All girls should ride, so join Girls AllRide in Oregon – The team behind Ladies AllRide Mountain Bike Skills Camps are expanding their programs for young girls this year, because girls should all ride bikes, too. Girls AllRide has a mission to let mountain biking be a tool for “youth to build community, discover potentials & strengthen themselves”. Sure the primary goal is to help girls aged 9-16 develop their mountain biking skills, but we all know it goes deeper than that.
Creating new mountain bikers means growing our cycling community, and at the same time building lifelong relationships while we overcome obstacles, boosting personal confidence, and learning to use logic to confront our fears. More mountain bikers are good for everyone, more young women on mountain bikes even more so!
The expanded 2020 Girls AllRide program is open to girls 9-16 to attend programs that suit their skillsets, goals & age group in and around Bend, OR. The May, June & July ride clinics use the same Ladies AllRide coaching philosophies, relating mountain biking development to everyday life – mixing education & fun. Find more details & register your young shredder at: LadiesAllRide.com
Where to train & ride
- Prepare for the Vätternrundan with Zwift – The Vätternrundan is the “world’s largest recreational bike ride”, a 315km race around the Swedish Lake Vättern in mid June. So Zwift is running an 11-week training ride series to prep for it, or any other really long event. Each ride in the Zwift series gets longer than the last, to help build endurance. And when you complete any of the rides, you’ll unlock the virtual Vätternrundan 2020 kit. Zwift.com
- Feel the desert, riding the Gran Fondo Arava in Israel – Called one of the most unique road cycling events in the world, the March 6-7 Gran Fondo Arava rides the desert near the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. Distances of 46, 56 & 130km challenges riders of all levels, with 1,200 cyclist from all corners of the globe joining local Israeli & Palestinian riders to check out the culture, food & ancient historic sites of the Arava region. GranFondoIsrael.com
Advocacy & Industry News
- Making riding as a pro work, with Lizzie Deignan – Pro racing isn’t all sunshine & puppy dogs. Often life is more complicated, even as a professional bike rider & world champ. A new film on Trek‑Segafredo’s Lizzie Deignan focuses on ‘what really matters’ – the truth the greatest victories in life: “they’re better when they’re shared, they’re impossible when they’re not… Not the wins, not the trophies, not even the stripes—but the relationships you forge on your way to achieving them. Got tissues? Fair warning: you might need them.“
- Raleigh takes to WhatsApp for dealer support – Starting in the UK, bikemaker Raleigh has started opening up a line of direct WhatsApp communication so independent bike dealers & mechanics can get questions answered faster, to provide better service to their customers. Is on-demand texting going to be the new way for shops to talk with bike companies, instead of picking up the phone?
Gear & Deals
- Get Orbea to support you adventure as their Ambassador – Orbea is looking for personal projects to support in their #OrbeaChallenges program. Open to any person looking to use a bike to accomplish their personal riding or even social goal in 2020, Orbea will select whoever’s story is most compelling. Then they’ll outfit the cyclist with a bike, helmet & riding gear and send them out in the world as an Orbea Ambassador. Last year they supported Austrian rider Nora Turner in her aim of encouraging cycling among women on the way to completing the Ötzi marathon. Do you have a good goal this year? Make your case to be an ambassador via Orbea’s Facebook before the end of January.
