Video: A Girl and Her Bike are a Wonderful Thing - Part 3

 I agree, though... honestly I don't know how she rides with her hair down like that. If I tried to ride with my hair down, it would be a tangled rat's nest haha! But it's nice to see more ladies for sure

 There are quite a few good edits coming out atm with female riders. Karin pastera (i hope i spelled that right) has done a couple of good ones.
As a guy its upsetting seeing pro riders do things i could never dream of but it still brings amazement to a sport i've done for 18 years now.
So watch as many vids as you can and just enjoy.

 The only thing holding this video back is all the slow-motion.

 @ lindyh: I agree with you. I like to see the average male & female riders too. Pinkbike, keep up the good work.

 I disagree. I think its good to watch athletes perform at the top level to have something to strive for. It is also helpful to learn techniques.

 I disagree. Average riding is just boring to watch (especially when they slow mo everything). No one goes to the movie-theatre to watch average acting… If you don't got the skills then get creative in other ways, just keep it entertaining. Found this vid repetitive, wasn't that engaging.

 @lindyh- While I agree with everything you say. I think one of the best things about this website is you can watch average riders and women in this sport. I have watched countless videos that people upload to this site and it's refreshing to know that I match lots of skills of some of these videos of my peer riders and not the pros. One of the greatest things about this sport is the access to tons of free entertainment and amateur videos.

 That was normal speed !!

 @ flyingfox49,that made me smile

 I've tried and failed many times to get my girlfriend into biking. She's still better than what was shown in that video. Not criticising Linda's riding, i jut don't think that was pinkbike homepage worthy.

 Haha, knew someone would beat me to it.

 No lollipops! Damn

 Her specialized broke my heart

 @MattMacMTB nope what did you mean?
btw her video ruine the awesome music!
you wanna see a good video that makes this song better?
link here: www.pinkbike.com/video/325618 your welcome!

 Good save BullseyeXer, good save.....I still haven't gotten your joke MattMacMTB...

 Thanks floundrpoundr1123 what did you mean with good save? xD

 Would be nice to see more vids of the top pro women DH racers (Emmeline, Rachel, Manon) out shredding on regular trails. It would better showcase how fast and skilled these women really are. Just seeing them ride back-to-back with the fastest dudes alive on a WC course doesn't do them justice. That would make any of us look slow.

 Yeah, and check out the enduro race report videos. There are a couple of really fast and skilled women, too. ACC and Tracey for example.

 eee... Who doesn't want girls in the community?

 I have to agree. This the third vid from Linda and I think the first two were better.
Message to Linda: In a recent pinkbike poll about vid content the consensus seemed to be that viewers want less non riding content (riders getting up, having breakfast, putting their gear on, nature shots of moving clouds, insects walking up plants etc..), far less or no slow mo and little or no music. In fact a lot just want it raw! Food for thought for your next one?
Don't take this as just another negative comment. The MTB community needs people like you. I just think if you want your vids to progress - start editing out some of the non riding bits and when it comes to you riding get rid of most of the slow motion.

 raw and no slo mo?

insert blatant self promotion here.........

www.pinkbike.com/video/384981

brap.

 Damn, thats impressive!

 Damn! Children are faster than me. Women are faster than me. I'm just expecting day where eldery and not riding people will be faster than me... Where are my chess?!

 WTF! I didn't even know girls did Taxco. Why haven't we heard of her, total shredder dominator... or should that be dominatrix!

 Skills. Thanks for posting that.

 I see where you're coming from with this but I think girls riding mountain bikes will always get special attention and raise eyebrows as it's just not something you see alot of girls doing. Doesn't mean they're any less capable, it just means it's not as a common a thing.

 shocksfloat knows what time it is.

ultimately though, it is the subject of the piece that controls whether the stereotypes are perpetuated or not.

people who are the subjects of media pieces just need to learn the power of NO.

