Last weekend I was back in sunny Ireland coaching for a women’s mountain bike skills weekend run by the Cycling Ireland Offroad Commission. Nearly 30 women with a variety of experience, skills and fitness signed up and enthusiastically took to the trails of Balinastoe.
On Saturday we took a lap of the trails, sessioning some sections and going over some trail skills. It was a long tough day but the determination, enthusiasm and improvements made by everyone were impressive. The next day we combined with the Biking Blitz race for some competitive experience – talk about throwing them in the deep end, a race with over 400 people and some of the girls had only been on a bike a few times before! Initial fear and feelings of intimidation were set aside and it was fantastic to see everyone getting really stuck into the race. There was a great sense of comradery and fun within the group and everyone finished with huge smiles having really enjoyed it . With a few podiums and a lot of potential talent hopefully there will soon be lots more women racing in the NPS.
The next women’s skills weekend will be the 6th and 7th of April in Ballyhoura – keep an eye on the Offroad commission website/facebook page for more details.
A big thanks to Think Bike for the loan of a super fast carbon Trek bike for the weekend!