Ride Like a Girl - Call for Applications

Ride Like a Girl Now Accepting Applications from BC Athletes for 2022

Ride Like a Girl is now accepting applications from BC athletes for the 2022 mentorship program. This season, up to twenty female mountain bike athletes between the ages of 13 to 17 years old will have the opportunity to be matched with outstanding, established mentors in their cycling discipline.

Athletes selected for the program will have the opportunity to receive guidance, racing advice and have an opportunity to meet and ride with their mentors, as well as participating in a variety of events and skill clinics.

“The skills clinics were my favourite part of the program this year, having organized rides with other girls on Vancouver Island was really fun. These opportunities were a great way to meet and get to know some of the girls I race with better,” said Kimberly Chen, 15, a XC, Enduro and Cyclocross athlete from Victoria.

"I really enjoyed meeting other talented riders and getting paired up with an amazing mentor who showed me her local trails and shared race knowledge with me," says Sophia Ervington, 16, a downhill and enduro athlete from Powell River.

Athletes have the opportunity to connect with other athletes their age, be matched with a mentor, and participate in events such as group rides, trail days and skills clinics. Ride Like a Girl also offers monthly online mentor chats covering a range of topics from sports nutrition to mental preparation, sponsorship, goal setting, strength training, bike maintenance and much more. These chats enable athletes from across the Province from Fernie to Kamloops to Squamish to Victoria, BC to hear from industry experts and connect with one another and program mentors. 

Among Ride Like a Girl’s (RLG) 2021 mentors were well-known mountain bike athletes Georgia Astle, Lorraine Blancher, Kelli Sherbinin, Karaleen Gioia, Emily Slaco, Kelly Roloff, Crystal Townsend, and Kyleigh Stewart for downhill, and Andreane Lanthier Nadeau (ALN), Jo Peters, and Brittany Falconer for enduro. For cross-country, mentors  included Sandra Walter, Trish Sinclair, Holly Henry, Kirsten Sweetland, Dayna Weaward, Cynthia Young, Kim Shopland, Joele Guynup, Jenny Leblanc, Sarah Coney, Dawn Anderson, Tanya Allen, Elyse Nieuwold, and Serena Tasca.  Each of Ride Like a Girl's mentors are accomplished athletes with many years’ experience in the mountain bike industry and many with extensive racing backgrounds ranging from racing provincially and nationally to competing on the world stage. 

"I have mentored with Ride like a Girl for a couple years now and I have seen young girls grow up and blossom into all kinds of incredible riders. I think a program providing a space for young women to connect in the world of biking is extremely valuable. Nothing puts a smile on my face like running into girls that I’ve mentored or connected with at an event out on the trails," says Andreane Lanthier Nadeau, World Cup Enduro Racer and Rocky Mountain Factory rider.

New this year, Ride Like a Girl is opening up an Ambassador Program for former program athletes that want to give back to the cycling community and encourage other girls to mountain bike. In 2021, Emmy Lan, an Enduro/DH racer on the Commencal Team, became Ride Like a Girl's first Ambassador. As part of her role she offered free skills clinics for younger girls in the Comox Valley and provided a mentor chat focused on her experience racing World Cups in Europe. 

Ride Like a Girl is accepting applications until February 27, 2022 for both the Athlete and Ambassador Programs. Individuals applying as an athlete to the program must be between the ages of 13 to 17 years old, live in British Columbia, and have some racing/freeriding experience or be actively involved in their local cycling community. A passion for community involvement and experience including coaching, trail building, helping with races and events, and other volunteer pursuits are an asset for applicants. The Ride Like a Girl Ambassador Program is open to former program athletes who have a demonstrated commitment to volunteering in the cycling community, and are a positive role model for younger females.  

For more info and to apply, please visit ridelikeagirl.ca