"no, i will not do that"
"no i will not be in that shot"
"no, i do not believe this shot is an accurate portrayal"
"no i will not stoop to the lowest common denominator"
"no, i will not perpetuate that stereotype"

NO can be hardest thing to say in certain media situations.
words have alot of power and none more powerful than NO.

 Yep, I don't like that it's meant to be a novelty. "Oooh look there's a girl on a bike!" There are loads of woman mountain bikers and many of them are properly fast. It's not really a novelty at all (though apparently it is for a lot of PB users!)

 I'm a bloke. I stop to pet animals. Are you perhaps upholding some stereotypes there ShocksFloat?

 Possibly so, but they are observed stereotypes, not ones I hold to the sex. I'm trying to point out that some facets of the video are unnecessary. I have some background in gender studies in my undergrad, not to say it makes my opinion any better than any other user, but I have been exposed to many different scenarios similar to this whether it be via advertisement, media and so forth. I just think it could have been done better.

 All stereotypes are observed stereotypes. Thats how they become a stereotype.

The thing is, whether or not it is stereotypical for a woman to pet the cute little animals (or cows, lol) I disagree with the idea that a woman should be wary of petting a cow in a video like this. Its not really an issue until someone calls it one.

I can understand an argument for not dressing provocatively or whatever, as that is arguably objectifying yourself in an effort to get more views. Stopping to pet a cow is not. It is in fact arguably relevant to mountain biking, in an appreciation of nature kinda way. But then I suppose so is looking at boobies. Bugger. Kinda shot myself in the foot there.

Anyway, lets not make this whole thread about feminism vs misogyny again. Lets just appreciate the good riding, sweet trails and beautiful countryside/wildlife. I mean, I think she pretty much hit the nail on the head in that regard when it comes to things that are awesome about mountain bikes.

 tell Rachel that.

 There is nothing wrong with it but when I watch something just seems off in the way they are carrying themselves over the bike. I can't put a finger on what it is

 Girls have different center of gravity because of... you know... smaller size.

 I think I get what you mean... Its almost like they squat down a little lower and a little further back over the seat or something, Maybe, I think, Perhaps????

 Yeah that must be it. I will continue to watch them ride haha!

 Like you said. Nothing wrong with it, just... different.

 Tell Rachel [Atherton] that? Really? Have you watched women's WC DH? They DEFINITELY ride differently....

It's a physiological thing....they don't have comparable strength/power to handle riding at a similar level of aggressiveness that the male riders do. Nothing they can do about it...they'll never be on par.

Doesn't mean we don't want them in the sport...

 Yep. Still awesome when they ride

 One thing that may attribute to her riding looking different is how much her knees flex through the motion of taking off and landing. Note the angle between the thigh and lower leg throughout the video and see if that angle changes much(squatting more/less or being static).

 I never understood that argument. If a person needs more strength and power then go and train for it. This is a sport that's as much about finesse as it is power and direct aggression; letting go of the brakes and charging corners isn't something you need a lot of meat to do. I don't see why a woman shouldn't do equally well? Troy Brosnan is 5'6" 132lbs.

 Pretty sure its down to just being anatomically different. Partly because they're a bit smaller but also their centre of gravity is not in the same place as a guy. Its the same reason women's ski bindings are shunted further forward.

 There was an article I read somewhere, I think on pinkbike that shows how different girls are than guys. Obviously there is the physical difference but women also approach things differently mentally. It's much less aggression and outward force and more finesse to the way a woman rides. So of course the riding style will look different when in direct comparison to a guys. I had to keep that in mind when helping my wife get into biking. Once I learned that her thought processes were different she learned much faster.

 I'm a woman and I strictly ride downhill and from my own experience I do lean back and my ass hovers at the end of my seat. Woman have a lower center of gravity because we have child bearing hips so we have better balance. My body building male friend told me that men have a higher center of gravity and that's why they have to evenly work out the upper and lower body or they will feel off balance and clumsy. I think that only applies to men who work out.. but I have no idea... I'm sure one of you guys can clarify and elaborate on that.

