Rotorua's Liv Jackson flies down a hill during the Rotorua Mud Maiden's women's only downhill event. Photo / Ben MacLachlan
Rotorua's Liv Jackson flies down a hill during the Rotorua Mud Maiden's women's only downhill event. Photo / Ben MacLachlan
During International Women's Day yesterday,we celebrated the women all over the world who consistently smash glass ceilings.
Fittingly, there is a mountain bike club right here in Rotorua forging a similar path. Last weekend, a year after the Rotorua Mud Maidens club was established, they held their first women's only downhill event.
Mud Maiden coach Cati Pearson said 28 riders attended the Women's Only Downhill.
"It was more than we expected, the biggest turnout of women at a New Zealand Downhill event this year was 16, so we were thinking we'd get around 15 or 16. To get 28 is pretty amazing."
She said the strong numbers showed how daunting it could be for women to go to an event which included both sexes.
"Just having no idea what those trails entail is a pretty big thing, so being able to have guided practices and everything, the girls were stoked.
"By the sounds of it, everyone had an awesome time. There are a lot of messages going on Facebook from people saying they are stoked and really happy with it. We're absolutely over the moon with it."
Rotorua's Nicole Salisbury in action during the Rotorua Mud Maiden's women's only downhill event. Photo / Ben MacLachlan
The event catered for every skill level, from first timers to veterans.
"In the advanced we had quite a few girls who are racing nationals in a couple of weeks because we were able to race the nationals line. So, we had names like Kate Weatherly and Jenna Hastings who will be racing nationals.
"At the other end we had people doing their first race, first time on a grade five trail, it was an awesome range. Having people like Kate and Jenna to show the newbies down the tracks was a really cool experience.
"There was a group in Christchurch who did a women's only ride and they had a pretty good turnout and feedback so we thought 'we've got all these women showing up to shuttle nights, but they weren't turning up to races, so what could we do to get them from a casual shuttle night to race'," Pearson said.
Pearson and another local rider Amanda Monk set up the Rotorua Mud Maidens a year ago to give local women a more comfortable environment to work on their skills and foster a love for the sport.
Kaytee Campbell at full speed. Photo / Ben MacLachlan
"We started off with just shuttle days and then we went more into skills work when we realised people didn't want to turn up to shuttle days because they didn't think they had the skills.
"We did a whole bunch of skill sessions and casual group rides. Now, we're a mixture of that and events and just going out together and having a good time. Our biggest turnout has been 45 women, we tend to cap it now at 30, but just our casual group rides will range from three of us to 20-odd girls - it's pretty awesome.
"[Racing alongside men] as a girl, you don't want to be in people's way or the slowest or letting people down. There's that perception that your a girl's blouse if you do something slowly and I think to turn up at an event that is male dominant there is a lot of fear that you'll get in the way or be a hassle.
"To have that taken out, learn how to ride the tracks and learn you can do a race - hopefully that will change women's turnouts at events with men as well."
