Inclusion and Encouragement in the Cycling Community
By Cathy Riedel
I will be forever grateful to Jason Miller, a friend I met at James Madison University (JMU) who introduced me to mountain biking shortly before my senior year. I immediately fell in love with the sport and the Stokesville area trails. Growing up as a gymnast and a diver I always gravitated to sports that required balance, agility, and mental engagement. Jason introduced me to lots of people, trails, events, and races. I got in way over my head multiple times (24 hrs of Moab, SM 100), but every time I walked away with a desire to get stronger and take on more challenges. I cannot say enough about the people and the community, either. The support that I have received along the way from everyone has been amazing. My memory of Scott Scudamore holding a beer out for me as I barely crossed the SM 100 finish line will be one I’ll never forget.
As it often happens, life got in the way. I took a hiatus from biking for nearly a decade as my job kept me traveling; that steered me to do more running. Then, pregnancy and raising young kids, along with my continuing career took priority. As my kids began to get older, my husband encouraged me to get back to biking. He recognized how much I missed having a regular sport as a part of my life. He supported my weekly commitment to join the MORE Thursday night rides at Wakefield, which have become part of my weekly routine.
Once again, I was met by a fabulous and welcoming community that helped re-introduce me back to the biking ropes, especially when I showed up with a 15 year old 26” steel hardtail. This regular ride was a great way to get my exercise, socializing, and nature fix. Mountain biking with friends was the opportunity I needed to truly step away from work and home, and to help keep me energized each week.
After a long hiatus, I was once again, I was met by a fabulous and welcoming community that helped re-introduce me back to the biking ropes…
As the kids continued to get older, I was able to get more regular rides under my belt. I was able to meet more people, especially some AWESOME women who I have been able to ride and connect with over the years. The MORE Women’s rides include seasoned and new female riders who support one another and help each other grow, both on and off the bike. In the past few years, I have focused more on gravity oriented riding, which fulfills the adrenaline junkie in me, and I have been able to connect with more women who also enjoy this style of riding. It has been so cool to see various race directors support the growth of women in the sport, and to see the participation increase over the years.
“In the past few years, I have focused more on gravity oriented riding.”
Getting my two kids out on the trails has been a memorable milestone. They have been riding the Wakefield trails since about age 6, and both are competent mountain bikers, but they do not always like to bike. In fact, they regularly remind me that they don’t like biking as much as I do 😊. Instead of pushing them too much, and driving them away from the sport, my goal has been to focus on keeping them active and enjoying the outdoors, whether on the bike or not. Luckily, they have grown to enjoy the Mid-Atlantic biking community and have joined me on a few biking events each year, such as the MoCo Epic, the MORE Fall camping trip, and the MORE summer picnic.
Lately, my daughter seems to have caught the cycling bug, and we have become more involved in the Virginia National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) league, which has introduced us to a whole new biking community experience. It has been so much fun to become a coach for her “Gnarling Shreddlers” team and learn from other coaches and student riders. My son is currently in an anti-biking phase and decided not to continue NICA; however, he continues to build off of what he has learned in the biking world and has put his energy into springboard diving.
Since I live near the Wakefield trail system I became a MORE co-liaison and continue to help organize volunteer and trail work activities to keep the trails in great shape. When I first got involved I knew nothing about trail building, but have learned a lot through clinics and on-the-job experiences. Being a trail liaison is such a rewarding experience and I am fortunate to work with a great team of other liaisons and fabulous volunteers. Becoming involved in the cycling community has been a great way to keep my kids engaged in the community to volunteer their time and give back to the trails we all love to ride. Even when they have not been into biking, they have enjoyed coming out to MORE trailwork days and be part of a welcoming community.
That is what keeps me coming back to Mountain Biking, the community and inclusive welcoming atmosphere.