March is International Women’s Month, so we’re spending it celebrating the women on two wheels who are breaking boundaries and sending it harder than anyone from the trails to the track. From downhill mountain bikers to professional freeriders, meet a few women from the Bell Helmets community who are paving the way for more female athletes to follow in their tracks.
Join us in rallying behind the women who rip by tagging your posts on Instagram with #WomenWhoSendIt, and let’s see what you got.
Ivy Audrain
Cyclocross and Gravel
More women are getting on two wheels now more than ever before, many breaking into the sport for the first time. What advice would you have for those beginning to join the sport now? Or advice you wish you had known when you first got started riding?
First: hell yeah, love to see it. Everyone belongs outside and on a bike; all body types, ability levels, whatever equipment you have or don’t have. There’s no right or wrong way to ‘do’ cycling, and I wish I would have just let myself really be myself when I started riding. I didn’t need to have top-of-the-line equipment or really anything beyond a bike and a helmet, and allowing yourself to be comfortable and safe while feeling good is really liberating. You can come as you are to cycling, and that’s a really beautiful thing about the sport!
Second: progress is not linear. There is endless space for improvement and growth when we first start riding, and it was easy for me to be hard on myself when I didn’t see this constant upward progression in my ability level. Being okay with the rate at which you are progressing is crucial to your longevity in the sport, where you’ll have periods and seasons where you don’t feel like you’re getting faster. It’s okay, these seasons absolutely have their place in the bigger picture of your journey as a cyclist. Let yourself be tired for a bit, be gentle on your body, and rest knowing that leaning into how you’re feeling only makes room for more gains later.
Lastly: don’t compare yourself to others when you’re first getting started. Everyone has such a different baseline of ability and fitness when they find cycling, and it’s really easy to feel discouraged when starting out feels really tough. Pro tip: it’s always tough, and it never gets easier; we just start going faster as we get better. Cycling truly is a come as you are sport, and surrounding yourself with others that support you in that, encourage you, make you feel okay about waiting for you on rides, and help you grow is freedom from that comparison that makes us so hard on ourselves when we’re new. Find your crew that makes you feel safe to show up with just yourself as you are, and lean on each other!
The sport of cycling has been historically crafted around men. Can you share with us about some of your experience of life on two wheels as a woman?
I believed for such a long time that there wasn’t space for me in the sport; that I was ‘the other’ in a setting that wasn’t built by people like me, and certainly not built ‘for’ me. Recognizing that was really a good thing, though. It helped me see that surrounding myself with brands (like Bell) and with other athletes that wanted to make space for people like me would have a ripple-effect in helping other women realize that we belong; that there are people and forces that want to hear us and see us. When we have allies that allow us to share our narrative and experience in cycling, it only serves to help other women feel heard and understood and that cycling is for them, too; regardless of where they are in their fitness or ability level. Getting other women stoked about their journey on the bike is one of my favorite parts of being an athlete, where encouraging and uplifting each other is such a fun way to make sure there is more space for women in the sport in the future!
For many women, cycling brings freedom of expression and empowerment. What has cycling shown or taught you as you’ve dedicated so much of your life to this sport?
Cycling has shown me that we are capable of so much more than we think. The well of how far we can push ourselves turns out to be really really deep, and deciding to tap into that power and learn more about what we can do and how we’ve grown as athletes is something you can do every time you get on the bike. That’s what’s so liberating and empowering about cycling for me; we can always move the goalpost and keep growing far beyond what we think is possible.
You’ve completed more than your fair share of competitions. Do you have any advice for women beginning to compete?
