Blog Archives

Reflections of 2014

12/29/2014

With the enormous growth of women riding socially, GGR soared to 800 riders in 2014. This also made our annual Rocktober event the biggest yet with just under 200 women riders attending with a waiting list of over 100 to get in. Here is a video of the event by GGR volunteer:
Art Lertpiriyapong: www.youtube.com/watch

Rocktober was especially exciting this year since we had more demo bikes thanks to Liv and Trek not to mention all the vendor booths we had this year! The women’s clothing was a huge hit thanks to the participating sponsors! Booths from Shredly and ZOIC and sponsoring women’s riding clothes from Primal & Shebeest were raffled off. The G2 booth sold out of their YOU GOT CHICKED jersey’s.

We were super excited that CLIF sponsored the GGR fuel station this year. Clif provided hydration and recovery drinks as well as a table full of their goodies. Clif also provided items for every goody bag!

CORBA, a partner of GGR also had a huge presence at Rocktober as well as MBU: The Mountain Bike Patrol Unit.

We were also so very proud to have at Rocktober this year Petal Power! This was Petal Power’s 1st event. For the full line of sponsors and their websites, please go here: www.girlzgoneriding.com/event-sponsors-2014. The date for Rocktober 2015 will be announced in January.

One of GGR’s proudest moments of 2014 is adding our 1st chapter! The GGR IE chapter! For those of you that live in the Inland Empire, this is for you! Headed up by GGR’s own Jackie Reseigne! For the full article, please go to the blog here: www.girlzgoneriding.com/blog/ggr-opens-its-1st-chapter-in-the-inland-empire

GGR is proud to welcome our guest blogger Joh Rathbun who will be writing for GGR’s blog! www.girlzgoneriding.com/blog/review-of-sweet-spot-skirts

At this year’s holiday ride and lunch, GGR girlz Wendy Engelberg and Amy Rambacher were interviewed by Roam Rydes for a very special podcast. www.roamrydes.com/plog/trail-unicorns

What can you expect for 2015 from GGR??

GGR will be adding a BIO page for up and coming riders who race , coach and who are involved in their communities. This new page will provide much needed exposure for women athletes all over the US.

A women’s lounge at the races! For some of the Southridge USA and Rim Nordic races, GGR will have our big purple booth welcoming female athletes. The booth is there for a place to meet other women, network, leave your stuff, hang, find vet riders to session with, etc.

Clinics and trips! GGR continues to encourage learning skills to be safer riders that have a ton more fun on the trails! In the 1st quarter of 2015, The Ride Like a Ninja skills clinics are returning to GGR. There are still spots open! Register here: sandiegomountainbikeskills.com/upcoming-clinics

Also, March 21st and 22nd, GGR, Girls Ride 2 and G2 Bikes have proudly teamed up to bring Kat Sweet’s Sweetlines Shred Sessions to our women’s community! Sorry ladies, this 2 day clinic sold out the 1stday. www.sweetlines.com

TRIPS! One of our favorite places to run away to with our bikes is BIG BEAR! GGR will host a women’s weekend in Big Bear the 1st weekend of August. Dates to be confirmed soon. This is open to all women everywhere for strong beginners and up, both XC and DH! GGR goes to Big Bear all summer and also has co ed trips.

Day Trip: The R50! Ride for Ruwanda! This is an incredible charity event that we participate in. Register as a GGR club member here: www.50mileride.webconnex.com/registration2015

Other trips in the works: Kernville, Sea Otter, more Big Bear weekends!

For information on becoming a GGR member, club sponsor, opening a new chapter or volunteer, please contact us at wendy@girlzgoneriding.com.

GGR Opens It's 1st Chapter in the Inland Empire!

12/22/2014

I am so very excited and proud to announce that GGR now has its 1st chapter! GGR IE! (Inland Empire). The new chapter is headed up GGR's own JACKIE RESEIGNE!

Live in the Inland Empire?? Check out the fun here!
www.facebook.com/groups/720299391388496

I would like to introduce you to Jackie, the GGR IE Director in her own words!