 This article is a great for the differences between men and women mentally. www.fitbrains.com/blog/women-men-brains. This one part stood out to me the most "Risks & Rewards: Men have a brain wired for risk-taking more than women. Male brains get a bigger burst of endorphins, sensation of pleasure, when faced with a risky or challenging situation. And the bigger the reward is, the more likely a man will take a risk."
Woman are also a bit more logical so we think about the consequences of falling and injuring ourselves. I do my best not to think about it because I'm 21 for crying out loud! I'm young and I want bomb down the hill like a pro racer dude but unfortunately the logical part of my brain kicks in..

 i think its cause they have wider hips

 @ Expresssss I read over your post and have concluded the following 1] I ride like a girl 2] I have beautiful child bearing hips..

 @alexsin

Let's take all of the science out of it and just speak in rear terms....if it was PURELY a question of finesse and trainable "strength and power", then why are PROFESSIONAL female riders getting dominated by back of pack junior men.

I understand there aren't as many females, but some of the top pro women are highly focused, well-trained on TOP TIER teams with tons of resources, and have dedicated their lives to this sport.

There is no comparison between men and women, it simply is not fair to compare the two.

 Of all the women in the dh world cup, Ragot's got aggression and steez

 I guess it is because the body of the most females is shorter. The other point, you change your riding style with the speed. If you are not damn f*cking fast you dont look like a WC racer. Imagine 15kmh breaking down the hill in race position....

 I think men just seem to move the bike around under them more and women do sit farther back. But men look more relaxed. This needs to be compared like for like. So Rachel and gee atherton. Tracy and muck Hannah. But yeah I get what you mean on the riding style

 As a rule men have longer bodies and shorter legs. Women generally aren't as strong as men in the upper body so whereas a man can stay more upright as he has the strength to handle sudden shifts a women has to compensate by squatting lower on the bike. Adding to this that men are usually flatter assed than women it's no surprise we look different whilst hunched over a bike......probably!

 here we go again......

 Somebody is bitter he's not on the homepage...

 i realllly didn't want to say it. but I agree with this comment. Mediocrity should not be celebrated. Give me old Tracey Hannah edits any day.

 Its almost like a promo reel - like an edit you would send to potential advertisers/sponsors - but doesn't really stack up against the majority of videos on PB.

 ture story bro, but she has the time to improve the skills

 i don't want to be the dick, but maybe they should stop milking her as one video was more than enough ...

 If you really feel like you don't want to say something, maybe just not say it? lol Stop being such dougie downers, its a person riding a bike. Nothing wrong with that!

 Yeah maybe she is not the best women rider out there, but 99% of riders don't race downhill but just like to have fun. I think she does very good job at promoting this sport.to female public, and has probably convinced some girl out there to try downhill.

 I'm a bit confused what irritates you, all people whose riding isn't amazing, or only these ones that are also looking good?

 I liked the video. Never take away the fun part about biking, as SuperkobeD writes over here. This girl sure had a super day on her bike and the slopes looks really good! Made me wanna be right there, right now on a sunny day, as shown in the video.

 "Please go film ACC, missy!! or one of the top wc girls!"

+1. There are hardly any Anne Caro films, she's one of the best riders to watch regardless of gender.

 very true, there are hundreds of girls out there who don't have all the fancy sponsors and exposure that comes with it, that are much better and deserve some recognition.

 Pretty sure linda hits top tens in the ixs cup, so there probably arent as many better female riders as you'd think.

 aidy: She isn't anywhere in the IXS results from last year.

 My mistake, i could have sworn i saw her name in the results from one of the race rounds.

 Yeah, I'm straight too, so if you wanna disrobe in your vids- knock yourself out. Or if you don't- that's cool too.

 You had me at 'girl' and 'farm animals'.