I love seeing so many women get into racing and falling in love with the sport! When I first started out, I wish someone would have advised for me to make my goal and intention for race day my very own. There’s no need to put pressure on yourself for race day; wether you’re brand new or an experienced racer. There is too much we aren’t in control of on race day, and when you’re new to cycling, so many aspects of racing can feel outside of your comfort zone. That’s a great thing to allow yourself to feel, and something we don’t get to experience in many other areas of our lives. Racing presents a really rare opportunity in that regard, and setting an expectation to simply have fun, see if I can find a new limit within myself, and learn something about myself as an athlete would have brought me so much more joy as I was getting started. As you keep racing, you’ll realize those are soft skills that you can apply later when you’re ready to push it and try for a result, and will ultimately lead to success regardless of the outcome of that race. Racing is about you and your experience, hold onto that and protect it!
Danni Beecroft
Mountain Biking
More women are getting on two wheels now more than ever before, many breaking into the sport for the first time. What advice would you have for those beginning to join the sport now? Or advice you wish you had known when you first got started riding?
My advice would be to have fun. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have to be the best. Enjoy riding your bike and have fun. Don’t take it too seriously.
The sport of cycling has been historically crafted around men. Can you share with us about some of your experience of life on two wheels as a woman?
When I first started racing internationally or even just locally back home in Australia, there were hardly any woman in the sport. It was very male driven. The prize money wasn’t equal with the men being awarded a larger value. To be honest it actually pushed me to be a better rider racing against the boys which challenged me more. Slowly we started seeing more and more woman and young girls coming into the sport.
With the girls getting together and creating a voice and being supportive of one another really has changed this sport. Now we see so many girls and woman in this sport, it’s so beautiful to see. It’s because of the girls backing each other and always lifting one another up. Also, the badass woman behind brands helped this sport get to this point.
For many women, cycling brings freedom of expression and empowerment. What has cycling shown or taught you as you’ve dedicated so much of your life to this sport?
Biking for me has been my whole life since I was a little girl and it has brought me so much happiness. The feeling you get behind the bars is something so special. It has taught me to be my complete self and to get out of my comfort zone. Without riding I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.
You’ve completed more than your fair share of competitions. Do you have any advice for women beginning to compete?
Surround yourself with friends or competitors and just ride your bike and have fun together, riding and learning new things. It also helps if you have an athlete/role model you look up to and do what they are doing. Figure out their techniques and learn from them — follow in their foot steps.
Casey Brown
Slopestyle
More women are getting on two wheels now more than ever before, many breaking into the sport for the first time. What advice would you have for those beginning to join the sport now? Or advice you wish you had known when you first got started riding?
From a young teen learning to mountain bike, most of my mentors were men; I was fortunate to have such strong supporters around me. When I became older, I found getting support from mountain bike companies challenging, making it hard to succeed as a pro, so working long hours at my day job was imperative. I kept pushing, and eventually, myself and other women became recognized and supported.
The sport of cycling has been historically crafted around men. Can you share with us about some of your experience of life on two wheels as a woman?
For me, mountain biking has always been expressive and an outlet to show my personality. When I was a teen, it was the most important thing for my mental health, something I was good at that I was proud of. I’ve learned so much about people and teamwork during my career. Some of my biggest life lessons have come from this journey, like listening to your gut feelings and surrounding yourself with solid people.
For many women, cycling brings freedom of expression and empowerment. What has cycling shown or taught you as you’ve dedicated so much of your life to this sport?
I believe in never burning a bridge, staying true to yourself, and having a good crew around you. It’s essential to go after sponsors that align with your values. Work hard and enjoy the fruits of your hard work.
You’ve completed more than your fair share of competitions. Do you have any advice for women beginning to compete?
If you’re getting into competing, the best way to start is to train hard. When the competition comes around, just have fun with it and enjoy the process. At every event you go to, you’ll learn some fantastic lessons. Debrief after and write them down, work on your weaknesses.
Carly Kane
BMX
More women are getting on two wheels now more than ever before, many breaking into the sport for the first time. What advice would you have for those beginning to join the sport now? Or advice you wish you had known when you first got started riding?
Don’t be intimidated. Just go for it, and more importantly — have fun! Majority of people riding bicycles are absolutely awesome people and incredibly welcoming whether it’s your first time on a bike or you’ve been riding for years. Having a group of people to ride with is always great too, so don’t be afraid to make friends!
