With more people mountain biking than ever before, Allison Rodgers said weekends at the Canobolas trail now attract an even gender divide – occasionally skewed in favour of females.
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Despite its reputation for causing broken bones, Mrs Rodgers said mountain biking can be as easy or difficult as an individual's skills allow.
“You don’t have to dodge cars like you do on the road and it’s rare you leave a trail without a smile – even when you’re looking at snow in sub zero temperatures.”
For the fourth year, Mrs Rodgers will help run a program which aims to get more women to ride, through female-only mountain biking and road skills training.
Taught by women, the small groups meet on a Sunday to develop the confidence to start riding more regularly, or for some, to get back on the bike for the first time in years.
Mrs Rodgers said that while most of the women she has taught have started off nervous it doesn’t take long before confidence grows, friendships develop and more women can be seen on the road.
A move away from male domination of the sport, which Mrs Rodgers puts, in part, down to an unequal division of labour.
“Women get caught up with kids and often they’ll be taking them to weekend sport,” she said.
“It can be intimidating seeing so many men out in their lycra with their big flash bikes, when you take men out of the equation you get a nice welcoming environment to get back into riding.”
Orange female training sessions are run through She Rides.
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