The first annual Ride Your Ride women’s mountain bike festival rolled out over Mother’s Day weekend in Williams Lake.
Starting off with a social on Friday night, the 49 registered participants, plus coaches and some volunteers gathered at the Tourism Discovery Centre (TDC) for food, appies and introductions. Participants were given a run-down on the plans for the weekend, overview of the safety plan, and an introduction to key people by lead organizers Dena Baumann, Beth Holden and Emma Swabey.
On Saturday morning, an opening ceremony at the Ross Road parking lot on Fox Mountain helped officially start the festival off in a good way and set intentions for a great weekend of women creating community and supporting one another cycling.
Coaches from various parts of the province, all women, led a range of skills clinics Saturday morning and afternoon, from beginner level to advanced.
Clinics worked on technique, from basic body position on the bike, to braking, cornering, jumping and more.
The women were then free to spend the afternoon applying what they had learned doing a number of group rides, with the support of BGC Club Williams Lake and Adventure Charters shuttles to keep things going.
The group then gathered for a catered dinner at the Ross Road parking lot, along with music provided by local DJ Selectress M providing a soundtrack to the evening until 8 p.m.
On Sunday, the women all gathered at the TDC for breakfast, a closing circle, and a stretch before heading back out on the trails to group ride some Fox Mountain trails once again with the support of Adventure Charters and the BGC Club Williams Lake shuttles. They then rode a variety of trails until the afternoon when things wound down.
As women closed out the weekend in the Sunday morning circle, some of the words being used were: full, fun, gratitude, community and happy.
With no serious injuries of participants, the first aid on site for the weekend, Summit Wilderness First Aid, did respond to an injury on the trail network of a non-participant, who was taken away by ambulance with a fractured ankle.
Organizers said the event sold out within five days of opening up registration within the community and most participants were from Williams Lake, with some from nearby communities including Quesnel and Prince George. The weekend festival was intentionally kept small in the first year as the organizers said they want to find what works and how to grow while still offering a great experience.
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