It was picture-perfect conditions for the Pedals and Pastures Open Day event held at the Bindoon Mountain Bike Park on Saturday 13 July.
Matt Reid, who rides with the social group Pedals and Pints, said, “This is what mountain bikers call magic dirt — where you get a combination of wet conditions, followed by sun. So, the track is damp, but it just holds all the all the material together to get the best grip conditions.
“No track rides any better than what this will ride today. This is beautiful.”
Emily Mountford attended the day with her group Gravity Girls — an advocacy body empowering and encouraging more girls and women to take up the sport. Emily had all but left riding behind in childhood until seven years ago when she went to purchase a bike for her father’s 60th birthday, and ended up leaving with one for herself too.
“Riding challenged me, and it definitely gave me a little bit of a thrill which I’d never really experienced before — going downhill on a bike is super fun!” she said.
Mountain bike events typically see about 15% female participation, a number Gravity Girls aims to increase by breaking down barriers and promoting the benefits of riding. Emily says, “Riding is great, not only for physical health, but also mental health and resilience. Mountain biking for me has also helped in a lot of ways outside the sport – developing skills around dealing with fear, dealing with challenges, and how you can translate that back into your everyday life.”
A gender stereotype that is unfortunately backed by science is that women are more risk averse than men — but why let biology get in the way of having fun? Emily says, “I’m actually very risk averse myself — when my family see me doing some of the riding that I do, they’re like, ‘Whoa, who are you?’
“But if I feel comfortable and confident in my skill level, then I’m more willing to give something a go. The best way that we’ve found to do that — through Gravity Girls — is to provide opportunities for people to build their skill and comfort on a bike in a supportive environment.”
Both Emily and Matt were thankful to now have somewhere to ride north of the river, and a trail of such high calibre. Emily said, “The Bindoon Mountain Bike Park has something for everybody. The climb is a bit brutal, but worth it!”
And Matt – who joked that he might need to change the group name to Pedals, Pints and Pastries after hitting the Bindoon Bakehaus post-ride – said, “It just makes you feel good to be out here – when you’re in a place like this, you just look around and suck it in.”
