Rolling with the Trek Factory Girls - Photo Epic

May 31, 2016 at 13:10
by Samantha Saskia Dugon  




At the beginning of the year, Trek announced that seven professional female athletes would be riding their bikes. This roster included downhill racers Rachel Atherton and her junior protege, Mille Johnset (from Norway), XC athletes, Emily Batty and Bec Henderon, the ever stylish, Casey Brown and enduro athletes and the focus of this article, Brits Tracy Moseley and Katy Winton.

Tracy and Katy make up the female portion of the 'Trek Factory Racing Enduro Team' - the product of Tracy and team manager, Ray Waxham, which was started back in 2014. "In 2012, after Val di Sol, I was talking with Tracy, our 2011 UCI DH World Champ who was starting to race a new (to me) discipline... enduro" says Waxham. "After our conversation, it was apparent she needed support, so I extended my ten-day trip to five weeks and followed her through some regional enduro races and into the newly formed Enduro World Series. As the series gained momentum, racers from all our Trek programs took part. Tracy was joined by her DH teammate Justin (Leov) and Megavalanche expert, Rene Wildhaber. Then, Trek XC racers Ross Schnell, Heather Irmiger and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski were on board too. I was the default team manager as I had worked with all these athletes through Trek’s Race Shop for years."

Moseley has been riding and racing for 20-years and has undoubtedly paved the way for many female riders over a variety of disciplines. She is a role model to many girls and women, many she supports through her own up T-Mo Racing team.

Tracy's active involvement with the next generation of female mountain bikers is no secret but she hasn't had a female teammate for six years. Katy Winton’s potential and determination to succeed on the EWS caught Tracy’s eye and over the years that followed, they eventually formed a friendship. True to Tracy’s nurturing nature, she pushed for Katy to be part of the factory team in 2016. We hit the road with Tracy and Katy as they loaded up the camper and traveled between the Irish EWS and the TweedLove Festival in Scotland to got an inside view into what it's like to be two top female racers on the Enduro circuit...


Trek Enduro Women
Trek Enduro Women


bigquotesIt's awesome to ride with girls. You ride with them and not just get dropped and left to ride round yourself. It's great, you get to have the banter that usually all the lads have except you're at the back and can miss out on that. - Katy



Dublin

A peak out of the plane window showed the gorgeous coastline of southern Ireland.
A peak out of the plane window showed the gorgeous coastline of southern Ireland.


From Dublin, we loaded everyone into the van - myself, Tracy and James - and with Katy at the wheel, headed over to the Ticknock trails for a Trek dealer ride. With an energetic and outgoing personality, there was rarely a moment, if at all, that Katy wasn't laughing or smiling.

At only 22, Katy has spent most of her life riding bikes and prior to getting involved with Enduro had raced XC. Katy comes from a background of road racing of which she says, "can be easy to feel like an outsider in road" and that she's found "the MTB community to be more welcoming to all sorts of riders, male or female, young or old, with only one provision; that you are enjoying your time on the trails." After a day spent with dealers on the trails, we were to head out in a camper van for a few days and make our way to Scotland and the TweedLove Bike Festival...


Taking a rest outside one of Irelands oldest pub with some wagon wheels for seat rests.
A quick drop at Dublin's oldest pub before hitting the road to Scotland.

Trek Enduro Women
"Scotland!" Katy is happy to be back in her homeland...



Scotland

Our first port of call was to Kirroughtree's world famous trails in the Galloway Forest Park, home of the McMoab trail; Scotland’s version of Moab... With pale white rock, and enough grip to hold an off-camber track-stand on without sliding out, the trail certainly seemed lived up to its name. With no immediate race to practice for, no pressure and no stress, Tracy and Katy were excited to be riding Kirroughtree. It’s one of their favorite trails in Scotland, but one that they rarely get to ride due to racing schedules.


Image from Trek Enduro Women Epic
Image from Trek Enduro Women Epic

Trek Enduro Women
Katy kept the smiles on everyone's faces as they set off for a relaxed ride.
Trek Enduro Women
So much stoke to be home and riding.

Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women
McMoab presented us with a jaw-dropping view of the Scottish countryside.

Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women
More love for Scotland...

bigquotesKaty brings a real fun element to the team as she is always a happy, smiley face who just loves riding her bike and having chance to ride on a pro team has been her dream come true so it's been cool to have someone with that energy around the team. - Tracy

Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women
Like every MTB ride, a photo at the top with the beautiful natural backdrop has to be taken.

Trek Enduro Women
Trek Enduro Women


bigquotesIt's like having a guru of experience with a depth of knowledge and not just of bike riding and racing but of the bike industry and how it works. Tracy and her partner James have been so helpful and generous with their time, I can't thank them enough. - Katy


Tracy Moseley
Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women


bigquotesI love life on the road now that James and I have the camper van... I can just pack everything in and it's just like having our home on wheels! - Tracy.


Trek Factory Racing Enduro Team



TweedLove Bike Festival

We roll into the Tweedlove Festival and the International Enduro after a rest day on the road. The girls head straight into practice and while it would be impossible to go through each trail and know it all root by root, the discussion over lines and tracks goes into overdrive as everyone regathers at the pits after practice. The girls share lines and thoughts on the stages and question what mechanical specs for their bikes would be most suited for race day. They each have their different strengths and weaknesses, but it's clear they use them to help each other progress.


Trek Enduro Women
Although the pits can be a stressful and busy place pre-race, the girls were incredibly chilled about all the paparazzi and continued to ensure everything was set for the race.
Some down time at the No.1 Cafe in Peebles.
The girls get some downtime in the town of Peebles.
Some down time at the No.1 Cafe in Peebles.


bigquotesThere is so much to learn from Tracy with all her years of experience of being an athlete and racing... The most benefit thing is seeing the way she balances her time around training, the way she prioritizes and prepares for events and day-to-day life. Like food prep, regular massage to look after your body, etc. At races she is unfazed and doesn't get flustered... that calm, solid and happy attitude is perfect to be around when racing. The endless amount of time she has to put into the next generation of bike racers, female bike riders and generally getting anyone and everyone out onto bikes is what inspires me the most - she's just a bike rider, like the rest of us, with no ego to get in the way of that. - Katy


Trek Enduro Women
Trek Enduro Women


Come race morning, the atmosphere in the Trek pits are lighthearted with Katy and James keeping the laughs coming, but the main focus is bike maintenance and to ensure that they were ready for a long day of racing. That and the increase in fans approaching the pits to grab a chat and that all important autograph.


Trek Enduro Women
The atmosphere in the pits was relaxed, with the bikes all prepped and ready to go, the girls prepared themselves for the day of racing ahead of them.

Trek Enduro Women
Everybody loves fresh stickers...

Trek Enduro Women
Katy starts the day off the way she intends to finish; smiling.

Trek Enduro Women
The girls chatting before a big day on the bike.

Trek Enduro Women
Katy showing off her loadout before heading off for a day's work on the bike.


bigquotesFrom being a privateer or being on a small time sponsorship deal, at the pits you've got to look after, maintain and fix your own bike. You have to ensure transport and accommodation is sorted beforehand, prep and sort out your own diet and maintain training, whilst also attempting to fully focus on racing. To be part of a pro team and to have people there to ensure that all you have to do is focus on racing, is very surreal... especially when you've only recently transitioned. I get to ride and race bikes with Tracy Moseley - the best female enduro rider ever to exist thus far, not to mention all her DH achievements and learning from the best is only going to make me faster. To have the support I have with Trek Factory Racing alongside Tracy... you couldn't ask for a better set up, I feel very lucky! - Katy


Trek Enduro Women
Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women
Friends make the climbs a little easier.


bigquotesYeah I hope Katy can learn a few things from riding with me and also how I go about my racing. Things which I have developed and learned after so many years at it! For me having someone younger and with boundless enthusiasm is great as it keeps me young, and also reminds me just how much fun bike riding is and how it should still be even after 20-years... Sometimes I can get tired and grumpy of life on the road and that in reality, I love it! It makes me realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity and that's cool. - Tracy


2016 Tweedlove International Enduro
With Tracy setting off only 20-seconds behind her, she would be hot on Katy's heels. Starting stages this way means that Katy learns at quite a pace.

