Every time something clicks. We ask for your highlights at the end of each session so we can celebrate with you.

Do you have a challenge to set for yourself as you come into this new season? What is your marker of progress, or that little goal you’d like to achieve? It doesn’t have to be big. Just showing up is a big goal for many of our riders, and is worthy of celebration. Because that is also relatable. For the person who hasn’t yet started, you may be their inspiration. At every step along the way, we have the potential to inspire others simply because they can relate to us.

So I encourage you to share your journey. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or world class, or monolithic. It doesn’t need to be polished or professionally done. Someone will surely be inspired. And we will celebrate with you and encourage you as you set the next goal.

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Coaches Annie and Claire planning with Rachelle Boobar from Santa Cruz on the Juliana Women’s Ride Out at Sea Otter 2025