Sweet Video from SheShreds.net

A posse of NorCal riders put together this Dirt Divas video about their crew of friends. Check out SheShreds.net too!

CCCX #3

The third CCCX downhill race of the season was held November 29 at Toro Park, CA. Kelly Johnson posted the fastest women's time of the day! The next CCCX race will be held January 3, 2010 at Toro Park, CA.

Expert Women
1. Kelly Johnson
2. Rosie Bernhard
3. Annemarie Hennes
4. Ashley Hernandez
5. Cathy Chevron

Sport Women
1. Jill Henrich
2. Ayshe Tuncer
3. Natalie Morris

Beginner Women
1. Jessica Spray
2. Andrea Locke
3. Ruby Tidd
4. Lise McCarthy

Australian National Series Round 1

The first round of the Australian Mountain Bike Series took place in Glenorchy, AUS on December 12-13. Leigh Douglas took the win in downhill and Sarsha Huntington won the mountaincross. The next race in the series is the Australian National Championships in Adelaide January 12-17, 2010.

Downhill
Elite
1. Leigh Douglas
2. Ema Lews
3. Sarah Booth
4. Leonie Picton
5. Sarsha Huntington
6. Joanne Fox
7. Shannon Chugg

Under 19 Women
1. Emily Hockey
2. Holly Baarspul
3. Christie Batt
4. Katelyn Humphris

Master Women
1. Jillian Brady

4X
1. Sarsha Huntington
2. Jayne Rutter

December's Featured Rider: Katie Hayes

Katie Hayes hit the Freeride Foundation radar with a promo video she released earlier this summer. I met her at the Slope Sistair event in Grand Junction, CO in August. The first thing I saw her do was tabletop a firepit gap jump at The Ranch, with the smooth style and confidence we don't see often enough from women freeriders. She went on to prove that she has the skill and the eye to put together a tough, but flowing slopestyle run that included drops, jumps, and wall-rides. Katie not only puts together sweet runs on her bike, but she literally builds the trails she trains on. The girl is young and smart, and we can't wait to see her progress over the next few years.--FF

Name: Katie Hayes
Home: Whitefish, Montana
Age: 22
Favorite type of riding: Fast with lots of airtime. Though I do enjoy going out and kicking my own ass riding tech, rooty stuff!
Why you ride: It is a great way to challenge myself, escape, or just have fun.
Sponsors: Twenty6 Products, Hammer Nutrition
Website: Vimeo videos

I grew up riding and racing cross country. Even then I was more stoked on flying down hills, dropping three feet off of the neighbor’s deck, and trying to launch myself off plywood ramps in the backyard. I’m positive my dad was too nervous to buy me a downhill bike. My fondest memory (and probably the one that solidified dad's decision) resulted in me clothes-lining myself on the side mirror of his truck, getting a fat lip, and losing a tooth. As I entered high school, my interests changed, and my parents decided I needed to prioritize my activities. Soccer became a year-round obligation, I had qualified for the Junior Olympics in Jackson Hole, WY for ski racing, and I decided not to get another mountain bike.

Then I started dating a boy that loves to ride. Three years ago, I got tired of shuttling him for rides and decided I needed a downhill bike. It was a huge skill and confidence booster having someone much more experienced to follow around and learn from. I started helping him build and maintain our local freeride trails. I quickly realized that building the features I would ride makes riding them much more comfortable.

Building is awesome, because it allows me to be creative and express myself artistically on the trail. It sometimes amazes me what we can do with dirt and logs. A couple months ago we had the chance to show the Ride Guide crew the two trails we have put the most work into this summer. It is a huge compliment to hear someone, that travels all over Canada and the US say, “Those were two of the most fun trails I have ridden!” You can watch the episode (#162) in January.

I love that riding provides me with a reason to travel! We started the summer off with a trip to Utah, riding in Moab and near Green River. Whistler became my second home for a week every month and I feel like riding there for so many days in a row improved my skills immensely. After closing weekend there, the trails felt more like my home trails than the ones actually at home. At the end of August I competed in Slope Sistair III. It was great meeting and getting to ride with such a fun and experienced group of girls.

