I was just curious if there were any female riders in the Temecula area on this forum. My wife rides and she is tired of not having any fellow female riders that aren't scared of ACTUALLY riding. She has tried a few times to introduce her girlfriends but they are all too scared of getting hurt etc. If their are any groups that get together I will let her know and she can possibly meet up and ride. Thanks.
If you have no luck finding locals here, hit your local REI or bike shop and post a "want ad" on their bulletin board if they have one... I know REI does Also try the Trail Angels and see if they have any members in your area
You know, this is a good point. I have found that a lot of women I know are horrified by the number of bruises, scrapes, scabs, etc. that I have. It got so bad at work that I started wearing gauze or bandages over some of my injuries not to help them heal, but just to cover them so people I work with wouldn't be so weirded out by them. The other thing is, mountain biking is a dirty, sweaty sport that takes real commitment. Kind of hard to half-ass it. (As opposed to a gym where you can prance around and look like you're working out even if you're not really). I guess also they don't think you can still be "girlie" and be hardcore. (I'd like to think I've proven that you can). There was a point in the beginning when I was concerned that my boyfriend would find all the bruises to be kind of a turn-off, but he's awesome (and of course a mountain biker) and his response was, "I ride too. Just because you're a woman, why should I hold you to a higher standard and expect you to not get injured?" I've actually minimized the injuries as of late by figuring out where I always seem to get bruised and scraped, and buying guards for those spots! I suppose it takes a certain kind of woman to mountain bike. Either one who is sort of a tomboy on the inside who welcomes the risk and doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks, and/or one who has a supportive partner who won't think her any less feminine if she gets some real nasty contusions on her. For my part, I have two older brothers so I've always preferred playing with the boys. They were always way more fun than my sisters. I hope she can find someone to ride with. I'm having the same problem, but mostly because I can't find someone other than my boyfriend with the patience enough to ride with an asthmatic.
Try Trail Angels (http://trailangels.com/). They're OC based but might have members out there or members willing to commute out there... check them out... BTW, i know exactly how you and her feel, the same with my GF, i keep trying to find girls for her to ride with. We're in the OC area though.
Can someone tell me if Trail Angels is a religious-based group? In looking at their site, they have cited a bible verse, and refer to the name as being used for "ministry purposes". Do they have more than just mountain biking in mind?
Thanks for the real feedback because this is exactly what my wife encounters. She hated the bruises and scrapes because of the way people reacted, "Is she beat..." stares, no shes a MTB'r quit looking at me like I beat her. lol. And the fact that it is hard to find other women that are willing to sacrifice their precious skin to the trail gods. I have no problems with my wifes bruises and scrapes and to me nothing makes happier then seeing my wife bomb down some killer singletrack or clean a sick drop or jump.:bang: I like a wife that I can take to the mall AND the trails, unfortunately she does get tired of riding with the boys. Which is understandable. Thanks again for the real woman experience. I will pass it to her and I think that it will be a little comforting knowing that she is not the only one in those shoes. And I think you were totally right about the tom boy thing, because she is crazy into martial arts too so I think the physical sports are in her blood. ha ha.:lol:
Its Christian based but I dont think they "recruit" or drill Jesus into your head as your trying to climb a hill... I've ridden with a couple of them and they are nice ladies
I was wondering the same thing. Someone recommended the site but the bible verses on the homepage scared me away. Neither my wife or I are religious and she gets really offended when people try and "recruit" her. So I figured that would not be a good place to recommend her to go.#-o
The ones I've ridden with never recruited me nor even mentioned anything religious Just try it and if its not your thing then never go again.... your not stuck for life ya know
I am so with you on that one. That's exactly why I stayed away from them the first time I saw the site. Heh, you and my boyfriend. He's the same way. I bet your wife also laughs after she crashes and checks her bike before she checks herself
Your wife might try becoming a member of the STR . There is a womens only forum that she could join . Many of the women members do most of there posting there .
thats like saying i don't ride with democrats for fear they might try and recruit me LOL :lol: people are all about tolerance and acceptance, except with religion? LOL The trail angels seem like a great group of ladies
Yeah, but CalEpic may ask her to prove she's female before she joins. After all, my boyfriend and denmother vouching for me wasn't enough for him.
I don't really think that's true. If a group is specifically out there for religious ministerial purposes and that is the basis of their philosophy, they may expect members to sign some kind of religious statement in order to become a member. (Kind of the way people have to sign a Christian statement in order to work at Azusa Pacific University). I am not saying Trail Angels does this, because it's hard to tell. Also, some groups don't spring that stuff on you until you try to become a member. And just out of curiosity, since you brought it up. Maybe a Democrat rider might not try to recruit you, but don't their political views irritate you? If you ride with someone who is continually spouting Democratic dogma, wouldn't that kind of ruin your ride having to listen to it? Well, religion works the same way. Why go riding with a group who has a stated purpose of proselytization if you don't want to mix religion and riding?
Trail Angels welcomes all. Heck they welcomed me even if I am not a South OC housewive (joking). They do have the bible versus on the page. Not everyone on there is a believer just woman that love to ride. By the way they have members everywhere not just South OC (that was just a joke). I haven't been on their site for sometime - I'll have to check out the latest page. I'd suggest the Dirty Girlz forum plenty of cool ladies to ride with. -Elvia
I did the next best thing-- I posted a photo album of myself in photos clearly showing my girlness. His response: photos can be faked. Needless to say, I have not joined the women's forum nor do I intend to. But that's ancient history, because most everyone here knows about that now.