Trek Enduro Women



Tracy's Coaching Tips


Tracy had Hattie Harndon with her too, a member of her grassroots T-Mo Racing team. Hattie is a recent addition to the program, and every ride or race together is a learning curve for them both. One of the stages at the Tweedlove Enduro was particularly steep, loose, tight and very technical. To prepare Hattie for this stage Tracy simply prepared her for the type of terrain that she would encounter and made sure that she gave Hattie plenty of faith and no fears. This type of coaching is typical of Tracy's style and personality.

bigquotesStating that there is a potentially difficult feature at some point in the trail can fixate the riders mind on it, leaving them with little concentration for the rest of the track as they're constantly on the look out for this forewarned feature. Instead, explain the type fo terrain the rider will encounter. Everyone perceives obstacles differently. What may be a big jump for some, may be a small mound to others. Remember this when offering tips. - Tracy


Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women

Trek Enduro Women

Growing up in and around Peebles Katy Winton was the local hero of the weekend.

Trek Enduro Women
"Once a racer, always a racer". Whilst not actively competing and taking a more relaxed approach to racing with a less strict training and diet regimes, Tracy is still smoking everyone on the circuit.

Two truly great sportswomen.


Tracy won each of the 7 Stages over the weekend and by at least 7-seconds over Katy who came second, who is gradually trying to close the gap down between them. Given her time and prominence within the MTB community, Tracy is one of the most down to earth and sincere female riders around.

Throughout the week Tracy and Katy each used their strengths to help the other overcome obstacles - both mental and physical, making their bond both on and off of the bike even stronger. These are two awe-inspiring women whose friendship, laughter, riding, bond and impact on the MTB community is everything you could imagine and hope for. Having role models like Katy and Tracy is amazing and it only shows that riding isn't just about going as fast as you can between the tape, but about the relationships you form along the way.


Post race meal with the team friends and family.



MENTIONS: @trek / @SaskiaD



Author Info:
SaskiaD avatar

Member since Aug 16, 2012
62 articles

32 Comments
  • 45 3
 That was such a sick article. More women exposure in this sport (MTB) is awesome. Wish them all the best of luck for all races.
  • 12 1
 I don't often read whole articles on pinkbike (too busy with the video part) but this one was just far too sick--this is the most happiness inspiring article I've read in quite a while.
  • 1 0
 Trek Girls but no Emily Batty? Search and you will see.
  • 12 0
 Pretty cool, great advice from Tracy.

I've noticed that myself, sometimes I'm way faster on the first blind run, then on the next one I'm fixated on the tricky parts, takes me a while to get over it. :/
  • 5 1
 I'm totally the opposite. Always slower on the first run on a tricky dh track (yeah, I know this is Enduro), then gradually get faster as I run the course multiple times. However, as I get tired my speed decreases, so I have an optimum run where skill and fitness are at a peak intersection!!
  • 3 1
 @bigtim: I was also talking about dh as well, but it should be comparable

