STAFF PICKS
PHOTO BY TRASK BEDORTHA
BEST WOMEN’S MOUNTAIN BIKE
ADVENTURE TEAM
Michelle Emmons has advice for women learning to
mountain bike: “Stop apologizing,” she says. “You’re
enjoying life, and you’re out on your bike. You don’t need to
apologize every time you put your foot down on the trail.”
No Apologies!, a local “women’s mountain bike
adventure team,” pedals freely to the blissed-out notion
that women can embrace the outdoors and learn to
mountain bike in the company of peers who encourage and
support them. Learning to mountain bike is hard enough
without fearing the judgment of your fellow bikers, and
No Apologies! seeks to kick that “not good enough” notion
to the curb.
The team started a few years ago and consists of
five women: Emmons, Stephanie “Zimzam” Zamora,
Kerstin Holster, Sarah “Soso” Blount and Rheannon
“Rua” Arvidson. Emmons is Eugene-based, but the other
members are sprinkled throughout the Willamette Valley.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie in women’s groups
when you’re with a group of women with skills and
similar interests,” Emmons explains. “It inspires you and
encourages you to think, ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’”
Emmons teaches mountain biking classes for REI,
and she says she’s noticed that women tend to learn by
processing and practicing a skill several times in order to
figure it out. “If you want to try something out two or three
times, it’s important to feel comfortable doing that and not
having to feel like you’re holding the group up,” she adds.
In addition to hosting skill clinics and tours, No
Apologies leads group rides throughout the Willamette
Valley, where women can practice their mountain biking
skills in a safe, supportive environment.
Emmons says she enjoys taking fellow mountain bikers
to Oakridge, Goodman Creek and Lorraine Valley. One of
her favorites is Alsea Falls, a trail she describes as suited
to every skill level.
“It offers that easy climb uphill, and it doesn’t matter
if you’re an advanced rider or a beginner rider — you’re
always coming down with a smile on your face,” she says.
No Apologies! also hosts trail maintenance work
parties, giving back to the riding and hiking community by
helping to preserve the quality of the trails they use.
“It all goes back to that essence of no apologies,”
Emmons says. “You don’t have to apologize because we’re
all doing it together.”
Check out No Apologies! at noapologiesmtb.com.
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eugeneweekly.com • November 3, 2016
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