Women converged on Fox Mountain for the second annual Ride Your Ride women's mountain bike festival May 9, 10, 11.
The three-day event saw women come together from across the community and beyond, with the 64 participants including women from Prince George, Mackenzie, Quesnel, Alberta, Langley, and Parksville.
"It's a joyful event to put on," said one of those behind the event, Dena Baumann, and the person who started it all.
Starting out with a social on the Friday night, the women were able to meet the organizers and coaches as well as see who they would be in clinics with over the weekend.
Coaches were brought in from a range of areas and experience, and clinics enabled beginners to advanced riders to grow their confidence and their skills.
Baumann said one thing about this year's festival which was extra special was having one of the country's top coaches at the event.
"It was so exciting to have Jamie Hill here," she said.
Hill has been coaching the sport for decades, and until just a few years ago, Baumann said Hill was the only female level four coach in the world. With some coaches who'd been involved in the sport from its early days and some younger coaches, Baumann said there was a lot of knowledge for participants to gain.
"It was just a neat combination of skills and experience," she said.
But most of all, the event grew community and helped create space in a sport more often seen as the domain of men.
On Saturday, the eight all-female coaches took their groups out on the trails to practice a broad range of skills such as body positioning, how to "load" your bike in order to get air and cornering. Eight volunteer "sweeps" followed behind and made sure everyone made it down the trail.
The festival was bigger and provided even more than their first year, with workshops on the Sunday morning on changing a mountain bike tire, leading group rides and mobility exercises.
The weekend included prizes, food, massage, yoga, and lots of support.
First Aid support, bike mechanical support and free shuttles to bring riders back to the top after a descent, meant the event was a great place to feel safe and to focus on skill-building.
Baumann credited the amazing volunteer with stepping up to make things happen when they needed to.
"It just felt really supportive and inclusive and rad," she said.
