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For Women

Ride Together

International Women's Mountain Biking Day is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in May. It's a day for riders who identify as women to gather, experience, and share their stoke for mountain biking! Tag your rides with #WomensMTBDay!

Community Driven

Women’s Mountain Biking Day originated from the 2018 IMBA UPRISING event—our first-ever women’s conference. Attendees were asked to share their best ideas for engaging more women in mountain biking. A day dedicated to women enjoying mountain biking with each other and encouraging fellow women to join them was dreamed up by Andree Sanders of Trips for Kids Metro New York. Thank you for inspiring us!

Grab the Logo

2024 Theme: How Women Earn Their Turns

Woman riding on dirt single track with long braid and huge smile.
Photo courtesy of: Lucid Images
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Context

“Earning your turns” was first coined by backcountry skiers in the 1970s. The idea spoke metaphorically of getting out of life what you put into it, and more directly to the joy derived from the extreme exertion required to drag oneself and one's skis to the top of a mountain in order to ski down untamed, backcountry powder. Somewhere along the lines, this made its way into mountain biking vernacular, remaining true to the metaphor, but more directly meaning a mountain biker should earn their downhill by using human-powered means to climb up, or earn their ride by committing to the activity, their trails, or their local trails organization.

Older woman riding on dirt singletrack with long, blonde hair and wide grin under baby blue helmet.
Photo courtesy of: Brandi Keltner
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One Woman's Story

Last Thanksgiving, I found myself, once again, experiencing holiday event and meal preparation solo. I woke up at 5am to ensure the bread was rising, the bird was brining, and all the side dishes and drink ingredients were prepped. My friends and family went out for rides and hikes, and I was alone in the kitchen busting-my-buns to ensure we could have a delicious, traditional meal together. And I loved it. And I wanted to be out there with my people in the woods, too. Because I’m a mom and the alpha-nurturer of my tribe, I default to ensuring everyone is safe, healthy, and well. I earn my turns by leaning into that role.

Three women riding dirt singletrack from left to right in frame, in desert landscape.
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Ride Together

Being a woman and being a nurturer often go hand-in-hand: sometimes the difference is imperceptible. All people belong on trails, no matter how they’re earning their turns. And all people deserve to celebrate and be celebrated for the commitment and efforts they make to opt outside, to opt their mountain bike, to opt #MoreTrailsCloseToHome. Women: this year, on the first Saturday in May, in honor of Women’s Mountain Biking Day: Go for that ride. Go find those birds. Go hound some rocks. Go ride bikes with other women. Ask for help from your family with your nurturing duties because you earn your turns a million different ways every day, and you belong on trails. 

How Do I Participate?

Women’s Mountain Biking Day is social media-driven. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to use the day as a catalyst for grassroots engagement, festivals, rides, awareness campaigns, and other activities to both celebrate and encourage women riding mountain bikes.

Women riding a jump line.
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Ride

Plan a special ride or skills practice with your mountain biking friends who identify as women. Ride your favorite trail, discover a new trail, or visit your local skills park. Take your mom, sister, daughter, or partner for their first mountain bike ride. Set up a virtual challenge to ride the same trail, route, or mileage, and record your efforts with a fitness tracking app. Host an organized, women-only mountain bike ride via a local bike club or shop. Consider smaller group rides and virtual challenges.

Women volunteers working on trails.
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Build

Organize a women-only trail volunteer day. Connect with your local mountain biking trail organization or trail crew. Clean up your local trails. Share trail maintenance and trail tool use tips. Learn why volunteering to maintain your local trails is important. Consider socially distanced opportunities and options to attend for a few hours at an easily accessible trail versus an all-day event deep in the backcountry. 

Women riders chatting during a ride.
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Learn

Host a women-only skills night or advocacy talk. Skills night could include bike maintenance basics, mountain biking trail etiquette, and bike handling techniques. You could give a presentation on how to become more involved in trails and outdoor recreation in their community. How can women mountain bikers advocate for more resources, access, youth programming, and more where they live?

Women riders at a gathering.
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Engage

Host a women's night with a local bike shop. Show inspirational films, network, swap stories, and make new friends. Get to know who is in the mountain biking community, and give those who are curious a chance to come out and ask questions in a friendly environment.

Women riders gather before a ride.
Photo courtesy of: Brandi Keltner
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Engage

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper issued an official proclamation declaring May 5th, 2018, as Women’s Mountain Biking Day. It is an honor that the Governor recognized the important role women play for mountain biking in communities across Colorado. Can your elected officials and community leaders help amplify your #WomensMTBDay message?

Read the Proclamation

Storytelling

Explore our collection of blogs about engaging more women in mountain biking, plus personal and inspirational stories from female riders.

Whenever you ride, however you ride, wherever you ride, and whatever you ride with, we invite you to ride with us. Mountain bikers are not defined by frequency, skill, speed, or equipment. Passion for knobby-tire rides makes you a mountain biker!

Katherine Fuller

Bikepacking Roots

Blog Community 04.18.19
May 4th is International #womensmtbday
Read story
Trail Angles, Orange County, California
Blog Community 04.30.20
International Women's MTB Day 2020
Read story
Blog Community 05.04.18
Supporting the Ladies on #womensmtbday
Read story
IMBA Uprising Blog Image
Blog Community 03.26.18
IMBA UPRISING
Read story
Blog Campaigns and Announcements 05.03.22
From Bicycle Face to a New Face of Mountain Biking
Read story
A New Face of Mountain Biking

IMBA is a signatory of the CAMBER Outdoors CEO pledge—a commitment of outdoor industry organizations to attract, retain, and advance women in their workplaces.

two women leading the field of dreams vision for more trails in Idaho
Sand Point, Idaho
Striking a Balance for Bikers
Women-led Effort
Women of MTB
A New Face of Mountain Biking
Women riders rise!
#MoreGirlsOnBikes
NICA has GRIT
Girls Riding Together
A brunette woman adaptive mountain biker weaves through trees and is followed by a male mountain biker.
Adaptive MTBers in Mind
Sustainable Trail Design
Empowering Access + COTA
Photo courtesy of: Matthew Fields
Jen Hanks riding in Washington, D.C.
2023 D.C. Fly In
Jen Hanks: Advocate
MTB Advocacy
Alex with her dog and bike, in the woods.
Alex Showerman
Women Trail Builders Series
Women Building Trails
Lady mountain biker contemplating a medium rock drop while another rider monitors.
Maeve Nevins-Lavtar
Women Manage Land
Master Planning
close up shot of Lisa Baynes, a trail builder, in full riding gear with huge smile and two riding buddies.
Lisa Baynes
Women Trail Builders Series
Women Build Trails
Silhouettes of riders at sunset.
A male mountain biker riding in the desert.
A silhouette of a rider with mountains in the background.
A biker riding uphill near a lake and mountainous area.
An aerial shot of a rider in a very green area.
A diverse group of riders paused to talk during a ride.
A mountain bikers riding in a dirt jumps area in St. George, UT.
Two male mountain bikers riding downhill in Chile.
A male mountain biker riding up a rocky path.

Support Mountain Biking!

Our vision is that everyone has a place to ride a mountain bike. You can help make that happen!
Photo courtesy of:
Trailbuilder: Alex Showerman
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