The sport of cycling has been historically crafted around men. Can you share with us about some of your experience of life on two wheels as a woman?
Race pants don’t fit! Haha, just kidding — they’ve gotten MUCH better over the years. When I first started racing though, they were terrible. More seriously — my age group for BMX (when we were all 15 and 16) were the first group of girls that had enough girl riders to make a girl’s supercross open class to race off of the 8 meter hill. We had to ask USA BMX to separate us from the boys, because before that there were only boys racing it. Majority of us are pro now, so that’s pretty cool.
For many women, cycling brings freedom of expression and empowerment. What has cycling shown or taught you as you’ve dedicated so much of your life to this sport?
Oh gosh, I don’t know who I would be or what the heck I would be doing if I didn’t ride my bike. I think BMX has built my character and made me into the person that I am today. It’s taught me how to learn from mistakes, overcome obstacles and fear, and how to set a good example for younger athletes. Not only that, but I’ve made incredible friends as well.
You’ve completed more than your fair share of competitions. Do you have any advice for women beginning to compete?
I started competing when I was 8, but I did NOT want to. After my first race I cried because I got second out of two and was worried I wouldn’t get a trophy. After that though, it became less about the trophy and more about riding my bike and all the fun I was having. Needless to say I ended up falling in love with the sport and here I am 13 years later.
Just go for it, sign up for that competition. The worst thing that will happen is that you absolutely hate competing on your bike- and that’s okay! My sister started racing when I did, and she did NOT like it. She’s now a collegiate tennis player. I like playing tennis, but I hate playing competitively (I know because I tried) … And that’s the point — you aren’t going to know how far you might go until you take that first step and try!
Céline Oberholzer
Road, Gravel, Fixed
More women are getting on two wheels now more than ever before, many breaking into the sport for the first time. What advice would you have for those beginning to join the sport now? Or advice you wish you had known when you first got started riding?
I have a few pieces of advice for those beginning to join the sport now and it is more or less what I wish I had known when I first started riding.
First and foremost: you belong here. It’s easy to be intimidated by the surface level, elitist, “cool,” culture of cycling but, in reality, cyclists are all a bunch of weirdos who take pleasure in finding limits on two wheels. Everyone was a beginner at one point or another. You deserve to be here just as much as anyone else.
My next piece of advice is to approach the bike with the perspective of having fun. There are a lot of “black holes” you can find yourself falling down if you get too sucked in too fast … Keep it light and stay focused on the aspects that bring you joy. There isn’t a single cyclist on the planet getting paid enough to be miserable so we might as well enjoy what we’re doing!
Lastly, there is no such thing as failure. Treating everything as a learning opportunity makes showing up a lot less intimidating. If there is a road you’ve always wanted to check out, group ride, or even a race you are curious about … go for it. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll learn something.
The sport of cycling has been historically crafted around men. Can you share with us about some of your experience of life on two wheels as a woman?
My experiences of life on two wheels as a woman have been a whirlwind mostly moving in the right direction.
Cycling as a sport is notoriously inequitable. Especially in road racing, where women race shorter distances, earn less prize money, have minimal to no salaries, and experience less publicity (whether that be in tv broadcasts or print). Sometimes the distance and prize disparity is laughable. I have seen race flyers where the professional women’s field is scheduled to race the same distance as the men’s 4/5 … But, change is happening. I have raced events where I compete for the same distance, earn the same prize money, and am on the livestream for the same amount of time as the men in their equivalent event. I am on a team where my level of support is the same as that of the men. And on a larger scale, I have seen the first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes, and the Tour de France Femmes go from a 1-day event to a week-long event.
