Lake District Lasses Launch Party

Whinlatter, England's only true mountain forest, home to stunning views, exhilarating mountain biking trails and rare wildlife, hosted a party with a difference over the 21st and 22nd of May. Cyclewise, Silverfish UK and Bell sponsored rider, Rachel Simpson, was launching her Lake District Lasses project. It's a project with the aim to get more women on bikes in the mountains, providing the perfect balance between education, adventure and fun. 100 women signed on across the weekend for free mini skill sessions provided by Cyclewise's coaches, social rides accompanied by Rach, bike demoing thanks to Cyclewise and Silverfish UK, goody bags from Bell Bike Helmets and obligatory cake tasting. When riders turn up early to sign on you know they are eager to get going and you are in for a good weekend...



The atmosphere was electric around Cyclewise and the trailhead - not even the typical Lake District weather on Saturday morning could dampen the spirits of the lasses as they prepared to explore the forest on their bikes. Rach led an introductory talk, explaining the layout of the facilities, introducing the coaches and reminding everybody of how the day was to run. It also provided an opportunity to let everyone know that the cakes were being brought out at 1pm - a successful strategy to encourage everybody to eat lunch together at Cyclewise rather than scurry off to hide in the car park.



The day was carefully thought out to ensure every rider had a 90-minute skills coaching slot, a 90-minute slot to demo a range of bikes from Yeti, Mondraker, Evil, Scott, Cube and Orbea, and then had a chance to head out on a two-hour social ride with Rach. The air was alive with colourful chatter about bikes and kit, with tips and preferences being shared. The Cyclewise staff and mechanics were kept on their toes with many questions about bike setup being fired in their direction by women eager to understand how their bikes worked.

By lunchtime on Saturday the rain had become a distant memory and the rest of the weekend was spent basking in glorious sunshine. Everywhere you looked there were ladies smiling. The event drew riders of all abilities, from those who were experiencing their first ever mountain bike ride to experienced racers. Each social ride paused to admire the breathtaking view of Skiddaw towering over Whinlatter before jumping back on the bikes to climb closer to the final descent.

There wasn't just a variety of experience, there were riders of all ages too with the youngest being Mollie Gerrish, showing great skill and attitude at just 7 years old! One to watch!

Then there was Hollie Vayro too, at 9 years old, she can usually be found shredding Hamsterley forest with her mum, Sarah and friends.


The Cyclewise coaches were impressed at the standard of riding across all of the groups and how keen the lasses were to learn. It made their job of choosing the 'most improved riders' very difficult. The eventual winners were Julie Labbett, Gillian Lund, Lorraine Parker and Christine Findley and they won a Flare Clothing Co. voucher each. The riders commented that it was great being able to do a bit of coaching and then having the time to go and put it into practice on the social ride. The trails at Whinlatter have something for everyone and it really is a brilliant location for coaching or getting new skills dialled in and perfected. As well as providing the goody bags, Bell also put forward four helmets from their Joy Ride women's collection as prizes. These are being awarded to the four photos sent in over the following week, from the lasses, that summarise the spirit of the weekend!




Rach herself, a primary school teacher Monday to Friday, only started mountain biking in 2013 and with the support and training of Cyclewise went from total beginner to 2015 Scottish Downhill Series Champion, also claiming the number one spot for Senior Women in Downhill racing in the 2015 British Cycling National Rankings. 2016 has seen Rach reduce her racing commitments to just the occasional national enduro to keep her eye in ready for heading out to participate in the Trans Savoie in August. Instead of racing she had been focusing on developing her mountain bike leadership skills alongside her own personal bike handling skills to enable her to be hands on with her Lake District Lasses project.


The party coincided with Cyclewise's annual demo weekend - Silverfish UK were in attendance with a range of bikes available for both male and female riders to test out, Julbo provided a range of sunglasses for riders to take out onto the trails and Torq provided taste samples from their sports nutrition range. Many people fed back that one of the reasons the event appealed was because it didn't totally exclude the men. There really was something for everybody going on in the forest, resulting in a friendly and relaxed vibe throughout. Mattyy Simpson Photography rode out with the lasses on the social rides capturing the happy faces along the trails - providing each rider with mementoes to remember the event. He has kindly made every photo he took available free of charge on his Facebook page to the Lake District Lasses and said, "I've had a brilliant two days, it was an absolute pleasure to be involved!"



As the weekend drew to a close Rach climbed back up onto the picnic bench, her voice hoarse from too much chatter and laughter, to thank her sponsors and supporters, and then every lady for simply turning up, having a go and smiling throughout. Before she could step down Craig Scott, who owns Cyclewise alongside Rich Martin, jumped up next to Rach to thank her for putting the weekend together. His words were greeted with a unanimous large cheer! Rach and the Cyclewise crew then ensured that every rider received their goody bag provided by Bell Bike Helmets full of a selection of mugs, caps, stickers, water bottles and keyrings before they began to head home.


Rach said, “I'm almost lost for words. This weekend has been the best weekend I have had on my bike. Riders have come from across the UK to explore my favourite trail centre and have some coaching from the guys who have helped me from the very beginning. This weekend simply wouldn't have been possible without Cyclewise, Bell, and Silverfish, but more importantly, the lasses who turned up!”



The launch event was free to attend and as a gesture to show their appreciation to the supporters and sponsors a collection for the Mountain Rescue was arranged both on the day and online at www.justgiving.com/lakedistrictlasses. For more information about future events keep an eye on the facebook page Lake District Trails and Tales page or the website www.lakedistrict-trailsandtales.com - exciting times lie ahead!

@rachelizzab3th
@cyclewise_ltd / www.cyclewise.co.uk
@SilverfishUK / www.silverfish-uk.com
@Bellridefree / www.bellhelmets.com
@Mattyysimpson / www.mattyysimpsonphotography.com
www.lakedistrict-trailsandtales.com

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MENTIONS: @BellBikeHelmets / @Rach-Elizzabeth

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