Somewhere deep in the Arizona desert, we’re tackling ‘Adobe Jack’, one of the many jaw-droppingly scenic and technical trails surrounding the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival site.
This is one of the most surprising and positive rides we’ve ever been on, and a million miles away from the cold, grey winter we've left behind in the UK.
There are 50 of us taking part, and trying to get that many riders to listen to words of instruction is nigh-on impossible.
However, unusually, this ride has been organised, led and is populated mostly by women.
The rocky, technical slab trails of Sedona aren’t a walk in the park at the best of times.
Right-angled ledges, spiny trailside plants and sometimes terrifying exposure can combine to make even the simplest of rides more complicated than you’d think.
So, the idea of sharing the trails with 49 strangers – not to mention hikers, horse riders and tourist 4x4s, too – doesn’t seem like a particularly sensible one.
However, after a quick “Follow me!” from ride leader Jess Hana, we make our unruly way off the fireroad and into the red, sandy rocks.
It’s way more fun than anyone was expecting. We stop at different features – drops, rock-rolls, tank-track climbs up sandpaper ledges – and it’s less like a ride and more like a party.
The high number fo female riders and the wide range of abilities, makes it one of the most positive, supportive sessions we’ve ever been part of.
No macho posturing, no jostling over position – just a massive gang of people riding, laughing and helping each other out.
Every individual triumph, no matter how minor, is cheered to the rafters, people are making new friends left and right, and grins stay on faces the whole time.
Meet your makers
This huge turnout – and megawatt positivity – is thanks to the hard work of the Women’s MTB Network an organisation determined to improve access to, recognition of and participation in mountain biking for women of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels.
Their website has grown into a formidable resource, filled with details of coaching sessions, riding groups and organised rides, all – as ride organiser Mia de Paula puts it – “from a woman’s perspective, in one place, for riders all over the world”.
In a sport that’s now over 50 years old, it’s hard to argue that female riders are well-represented.
Racers such as Missy Giove, Tracy Moseley, Rachel Atherton and Tahnée Seagrave have been justifiably celebrated for decades, but ordinary riders – those out for fun, camaraderie and excitement – haven’t always been represented in a mainstream MTB culture led by men and focused on speed, tech and stare-death-in-the-face bravado.
Do the founders of the WMTBN think that’s starting to change?
“It is,” says Mia, “but it’s hard for mainstream MTB to back it. Statistically, women make up 47 per cent of the cycling industry, but only two to three per cent of them are decision-makers at major brands. It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another to actually put your money where your mouth is and support the women.”
Despite the potential for chaos that a 50-strong group ride presents, the whole shebang is cheerfully led by Jess, a rider and video creator better known as Jess the Maker.
Dedicated to making mountain biking more approachable for women, her no-barriers approach has earned her 94,000 Instagram followers and a healthy profile in the industry.
“I like to say that I got into mountain biking because of a dude, but I fell in love with the sport because of women,” Jess explains, adding: “I have a background in coaching, I’ve been mountain biking for years and I can talk the talk.”