Why I recommend more women should give mountain biking a go…
I’ve fallen in love with mountain biking, and I hope that by sharing my experiences, it might make you want to give it a go and hopefully get as much enjoyment from it as I do.
How I started Mountain Biking
I first got into cycling in 2017 when I began competing in triathlons. My love of being in nature (and away from cars) drove me to switch to off-road triathlons in 2023 and this is where my adventure of mountain biking began.
MTB vs Road Cycling
Mountain biking on the trails is so much fun, it made me feel like a kid again. Unfortunately, I don’t bounce as well as when I was a kid and the learning curve has been rather steep. However, it’s also been extremely rewarding. With road cycling the focus was mostly on how fast I could I go. Now, while I still want to get faster, there are lots of technical elements to also learn, and this makes for so many more achievements. From how to ride over roots, off drops, round berms and so much more.
Getting Competitive (and getting my confidence knocked)
I like to compete and push myself to see what I can achieve which led me to enter some cross-country (XC) mountain bike (MTB) competitions. The thing that really stood out at my first one, was how few women were there. It was very unusual to see a long que for the men’s loo and none for the women’s!
After this positive start, my racing experience did hit a few bumps. Particularly at one event where the timing gap between the women’s and men’s start was very short, leading to some argy barging as I was quickly caught up by fast men who wanted to pass, which really did knock my confidence.
Argy Bargy… and a real confidence knock
…my racing experience did hit a few bumps. Particularly at one event where the timing gap between the women’s and men’s start was very short, leading to some argy barging as I was quickly caught up by fast men who wanted to pass, which really did knock my confidence.
Women vs Mixed Mountain Bike Racing
However, I then looked closer at events timetables and found the Southern XC MTB series that offered a women’s only practise slot and spaced the event out, so the women’s race was separate to the men’s.
While most competitors were very friendly, encouraging and patient to pass at all events, when I started out, taking away the stress of being regularly caught up in large mixed fields, made it much more enjoyable. Now the only bumps were the ones I got from falling off!
Discovering Women Only Races
…taking away the stress of being regularly caught up in large mixed fields, made it much more enjoyable
Investing in Coaching (from a female world champion!)
As my enthusiasm for mountain biking grew, I knew I would enjoy it even more if invested in some coaching to help me climb the steep learning curve more efficiently. I found an amazing coach in Katy Curd, who having been a Fourcross World Champion, stood on multiple World Cup downhill podiums and now a technical coach for the GB XC team, meant I was learning from the best.
Watching her ride so smoothly and confidently was inspiring of what is possible. She has the ability to break things down into small easy chunks for total beginners like me to easily learn. Leading me to ride trails during a three hour lesson that I never imagined I would be capable of.
Armed with the knowledge of how to ride my MTB, my enjoyment of it increased tenfold. I still have so much to learn, but that’s a key element of the enjoyment. While I like the competition buzz, which has taken me to some amazing places and I’ve earnt myself World and European cross triathlon medals.
There are so many things to achieve in mountain biking without putting yourself on a start line.
I’ve also found out you can put yourself on a start line without any pressure of the results you will achieve and be surrounded by amazing women all looking to have a fun day out on two wheels in the forest. This happened when my friend persuaded me to take part in the Hope Women’s Enduro race in the Forest of Dean.
One thing is consistent with my mountain biking journey so far, it’s lead me to doing things I never thought I would be doing – an Enduro event being one of them as it’s much more technical than XC courses. The event organisers shared the courses well in advance and with it being a local event for me, I could get plenty of practise, along with a race prep group coaching session from Katy, to give me the knowledge of how to successfully get from top to bottom. Turning one particular section called skids and grins into a grin rather than the falls and frowns it had been for me previously!
While many women were there putting down extremely fast times, just as many were there to enjoy the ride and everyone was friendly and supportive.
I’m very thankful to the women who have encouraged me to get into mountain biking, those that have helped me along the way and those that inspire me to see what amazing achievements we are capable of on two wheels.
I hope my story can encourage other women to give mountain biking a go. From the childlike joy of rolling down a hill on two wheels, the peace of pedalling in nature to the skills you can achieve, there is so much to be enjoyed!
If you’re inspired by Sam’s story but a complete beginner with no idea where to start to mountain biking we have the perfect articles for your next read below. You might also want to visit our OS Women Outdoors Content Hub which is packed full of inspiration to help get more women into trying new adventures outside.
A beginner’s guide to mountain biking
Get outside and have some muddy fun with this beginner’s guide to Mountain Biking.
A List of Women’s Adventure & Hiking Groups to Join in the UK
A list of UK female only adventure and hiking groups – the best place to start to build outdoor confidence.
How to get into triathlon
OS Champion Sam Taylor-Frost is part of the GB Triathlon Team. She completed her first triathlon without being super fit or spending a lot of money on kit and you can do the same. Find out how to get into triathlon and give this multi-sport event a go.
By Sam Taylor-Frost
Meet Sam Taylor-Frost – GBR Triathlete, animal lover and earl grey drinker.
I love being outside and my daily fresh air fix is a necessity! The outdoor gives me the feeling of freedom, to explore the trails at whatever pace I fancy is liberating. The outdoors really is my happy place. I also really enjoy being active which had led me into the fun of triathlons, as it gives me so many options to get outside.
Follow Sam on Instagram @plantbasedsamt