One of the most pivotal experiences I had was when I was accepted to stay at the HomeStretch Foundation in Tucson, AZ for several months. Getting to live and train with like-minded women with the same goals, out in the magic of the desert, was a truly transformative experience. There will be experiences that make you question your life choices, but my residency at HomeStretch was a time where I now realize I was exactly where I needed to be and when I needed to be there. Knowing there are people like Kathryn Bertine who are relentlessly fighting for the next generations of female cyclists gives me hope.
For many women, cycling brings freedom of expression and empowerment. What has cycling shown or taught you as you’ve dedicated so much of your life to this sport?
As cliché as this sounds, cycling showed me how to appreciate life. It opened doors to communities and enabled me to forge life-long connections with people all over the world. Additionally, it has taken me places I had never even heard of, such as Emporia, Kansas, and Silver City, New Mexico (both of which are absolute gems). Cycling taught me how to make the most out of life by seeking out and soaking in the positives. Sometimes it’s the little things, like appreciating the sunlight reflecting off of a stream a certain way. Or the exhilaration of flying down a mountain road, the wind screaming in your ears, body perfectly balanced as you and your bike rail some corners. Less frequently, it’s that feeling of crossing the line first and recognizing that you were indisputably the best bike racer at that event, on that day. There are so many magical moments every single day, and cycling taught me to appreciate them.
You’ve completed more than your fair share of competitions. Do you have any advice for women beginning to compete?
All you have to do is show up and learn. When you boil it down, that’s all any of us are doing. Nobody is too good to stop learning. And always remember: you belong here.
Brooke Trine
Freeride
More women are getting on two wheels now more than ever before, many breaking into the sport for the first time. What advice would you have for those beginning to join the sport now? Or advice you wish you had known when you first got started riding?
The best advice I could give to women just starting out is that regardless of your skill level, you deserve to occupy a space wherever you are riding. Everyone starts somewhere, so don’t let the intimidation of others’ skill level, speed, or style stop you from showing up, enjoying bikes, and progressing at your own rate. One of my favorite aspects of biking is seeing women progress and conquer their fears, regardless of the level of riding, it’s always the best feeling! So don’t overthink where you are, just enjoy the process and the friends you make along the way.
The sport of cycling has been historically crafted around men. Can you share with us about some of your experience of life on two wheels as a woman?
More often than not, I am the only girl riding in our crew, so there are definitely struggles I deal with internally with knowing my capabilities and comforts compared to what the guys are doing. It is so different riding with other women. I can’t properly articulate it, but when you see another woman do something, I can better visualize myself doing it, and it gives me so much more confidence. That’s why I think some of the women’s freeride events like Formation, Thunderstruck, etc. that are popping up are so critical to progression. They expedite progression and, although I’m so happy to ride with the guys I ride with, these events are really second to none in terms of progression and good vibes.
For many women, cycling brings freedom of expression and empowerment. What has cycling shown or taught you as you’ve dedicated so much of your life to this sport?
I have a bit of a different introduction/history to my biking career. I essentially became a professional cyclist on accident while taking a sabbatical from my business career. During this time, cycling taught me that it’s never too late to chase your dreams, but it’s also just never too late to change course. I feel like young adults are forced to make decisions about what they want to be for the rest of their lives (self included), and when I found cycling and the community around it, I was like WOAH there is a whole world out here that I never knew existed, and I want to be a part of it! And for me, that meant leaving a part of me that wasn’t serving me anymore, and that turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made — all thanks to bikes!
You’ve completed more than your fair share of competitions. Do you have any advice for women beginning to compete?
Absolutely! Although competing seems like the best way to be involved in cycling, don’t base your self worth or skills on the bike by results. Always focus on the love for biking and the task at hand over the outcome. If you always keep your love for riding at the forefront, and don’t seek results, you won’t get burnt out or bummed with your riding. Competing is always “against others” but most importantly, it’s against yourself. If you give your best effort every time, regardless of where you finish, that’s what matters. 1% better every time is all you can ask for! And over time those 1%’s turn into big gains! Little by little, a little becomes a lot!