well, maybe it's just a feeling, I don't know, I do think I'm going faster once I 'get over it'.
  • 17 6
 Outstanding profile, and another example of Pinkbike's commitment to treating women as mountain bikers, instead of eye-candy for mountain bikers. But "girls" in the headline was a bad choice.
  • 10 1
 Agreed on PB's commitment and coverage of women in cycling. However, I'm not sure I agree that the use of "girls" is problematic. The article was a more casual and personal approach and "girls" would be a more playful, youthful and lighter term to use than "women." I don't think people would raise an eyebrow to an article about the "Trek boys" or find it demeaning or objectifying. IMO. T-mo is such a legend! Loved the article and regardless feelings towards the manufacturing and marketing behemoth that is Trek, the bikes are well designed, look nice and ride fantastically.
  • 7 0
 Agreed, except for I'll stand up for the use of 'girls' in this context. I feel like the word gets tossed around among women in sport to convey camaraderie and subtly cast shade on the notion that doing things 'like a girl' is bad. Smile
  • 3 1
 I guess I would agree from an overall perspective, but it's important to remember that the Trek women's team has been dubbed "Trek Factory Girls" for quite a few years now. I mean, I don't know if it's trademarked or anything like that, but it's for sure a branding effort.
  • 2 2
 Sure, I get that not everyone thinks it's problematic to refer to grown women as girls. And that's fine. But, to me that doesn't change the fact that PB should avoid gratuitously using language that a substantial slice of its readers see as demeaning to women. It's not the image PB wants for itself, and it's no way to grow the sport.
  • 5 1
 @Phillyenduro: Again I think context is everything. Where "girl" is an issue is when it is infantilizing to women and suggestive they at they are "less than." I didn't read that from this and the tone of the article was anything but disempowering IMO. Were "girl" used in the context of "beaten by a girl" or "rides like a girl" and made explicitly from a male audience, I think I would be more likely to share the concern. Regardless of my view on it, I appreciate you bringing up the discussion and the mindfulness to the impact of the language we use. I would also suggest that there is a small risk of damage to say that every use of the word "girl" to refer to someone society might define as being a "women" is bad as it may suggest that being a "girl" is to be less of something...which it shouldn't be.
  • 4 0
 This is the reason I love this website and mountain biking--misogynistic people always get down-voted a ton (which is super rad) and this group of mountain bikers values Women as humans, rather than whatever disgusting words I hear people use to refer to women. Shredding trail and progressing women--all I can ever ask for. I really appreciate the discussion from everyone here. To Phillyenduro and snl1200, I honestly agree with both of you. These are things most idiots I know (who can't even roost by the way) would read over without thinking. Again, this article, and the discussion with it, makes me unbelievably happy, as it shows me that there are in fact people on this planet who use their heads for something other than a hat rack! (which I do not see much evidence around where I live)
  • 5 0
 Tracy is an awesome rider. Insanely fast regardless of gender. Great article!
  • 2 0
 Aww yeah! Tracy is such a legend, we can always use more content showcasing her continuing awesomeness. Katie seems like she's got some great energy and talent too!
  • 1 0
 Every lick of T-Mo she has on a different pair of Oakleys! Must be nice. Prolly has a cardboard box with 20 pairs in there to choose from. Haha I like them prism trails though. ????
  • 3 0
 Must be rad having Tracy and Rene Wildhaber as your riding teacher :-)
  • 2 0
 Nice write up. It's rare that I read a whole article but I enjoyed this one. Great pictures too.
  • 4 5
 "Katy picked myself, Tracy and Tracy's partner James up on Monday morning from Dublin and we headed over to the Ticknock trails for a Trek dealer ride"

Eek! Tough for me to get past this sentence.
  • 5 2
 I agree, though, I would go further and say the whole article was a bit klunky and hard to read. I felt like I was listening to a skipping CD.
  • 3 1
 @kjjohnson: I can usually get around it on mountain bike sites, I know it's not a journalism/news site. But yikes. Simple Microsoft Word grammar check should have caught it.

Awesome to see the ladies ripping still though! I'm here for the pictures!
  • 4 2
 It's the commas that bug me. I like commas as much as the next person, but there is a broad line between overzealous and grammatically incorrect, and this crossed that line.

Y'know Pinkbike, any time you need a copy editor/bike tester, just call me. I didn't get this English major for nothin'.*

*This may not be true.
  • 1 1
 An explanation mark after 'but yikes', maybe?
  • 2 0
 looks like a cool session
  • 1 0
 ummmm... Emily Batty rides a Trek, too.
  • 2 2
 Lovely and all... but my god. Those f*cking gloggles in the Scotland pics made me want to scratch my eyeballs out.
  • 2 3
 Ouch my grammar hurts!
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