Women Mountain Biking: This Section is for Us!

Many of the products out there are geared towards men because the sport has been traditionally been dominated by men. That is changing though. Every day there are more and more women mountain biking.

Women Mountain Biking Pioneers

Wende Cragg, for example, rode in the Repack Races in Marin County on her klunker with Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze, Tom Ritchey, and other mountain biking pioneers.


Jacquie Phelan, aka Alice B. Toeclips, is perhaps the most well-known female mountain biker in history, taking the NORBA championship 3 years in a row among many other medals throughout her riding career. She is also the founder of WOMBATS (Women's Mountain Bike and Tea Society) (opens new window), a networking site that encourages women and girls to mountain bike.


Throughout history, many other women have been instrumental in the development of the sport of mountain biking, taken home medals in mountain biking competitions, and been inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.


Examples of these mountain biking women include Cindy Whitehead, Carole Bauer, Sara Ballantyne, Juliana Furtado, Kay Peterson-Cook, Susan DeMattei, Marilyn Price, and Anne-Caroline Chausson. Check out the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame website (opens new window) to see many more women mountain biking pioneers and more recent influential mountain biking women. Also, if you are ever in Crested Butte, Colorado, make sure you stop by their Mountain Biking Museum to learn more about these amazing women and their roles in the history of mountain biking. It only costs $3 to get in to the museum.

By the way, if you have not ridden in Crested Butte, it is well worth the trip. It is like Singletrack Disneyland!

Female vs. Male Body Type

Some of the differences in our body types when compared to men include shorter torsos, shorter arms, wider hips, and smaller hands. Of course, this is not the case for all of us, but again this is in general.

Women's Mountain Bikes

For more information on mountain bikes made specifically for women and where to find them, please visit my page on Womens Mountain Bikes

Women's Cycling Clothing

Women's cycling shorts are generally smaller in the waistband, more tapered from hip to waist, and shorter in leg length than men's cycling shorts. The chamois is also shaped differently from a chamois in men's cycling shorts to fit the female anatomy.

The Pearl Izumi Women's Attack Shorts and the Pearl Izumi Women's Elite Shorts are both very comfortable and have great wicking properties. They are currently marked down in price.


I have bought men's mountain biking shoes before because there was not a female version of the shoe available. This was a mistake because even though the shoe fit the length of my foot, it was too wide in the heel area and my heel slipped around. Women's mountain bike shoes take this difference into consideration and have a narrower heel in proportion to the size of the shoe.

I used to buy small men's mountain bike jerseys because they were easier to find than women's mountain bike jerseys, but now I am tired of looking like a scarecrow so I buy women's cycling jerseys. They fit better because they taper in more at the waist area and are wider in the hips and breast areas. The torso area is also shorter. Women mountain biking jerseys should be made of moisture wicking materials.

It is important to have moisture wicking materials against the skin to stay dry and comfortable. A good sports bra wicks away sweat and provides the right amount of support. Avoid cotton sports bras because they do not have wicking properties. Nylon/spandex blends like these sports bras are good choices and some of them are half off...a good deal considering how expensive they can often be.

Women's cycling gloves are not only smaller than men's cycling gloves, but they are narrower to fit our hands better.

Yes, even women's cyling socks are different from men's! I have a pair of men's mountain biking socks that bunch up in the toes and heel because they are not narrow enough for my foot. If I ride in them for a long time, I get blisters.

Training for Women

Other cross training during the winter months, like running and weightlifting, also help increase strength for powering through obstacles.

Balance is also important not only for clearing obstacles, but also for tight turns. Yoga and other core strengthening exercises are great for improving balance.

When I first started mountain biking, I took an all women mountain biking clinic, where I learned some great skills that I continue to use today. Check out what I learned on my Beginning Mountain Biking page.



Return from Women Mountain Biking page to Mountain Bike Buzz home page