more than just a sport…
this is a lifeline
The mission of the “Girls Ride” initiative is to grow female MTB ridership among athletes and coaches. We aim to have females comprise 30% of our membership by 2026.
Research shows that when you get a girl to ride a bike, you change her life:
Moderate levels of exercise and/or sports activity help girls and women fight depression.
Female high school/college athletes were less likely to consider, plan or attempt suicide.
Girls who play sports have higher GPAs and have higher opinions of their abilities and competencies.
80 percent of female executives at Fortune 500 companies reported playing sports as children.
girls ride events
Girls Ride events provide families the ability to experience mountain biking firsthand, in a relaxed environment. All Girls Ride events are free and open to all adult females and students 6-12th grade.These fun rides might spark a female student-athlete’s interest in mountain biking. It could also ignite a mother’s interest in becoming a coach. Whether you discover a new passion or determine mountain biking isn’t your sport, you will have a fun time at these events. You might even make a few new friends!
Click for Information
Click for Information
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Our Girls Ride Champions will be leading all of our in-person events. This group of accomplished female riders is eager to spend time with student-athletes (grades 6-12) and their parents to answer any questions about the sport of youth mountain biking.
everybody can ride
When young girls ride mountain bikes it allows them to build confidence, strength, and character, with hopes of unlocking their full potential to become powerful leaders in life. We never want a young girl to overlook her shot at finding success in the sport of cross-country mountain biking.
Georgia Cycling has local mountain bike teams across the state of Georgia. Our teams are open to ALL middle and high school students. We never hold tryouts, and we never have performance-based requirements to participate. To lower the barriers to entry, we have rider assistance programs.
everybody can coach
When a woman joins our organization as a volunteer coach, she becomes a role model and an example of what is possible. Anyone who has the desire to help students grow into the best version of themselves can become a coach. You don’t need to be a medal-winning mountain bike racer.
Georgia Cycling provides training to anyone who is eager to be a coach. (The Crazy Bell Lady is a coach and one of our trainers!) To learn more about becoming a coach, attend a Girls Ride event or click here.
our commitment
The Georgia Cycling Association is committed to a sporting environment where everyone can feel a sense of belonging. We know representation is important because if a student-athlete doesn’t see themselves represented in the sport, it decreases the likelihood they will develop meaningful participation.
To increase representation, we have assembled a team of current coaches and athlete alumni to be our Girls Ride Champions. This group of accomplished women host outreach events and help individual teams with their recruiting strategies.
We recognize how powerful it can be for a young girl to hear a recent graduate talk about their experience with Georgia Cycling. It is also important for the parent of a young girl to hear a female coach talk about how her daughter has benefited from the program.
In addition, our Girls Ride Champions work to help teams grow the number of women in their coaching ranks. Increasing the number of female coaches is important for both young girls and boys.
our sponsor
The Georgia Cycling Association’s “Girls Ride” initiative is made possible by a grant from Fox Factory’s Trail Trust program.
Trail Trust seeks to diversify the population that participates in the cycling and power sports industries, which have historically seen inadequate representation. Fox Factory is committed to getting more women stoked on mountain biking, and hopes that an initiative like “Girls Ride” can cultivate a sense of camaraderie and excitement among women in Georgia.