Mountain biking…. hummmmm?
Shredding? Hahaha, 45 is just around the corner for me, is this really what I do? I just want to ride.
This I know, my name is Jackie Reseigne and I am a mother to two awesome kids, a cat and a dog.
When asked how long I have been mountain biking, I didn't really quite know how to answer this. I did think of memories of beautiful places that my two wheeled friend has taken me throughout my life. Visions of endless dirt trails, tall trees, streams and that beautiful sound of rubber rolling over the dirt.

I guess that I've been riding leisurely all my life. Building dirt tracks with my brother and the neighbors between yards and on family camp outs when I was still at home. Riding fire roads and simple trails with my two kids all over California while on vacation.

7 years ago I purchased my first legit front suspension MTB. Most of my rides were with my son’s Cub Scout Pack at Bonelli Regional Park, Vail Lake, Lundy Lake and Hurkey Creek. Riding was fun, but running and playing soccer competitively with my friends is how I spent “me time” without the kids when they were little.

It wasn't until June 2013, that I consider myself becoming a real mountain biker. After spotting riders on Snow Summit during a summer trip with my soccer friends, I convinced a few of them to rent full suspension bikes with me and try the XC trails with a lift ride up. Within seconds of riding, I had found a new passion…. mountain biking! While they looked exhausted with shattered nerves after our first run, they said that I looked hungry for more wearing a smile from ear to ear. They stopped for the day, while I continued up the lift for 2 more runs. I had sustained yet another knee injury due to soccer earlier that year and was eager for an aggressive sport again. After returning my bike to the guys at the rental shop, I told them that I wanted to buy that bike at the end of their season. I returned just about every other weekend to ride their XC trails solo. Riding solo in the wilderness was an escape; exactly what I needed at that time in my life. True to my word, I purchased my Trek Lush 29er from them. I’ve been in love ever since.

Since that time, a part-time job to support “my riding habit” and learn about the mechanics of a bike has turned into a full time job while I continue my job search. I’ve worked at Jax Bicycle Center in Claremont since last April doing a little bit of everything. I am a ride leader on our Monday night rides at Bonelli Park and Marshall Canyon.

I have made many new friends through Mountain Bike Buddies and GGR: Girlz Gone Riding who have inspired me to ride more, become a better rider and have introduced me to many new adrenaline filled trails. For the last year I have been a team member of the So Cal Endurance Ladies Team and raced XC, 6 hour and Enduro. The Catalina Gran Fondo was by far my most difficult ride so far. That starting climb nearly killed me! For the 2015 season I will be competing as a member of the Jax Mountain Bike Team.

I am so thankful to have met these awesome mountain bikers: Trissy Bastin, Janice Su, Amy Locust and Morgan Barajas. Somehow we became a riding crew and close friends. With the encouragement of my friends and Wendy, it was time to connect all of the female mountain bikers in the Inland Empire by starting a GGR: Girlz Gone Riding – Inland Empire Chapter. We had all been on group rides for women with various friends in our area. Connecting all of us through our GGR – Inland Empire was long overdue. I am excited about the trails we will be riding this year, the friends we will be making and inspiring more women to ride!

GGR, G2 Bikes & Girls Ride 2 proudly team up to bring Sweetline Shred Sessions with Kat Sweet in 2015!

12/16/2014

GGR, G2 bikes & Girls Ride 2 are so very proud to team up and present Sweetline Shred Sessions with Kat Sweet! March 21st and 22nd with the 20th being a meet and greet. This event sold out the same day thanks to the team effort!

Each participant will receive a goodie bag sponsored by Zoic that will also include some goodies from GGR & G2.

The weekend will kick off with a meet & greet at G2, the hosting bike shop. Then Saturday starts the 2 day awesome Sweetlines skills clinics customized just for us!

A wee bit about Miss Kat directly from her site:
Sweetlines mission is to build confidence, create community, and promote stewardship through educational mountain biking programs that empower women and youth. Under the guidance of expert coaches, riders learn to navigate the twists and turns of life on and off the trail within a fun and supportive environment.

