Women love mountain biking, and yet the sport is predominantly populated by men, as are most of its associations and riding groups. As healthy and liberated as it is to play with the boys, women bikers sometimes prefer riding in the company of other women. In October 2005, Michelle Santos and Ryan Petersen wanted just that, and finding no organized groups of female mountain bikers in the Vancouver area, they founded the Muddbunnies.
Muddbunnie Susan Sheldon can testify to the challenge of finding other women riders:
“I used to rely on taking courses to meet other women because I’d rarely ever see them on the mountain, and on the online forums everybody had assumed names. I ended up spending a lot of money because I would go to clinics, meet women to ride with and invariably their priorities would change and they wouldn’t make time to ride any more.”
Through word of mouth, 50 women got involved with the Muddbunnies within its first year. Santos and Petersen saw a need for cultural support for female mountain bikers, and created Muddbunnies.com as a place to meet and plan rides, learn about skills and gear, and to find trail, club, and racing information. Their Muddbunnies Riding Club has attained Cycling BC certification and has begun hosting women’s only riding skills clinics. They also lead weekly rides for women with all levels of experience – from beginner to advanced on various mountains. Beginners usually start on Burnaby Mountain, while advanced rides are on Mt. Seymour and Mt. Fromme on the North Shore, and on Vedder Mountain and Sumas Mountain in the Fraser Valley.
Membership is not required to participate in a ride or clinic, but joining the Muddbunnies riding club only costs $40 and includes a Cycling BC membership and a T-shirt.
On April 14 and 28 the Muddbunnies will host two women’s only clinics in preparation for the Brodie Rat Race on May 5 on the Sunshine Coast. The clinic, aimed at women ready to start racing, will be led by two-time World Masters Downhill Champion, Denise Britton. “She’s an amazing rider,” says Petersen. “I didn’t imagine myself doing gap jumps until I saw her.”
Asked what makes the Muddbunnies forum unique, Peterson says, “NSMB and Pink Bike – the two major local mountain biking forums – are predominantly male. The conversation there, compared to the conversation on our forums is vastly different. Women have commented that the conversation feels safer. You can say something without someone coming back with a sexual innuendo. Not that women don’t talk about sex, but we’re a little more focused on why we’re going on the forum.”
The Muddbunnies are looking for more women to help the club grow. At present, there are about five people keeping things running on a largely volunteer basis. They are looking for ride leaders, organizers, and help with membership, as well as help with photography and production of their 2008 calendar.
Petersen can see the Muddbunnies growing into a full-time occupation. “We were asked by the Girl Guides to do some instruction and we’ve got 80 girls coming up this summer.” Plus they’ve had interest in starting similar clubs from as far away as the UK and South America. Their website gets a lot of traffic from the eastern US, the UK, and Germany. Future plans for the Muddbunnies include creating women’s only mountain biking videos, and expanding the club into other regions.
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