downhill girls

[lichstars]

Hey,

Just wondering if there are any other downhill girls out there that are interested in meeting up and riding together ? I'm wanting to do my first race at mt tarrengower but not sure how i stack up against other girls so a bit worried. Would like to also meet some other downhill female riders anyway! Not sure how I can get myself that much faster to beat the boys!

 

[Cypher]

Pity you are in Victoria :I

There are a few girls who DH - but not many. In NSW you don't see many girls at club rounds (often I am the only one). There are more at state rounds.

I think the outlay for the bike, helmet and other protective equipment turns quite a few people off - not just girls. I used to ride a 6 inch bike, but it was rough. Now I have a plush 7 inch just for DH (it makes all the difference!).

Also DH is a young man's sport really (although plenty of older guys ride too), and who wants to hang out with teenaged boys?!

Despite that it is a lot of fun, so if you are reading this and are thinking of giving it a go - DO! There are B lines and most things are rollable. Rarely do the trail makers put in obligatory stunts - especially on club rounds. There is usually a couple of guys who do it on hardtails!

 

[sydmick]

Don't worry about how you stack up, just come. There are girls of all levels from our national champ to really slow ones like me. The difference between fastest and slowest girl is normally well over a minute, even a couple of minutes so don't worry about your ability. There are plenty of girls riding around Melbourne. You will meet everyone at the race. They are all really friendly and will be willing to ride with you. If you aren't too fast you can ride with me. See you there.

 

[lichstars]

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Rabbit9]

Lichstars,

Its great to hear of another girl in VIC wanting to give DH a go. At the moment there are around 10 girls riding and racing the DH series. Sydmick is right about just coming along and giving it a go. Even though it is a race, us girls have plenty of fun and if any boys give us trouble, we just gang up on them (only kidding, the boys dont give us any trouble, they are actually really encouraging too).
When you get to the track on Saturday, just introduce yourself to any one of the girls and you are sure to be able to find a riding buddy in no time.
If you want to find out some information about the track, you can read a track description and view a helmet cam run on www.vicdhseries.com
See you next weekend.

Leonie

 

[lichstars]

Hey Leonie,

Do you know if I should enter into the Novice category or Elite Women ? I'm a bit unsure.. Not sure if the Elite Women category is for like pro only ?

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Rabbit9]

In the victorian state series, all the girls do their race run together and it doesnt matter how slow/fast you are. The awesome timing girls/guys will leave a bigger gap between slower riders to reduce the chance of a rider catching up to the person in front. All the girls usually enter in elite because this gives you the chance to do two timed runs (seeding and race runs) where as if you enter in novice, you only get one run. Either way, you will still have fun, and if you change your mind about which category you should have entered, im sure it wouldnt be too hard to change.

 

[tmscott789]

Hi I am new to mountain biking especially down hill my friend wants enter me into a race but I'm not so sure. I don't want to make an idiot out of myself or hold up other people but I read that they will leave a bigger gap so maybe I can enter. Do you think I should just give it a go and see how I go?

 

[sydmick]

Are you in Victoria? If so you should definitely come and give it a go. All abilities are well catered for and the female riders are very well looked after. The state series won't kick off again until at least October. Between now and then your best bet as a new rider is the King of Ballarat series. These are entry level races on short tracks that are not too difficult. Check out the King of Ballarat threads in the downhill forum.

 

[tmscott789]

Nah I'm in NSW just south of Sydney my friend said there is a good race in batemans bay on the 24th of this month I think but I think I might just watch because I'm going on holidays the week after and don't want to get hurt.