Girls at Gawton 2016 - Video
Last weekend we held our first ever Girls at Gawton weekend. Inspired by attending events such as girls at Moelfre and Red Bull Fox Hunt we had to do our own version. With our local woodland riders racing women's category having more entries than ever this year and more girls on the FlyUp downhill uplift we knew it was the right time to push women's riding in the Southwest. The event is already set to become an annual event after its huge success this year. Creating the event was about giving some of the girls a chance to try something new without having the pressure of worrying about holding up the men or feeling like they were being watched or judged. For many, it was their first time on an uplift, first time riding at a downhill track and being timed on a run in a race format.
Throughout Saturday we had coaching sessions led by local mountain bike coach, Tony Williams From Evolve mountain bike. Getting the beginners going and teaching the more experienced riders more technique on jumps, drops and cornering everyone was fired up and getting hungry to try the harder downhill tracks that Gawton has to offer. After a break in the uplift and a spot of lunch spent browsing the Rocky Mountain Demo fleet including the mega-popular Pipeline, some of the girls were ready to try the infamous Super Tavi. The former Dirt 104 track was as dry, dusty and welcoming as it would ever be. Leading our group was local BDS and BES rider, Heather Kay. On Saturday we saw a lot of the girls really pushing their limits and trying features and tracks they wouldn't have before.
In total 36 girls entered the event from as far as North Wales. The girls ranged from beginners who have only ridden their local trail centres to girls who are regular faces in the British downhill series. Having such a mix of abilities was challenging but with coaching and the range of trails offered by the venue meant there was room for everyone to take part, develop and grow their skills. The range of skill was great as it showed the less experienced riders the path of progression and gave them the confidence to do what they had never seen other girls ride before.
Sunday was half of the girls first ever timed event in the format of a downhill race.The chosen course was a good mix of everything including steep, rooty, jumps with chicken runs and plenty of features. Despite the weather turning to typical British rain and drizzle everyone fully embraced the experience and made the most of the day. To give the girls the confidence and reassurance to try their first race we increased the time gaps between riders and allowed them to ride in any order they chose. We have found this to be a very successful approach in our local race series applying this to the women's and rippers category. Grassroots events although not rolling in money, give the opportunity to allow everyone to participate and feel part of a community. Even the trophies made for the event were created from wood from the local woodland hand made by local craftsmen. Despite the podium girls already having a fair collection of typical medals, it was clear to see that these trophies meant a lot to them.
Swarf cycles rider, Sarah Bedford swapping her curve and trying out Fat biking for the first time.
A huge thank you to all our sponsors for supporting the event; Flyup Downhill, Rocky Mountain Bicycles UK, Evolvemtb, Red Brick Cycles, F Riders inc and Madison clothing.
MENTIONS: @FlyUpDownhill / @RockyMountainBicycles / @fmbt
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Stick with it. It only gets better :-)