Liv Women's Only A-Line - Video
During Crankworx, A-Line was shut down for 3 hours while LIV held Women's only camps to help riders get comfortable on the world's most famous trail and its features.
MENTIONS: @LivCycling / @officialcrankworx / @WhistlerMountainBikePark
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What is really important is that there is proper communication and that everyone accepts each others motives. Doing something tricky or skillful isn't showing off, there is fun taking on challenges. I recall one day I was going for an XC marathon in the Belgian Ardennes (just for the ride, not racing) we signed up for months before. I just happened to be pretty knackered that day (new girlfriend) so I was never going to be fast. So I decided to ride along with a new girl in the group (not the girlfriend). We rode with an equal mellow pace, I just bombed down the descends because that's what I like. Then left the bike at the bottom, walked back up to coach her through the tricky sections. We both had a fun ride. If she'd have considered my quicker riding a show-off it would have killed the fun for both of us. If I would only have waited at the end of the faster sections only to start rolling right when she'd arrive, she might feel like a miserable burden and would have dismissed me to just go ahead and ride the whole thing at my own pace.
I really welcome any comment from a lady here to get some insight into what's so intimidating about riding with guys. It is not supposed to be like that so hopefully we can fix that. The only thing I've heard so far (mostly from girls riding with XC racers and roadies) is that they feel like a burden. It is a social skill. Don't just wait, staring at the last rider in the group only to take off right when (s)he's arrived. Have fun, chat, practice your hops, trackstands, there's enough Macaskil can do that you can't yet so there is no such thing as just waiting. And when the last rider arrives, share the fun. Yet at the same time, accept that riders want to challenge themselves. There is fun in riding fast and going big. It is not to initimidate anyone, it is what people ride these bikes for. We've always had this approach on our rides and I've only seen smiles with new riders (no need to single out the ladies), heard them say how much fun they had, never noticed them being intimidated.
Don't get me wrong. This video shows people riding there bikes and clearly loving it. It is what it is all about, it is good.
Good job ladies, nice to see stoke level at MAXIMUM
Is this really the message we should be sending to little girls: you're weak and slow and unskilled and need to be treated as handicapped so you feel okay to learn?
Why wouldn't they just pair the women up with another women ripper and let them shred and progress like us normal folks do... instead of something lesser that needs special treatment?
Though now that you mention it, it would be cool to have a kids A-line day or something like that. Maybe a day where there's a couple hour block for various age groups under 20ish?
I'm all for it. Shut it down all day, once a week, for all I care. Let the women have it all to themselves. A few days of that and they'll be hitting it up on their own "like us normal folk..."
Also anything that promotes getting more women out riding harder trails is awesome. Only an idiot would hate on this program.