Kat Sweet of Sweetlines has been riding bikes since 1987. She has seen mountain biking rise to where it is today, from the days of full rigid bikes to the present, and continues to inspire, bringing new riders into the sport. Kat has coached kids programs since 2003 and women’s programs since 2007. Want to know more about Kat?? Here ya go: www.sweetlines.com/kat-sweets-bio/

Girls Ride 2! www.girlsride2.bike
The Girls Ride 2 Women’s program was developed by women, for women, who believe in building community through a passion for cycling. Our rides, clinics and events are designed to build confidence on and off the bike, and empower women to set and achieve their personal goals.

I am so very proud to team up with G2 and thrilled they are the host shop. I want to personally thank AJ Sura of G2 for teaming up with GGR to present this awesome opportunity.

GGR Girl Wendy E

Please Welcome Apothecary Muse to the GGR Family of Sponsors!

12/2/2014

Please visit our newest club sponsor here!

www.apothecarymuse.com

Apothecary Muse makes incredible soaps of all forms! For your GGR discount, please visit our GGR FB page under the GGR Year round sponsors file.

"Planet. Mind. Body. Athletic Skin Care: intersecting form and function at weather and terrain."

Review of Sweet Spot Skirts By Joh Rathbun

12/1/2014

Billed as a “flirty and practical skirt,” the Sweet Spot Skirt originated in Washington when Stephanie Lynn, the owner and brains behind Sweet Spot Skirts, met up with some clients via the bicycle. Most people do not consider Lycra proper professional attire, so Stephanie threw on a “disco skirt” for a bit of coverage. That is how Sweet Spot Skirts sprang into existence.

With separate lines for runners, snowhounds, and cyclists, the Oregon women behind the business have tailored high-quality apparel for most athletes. With a functional design, like buttons that run the length of the waist allowing for a “most any size” fit, the skirts still having specific lines for different body types. The original line sizes are the Sweet Z, Sport, Super Sweet and Sweet E.

Abstaining from the normal sizing charts is a brilliant way to avoid a potential customer feeling self-conscious on either end of the scale. They recently have included a “style skirt” size, which is longer than the original line. The original line is tailored to be worn over leggings, and stay out of your way while riding.

The skirts are made in the USA and are reversible. This small business has filled a niche that has been long-neglected, while encouraging other women to strike out on their own. Ms. Lynn said, “Today I invite you to join the excitement, the fun, and the challenge of being just a little bit better every day. “

While the cut of the skirt is simple, the fabric and designs are superior than most sports apparel. The company is inclusive, as they have kilts specifically for men and hire stay-at-home moms to sew their products. And with female cyclists spending $2.3 billion in the industry in 2011, it seems that this saavy demographic recognizes a good thing when it sees it.1

Our company has seen growth of 80%-500% and was awarded 2nd best startup in the Pacific northwest by CREDC. The company who won 1st place has a cure for Malaria, Godspeed to them getting that out to the world. We have a new advisory board for 2014 and our relationship with REI and they're biking section has been renewed a second year.

The skirt meets the requirements of function and aesthetic. But, since most active women do not like to carry things around, the one thing missing is a pocket. It's an exceptional skirt, and the business abides by good business practices. Therefore, the skirt gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.

To purchase the Sweet Spot Skirts:
www.sweetspotskirts.com

This review is based on promotional materials. Thank you to Katelyn Praly for modeling the skirt. All photos by JC Dill.

Joh Rathbun is an MTB Coach & Ride Guide and Action Sports Writer. To keep up-to-date on West Coast events, like her Facebook page, or if you want to ride with her, contact her at
http://johrathbun.wix.com/freelancewriter

Reflections of 2014

GGR Opens It's 1st Chapter in the Inland Empire!

GGR, G2 Bikes & Girls Ride 2 proudly team up to bring Sweetline Shred Sessions with Kat Sweet in 2015!

Please Welcome Apothecary Muse to the GGR Family of Sponsors!

Review of Sweet Spot Skirts By Joh Rathbun﻿

Archives

CONNECT WITH GGR

Review of Sweet Spot Skirts By Joh Rathbun