The Biggest Ladies’ Riding Communities on Earth
Every year we watch in white-knuckled suspense as women bikers push the boundaries of road, downhill, cross-country, and every other type of cycling. They fight for the podium in races, crush records, and provide the rest of us mere mortals with enough inspiration to give it a little extra gas on our next ride.
Women continue to push the sport forward in new ways, dismantling the notion of a male-dominated sport by posting bigger numbers each year. Part of this, of course, has to do with the fact that bike companies finally wisened up. Manufacturers used to shrug off ladies’ bikes with a “Just shrink it and pink it” mentality. But today, women riders demand bikes with the same grit, muscle, and comfort as those made for males.
But a sweet bike does not a movement make.
Rather, a movement is born of community. All over the world, ladies’ riding communities offer women a supportive, fun, challenging place to expand their fitness, build technical skills, and just have some good old-fashioned bicycle fun. Today we pick a couple of our favorite ladies’ riding communities on earth.
Velo Girls — San Francisco, CA
Rocking the Bay Area for nearly two decades, Velo Girls provides a community, coaching, and support for a massive number of enthusiastic women riders year-round. You name it, and these ladies are into it: recreational road rides, competitive road races, cyclocross, mountain biking, and more.
They’ve been voted Best Bike Club several times over, and for good reason. Any time you see this many people having this much fun, assume you should be part of it.
And the bike we dedicate to them is…
The Specialized Roubaix Expert is the natural choice to honor this incredible community of riders. With a seven-win streak at the Paris-Roubaix, this bike makes its living offering pinnacle-level compliance, stiffness, aerodynamics, and weight-shaving.
The Expert includes a Future Shock 2.0 damper fork that eats naughty roads for brunch. Carbon Roval C 38 disc wheels are a class act on the fickle topography of the Bay Area, while the Shimano Di2 Ultegra wireless shifting system offers nearly noiseless shifting and reliability to hold the right gear for the climb.
Black Girls Do Bike — National
With chapters all over the country, this riding group is dedicated to inviting women and girls of color to participate in the bountiful joys of two-wheel adventure. Advocating for both women and people of color in the biking world is a truly awesome double-whammy — and by the size of their participation pool, they’ve struck a pretty common nerve of fun.
You can find Black Girls Do Bike members commuting, sweating it out as they clock miles, going for pleasure rides, and getting together for skill-sharing, support, and fun riding sessions any time of year. No wonder their membership continues to grow.
And the bike we dedicate to them is...
For this badass beacon of inclusivity, we dedicate the Juliana Quincy CC Rival. Falling solidly into the “adventure bike” category, this bike is ready for road, gravel, dirt, and wherever else the spirit takes you.
With a lighter-than-air carbon frame, SRAM Rival 1 Drivetrain, and WtB EXR i23p Rims, this bike handles like a dream on any surface — whether you’re sailing down some mountain road switchbacks or rolling onto bumpy gravel. Did we mention the Maxxis Ravager Tires? This thing is seriously ready to enjoy any terrain you can throw at it.
Bend Bella Cyclists — Bend, OR
Bend is a one-of-a-kind community. Situated where lush turns to arid in the mountains of Oregon, it’s the last stop before hundreds of miles of the western desert take over. It’s also the site of one of the US’s most treasured ladies biking communities.
With hundreds of members and a backyard playground that would make any biker drool, this group gets together for memorable group rides regularly. They’re always there for each other to build confidence, skills, and knowledge on their weekly rides, promoting a healthy lifestyle and inspiring girls to get their own sets of wheels.
And the bike we dedicate to them is…
The Juliana Furtado C R is a full-suspension powerhouse designed for women who want to rock at rocks and send descents. Designed by the world’s greatest women’s bikemaker, Juliana, this 27.5” steed grips the loose, sandy soils of eastern Oregon like duck tape.
130mm of rear cush and 140mm of fork travel equate to a plush, highly capable mountain machine. Tried and tested lower link suspension makes traction a breeze, while the 65º headtube angle puts you right where you need to be on technical terrain.
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