Mountain biking, a girl's sport... too

Back home after a four-year world tour, I'm going back to my mountain biking roots. As soon as I arrive in the parking lot, I realize that the sport has changed: no more dudes, mountain biking is now a girl's sport.

This article first appeared in the excellent magazine Vélo Mag, August 2021 edition.

---

I exaggerate, but only slightly. While there are no official statistics on trail traffic, some centres, including Empire 47 and Sentiers du Moulin, estimate the daily presence of women at 30 to 40%. Benoit Simard, co-owner of the two Espresso Sports stores in the Laurentians, confirms this: “We currently sell as much cycling clothing for women as for men. And the anecdote of Maude Côté, president of the board of directors of the Les Tordues cycling group, based at Mont Sainte-Anne, sums up this explosion of demand: "When we opened our registrations for the 2021 season to everyone, our places sold out. filled in nine minutes! »

Rolling Chickens. Photo credit Paul Mackay.

new bikes

Audrée Vaillancourt started mountain biking in 1996 and practices various disciplines. Photo credit Alain Denis, Trees Mountain Apparel.

A host of reasons explain this enthusiasm. Audrée Vaillancourt started mountain biking in 1996 at the age of 13, and racing the following year. Over the years, the athlete has acquired World Cup experience in cross-country and then downhill (including a recent victory in the masters category), in addition to participating in a few enduro, road and fatbike races.

“When I started, she recalls, bikes were either for cross-country or for downhill.” Followers could then choose between spandex and armor. “Crosscountry, continues Audrée Vaillancourt, was for athletes eager for performance, while downhill attracted kamikazes who went to the top of the mountain by chairlift. »

The gradual appearance of enduro and trail bikes has filled this gap between the disciplines by allowing you to open your lungs during the climbs and get a dose of adrenaline on the other side. “In my youth, relates Audrée Vaillancourt, we almost always competed. Since the enduro bikes, more versatile, the sport has been democratized, and people now practice it for the simple pleasure, less concerned about performance. »

new trails

If you build it, they will come, as the dreamers say. Mountain bike centers have sprung up and grown all over the province, welcoming a larger clientele each year, including an increasing number of families who arrive with their four mountain bikes.

Marie-Christine Daignault, creator of the popular blog Filles de bois, repeats the word more when talking about this growing offer. “There are more centers, more tracks per center, and these are more rolling. They also contain fewer rocks and roots and have more flow.”

“We have real leads now!” rejoices the “old man” Benoit Simard. “Like many, I have been riding on four-wheel tracks for a long time. Today it is really easier and safer to start and progress. »

A new market

About ten years ago, several manufacturers realized that they were only addressing the male half of the market. Brands and ranges of bicycles marketed to women have gradually appeared, accompanied by accessories and clothing. Beyond the different colors, it is the three points of contact that establish the clearest distinction: the saddle, the handlebars and grips, as well as the shoes. Audrée Vaillancourt remembers the time when the few girls had to wear the smallest sizes of men's bike or motocross clothing. "We were identified by our ponytails sticking out of our helmets!"

new clubs

The Muddbunnies have chapters in two regions of Quebec, as well as in British Columbia. This is Geneviève Baril-Guérard. Credit Yan Kaczynski

Along with versatile bikes, safe trails and equipment adapted to female morphology, female models stood out.

This role was inspired by Geneviève Baril-Guérard during her year in British Columbia. “I took part in a weekend of practical courses specific to women there,” she says. Some descended as fast as the boys and made the big drop. I too had the desire to become a model for my peers. Upon her return to Quebec, Geneviève Baril-Guérard brought back this community spirit and founded in 2014, with her friend Catherine Pitre, the Bromont chapter of the Muddbunnies. Another chapter will follow in Oka in 2016. The women's cycling club aims to "go out on bikes with the girls, have fun, inspire each other, share strengths, and above all show the possibility of evolving in the sport without having to break limbs or play superhero!” This way of seeing things diverges pleasantly from the typically male learning method, where "you're not game" and stitches were in the spotlight.

This desire to inspire and help is also what prompted Dominique Alarie to set up Les Poules qui Roulant. "I did my first mountain bike ride in 2012 at 39 years old... and it was the worst experience of my life!" laughs the one who nevertheless persevered thanks to the encouragement of her best friend. “The level was too high for me, continues Dominique Alarie, and I told myself that if all the women started this way, there wouldn't be many on the trails! The group Les Poules quiroulent was born. First in Mont-Tremblant, then in Sainte-Adèle and Bromont, with the objective of offering a safe and suitable environment for women who want to learn mountain biking for free without performance pressure.

A safer approach

This desire to inspire and help is also what prompted Dominique Alarie to set up Les Poules qui Roulant. "I did my first mountain bike ride in 2012 at 39 years old... and it was the worst experience of my life!" laughs the one who nevertheless persevered thanks to the encouragement of her best friend. “The level was too high for me, continues Dominique Alarie, and I told myself that if all the women started this way, there wouldn't be many on the trails! The group Les Poules quiroulent was born. First in Mont-Tremblant, then in Sainte-Adèle and Bromont, with the objective of offering a safe and suitable environment for women who want to learn mountain biking for free without performance pressure.

A safer approach

Marie-Christine Daignault of Wooden Girls. Photo credit Sébastien D'Amour.

This safe learning comes up in virtually every conversation. “Cycling was perceived by the female community as an extreme sport, believes Dominique Alarie. Our many volunteers try during our outings to show that it is intended for all generations and skill levels. »

Maude Côté co-founded the group Les Tordues in the Quebec region. She considers that she herself learns faster in the company of other girls of the same caliber. “Even if my boyfriend slows down his pace, I'm not always sure I'm able to take the same lines as him. While riding between girls, we observe each other's lines and work more on the technical aspect. We encourage each other, not to be perfect, but to dare to try! »

Marie-Christine Daignault, from the blog Filles de bois, agrees:

“Women talk more about safety, control, technique. We dissect how to overcome an obstacle before we start. »

For the benefit of all

Since my return to the trails where I was surprised by all the women in the parking lot of the mountain bike center, the number of followers has only continued to increase. There are more women, but also children, entire families, and even service dogs!

This democratization of the sport and the constant presence of learning groups in the forest have had beneficial effects on my own riding. Riding on trails for twenty years, I started watching videos this summer to better understand my mistakes and perfect my technique.

Maude Côté, from Les Tordues, sums up this incredible diversity where everyone finds their place and contributes to improving the sport: “Ultra fit women, downhill crazies, competitive, contemplative, women who do ten-foot drops, some who like technical climbs and others flowy descents, women who go there with make-up and others in loose t-shirts, small, tall women, on hardtails or downhill bikes… All this in the same daytime ! »

Les Tordues, in Quebec. Photo credit Maude Côté.