I’ve always thought of mountain biking as a great way for men and women to come together. My wife and I ride together, I’ve had several female riding buddies over the years and, in general, if a girl was willing to show up and get a little dirty, she was welcomed into the group.
Unfortunately, over the last few years I’ve seen the slow creep of the social justice warriors into our sport, which has led to the idea that women would flock to mountain biking if the stinky guys would just get out of the way. Part of this idea is the argument that mountain biking is “gender neutral”. At its heart this is well intentioned - no one should be discouraged from riding based on their gender - but it also ends up harming the same people it is trying to help.
Nothing in nature is “gender neutral” and that includes mountain biking. It is in understanding the differences that we can help each individual find the best path for them. Pretending that there are no differences between men and women means that we can’t have honest discussions about the best path for each to improve.
In this podcast I explore this idea and explain why mountain biking is not gender neutral, why this is alright and what this means for really empowering women riders to take control of their improvement.
Like I say at the beginning of the podcast, my intention with this is not to discourage women from riding but to help them find their own personal path to mastery and enjoyment. Nothing is more discouraging than not knowing how to find that path because people won’t be honest with you, and in the end that will lead to more women quitting riding.
I hope this podcast can help you better understand the differences between the sexes and how you can use that to make better training and riding decisions. We need more people using mountain biking as a tool for self improvement, not as a battleground for ideas that are not based in reality.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
Beyond Intervals - Using Anti Glycolytic Training To Improve Performance And Health
8 Tips To Help Low Back Pain
Strength Training Basics For The 40+ Year Old Rider
My Morning Routine: High Leverage, Healthy Habits For The 40+ Year Old Rider
MTB Specific Exercises You Might Not Be Using…But Should
Meditation For Mountain Biking
My Biggest Training Mistakes & Lessons Learned
HRT for MTB
Core Training For The 40+ Year Old MTB Rider
Riding For A Lifetime Podcast - 3 Things the 40+ MTB Rider Must Start Training
The Best Way To Improve Your MTB Specific Grip Strength
Training For A Lifetime - Steve Maxwell Interview
Is Overbreathing Impacting Your Health & Performance?
Medical Preparedness For The Trail & Life: Brian McLaughlin Intervie
Improving Your Health & Performance With Isometrics: Interview with Isophit Inventor Brad Thorpe
3 Ways To Use Isometrics In Your Training Program
What is “off season training” if you can ride year round?
3 Things To Increase Your Preparedness On The Trail
Ryan Leech Interview - Social Media, Changing Priorities As We Age & How To Improve Your Skills
Study Shows What Type Of Strength Training Works Best For Mountain Biking.
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Coach Carvalho Podcast
From Corner2Corner
Golf Podcast: next on the tee
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The MeatEater Podcast