Why do I ride? For many reasons, but mainly because it is fun! I love going out for a day, whether it be to ride or to build, and coming back to the car feeling happy and fulfilled. I enjoy feeling challenged and then succeeding. I have learned that with success also comes failure and of course cuts, bruises, and broken bones. To succeed in this sport you definitely have to decide if you're going to be the one that gets knocked down, gets back up and tries again, or just gives up. I want to help the women’s side of the sport grow and see more girls take an interest in our sport.

18th Annual Southridge Challenge Results

Maxine Irving crushed the Pro women's field at the 18th Annual Southridge Challenge downhill race this weekend. It's pretty nice to see a Pro women's field 8-deep during the off-season! Sadly, it doesn't look like there were any Sport or Expert women in attendance. For more information about the Southridge racing series, visit SouthridgeUSA.com.

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Maxine Irving
2. Joy Martin
3. Jennifer Wolf
4. Gabriela Williams
5. Christine Hirst
6. Francine Johnson
7. Carol Gibbs
8. Leigh Donovan

Beginner Women 34 & Under
1. Koral King
2. Julia Zavala
3. Paige Handy
4. Amanda Salter

Beginner Women 35 & Over
1. Kim Finch
2. LaLa Mijares

CCCX Fall DH Series Fires Up

The 2009 racing season continues with the CCCX Fall Downhill Series. This 6-race series started Oct. 24 and runs through January 31. Two races are already in the books. The series is held outside of Salinas, CA at Toro Park. For more info about the CCCX races, visit CCCX.org.

#2, Nov. 15
Expert Women
1. Cathy Chevron
2. Annemarie Hennes
3. Kelly Johnson
4. Rosie Bernhard
5. Morgan Compton
6. Ashley Hernandez

Sport Women
1. Jill Henrich
2. Natalie Morris

Beginner Women
1. Jessica Spray
2. Andrea Locke
3. Ruby Tidd
4. Kim Krueger

#1, Oct. 24
Pro Women
1. Johauna Rathbun

Expert Women
1. Annemarie Hennes
2. Kelly Johnson
3. Kelley Damschen
4. Ashley Hernandez

Sport Women
1. Ayshe Tuncer
2. Jill Henrich

Beginner Women
1. Andrea Locke
2. Anika Kinkhabwala

More Bootleg Racing: Screamin Santa Downhill and Super D

The Bootleg Canyon, NV crew just added another race to the roster this winter. The Screamin Santa Double Down Super D and Downhill races will be held outside of Boulder City, NV on December 19-20. The downhill race is a 2-run event, with 2 different courses. The fastest combined time wins. There will also be a speed trap for riders to score prizes for pinning it through that section. For current updates, info and questions visit www.myspace.com/johnsonrockhard.

And don't forget that the Southridge Challenge is next weekend in Fontana, CA: SouthridgeUSA.com.

Awesome Land: Women of Dirt

The teasers are up for the new Bones Over Metal film, Awesome Land: Women of Dirt! There are 25-second clips of Lisa Myklak, Tammy Donahugh, Katrina Strand, Cierra Smith, Leana Gerrard, Kathy Pruitt, Darcy Turenne, Dawn Cashen, Jill Kintner, Stephanie Nychka, Emily Johnston, and more available for your viewing enjoyment!

Plattekill Gravity Series Finals

The final downhill race of the Plattekill, NY gravity series was held on Oct. 25. Rebecca Bagley posted the fastest women's time of the day. Rebecca also took the Cat. 2-3 series win by a narrow margin over Felicia Kearsley. Kristine Koch won the series for the Pro/Expert women. For more information about the downhill and dual slalom series at Plattekill, visit Plattekill.com.

Cat. 2-3 Women
1. Rebecca Bagley
2. Felicia Kearsley
3. Jennel Ortiz

Greetings from Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park

Tamara Peloquin is a pro gravity ripper and Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park regular. She was lucky enough to play at Ray's over Halloween and was kind enough to share her exploits with us:

Usually when we feel the cold breeze across our face and see the bright orange and red leaves fall from the trees, it makes us sad inside as it signals the end of the riding season. But now that we have Ray’s Indoor MTB Park in Cleveland, OH, you can turn that frown upside-down! The weather is always nice inside, and the riding is always epic--no matter what your riding pleasure: from XC to BMX, downhill to dirt jumping. All riders are welcome at Ray’s, especially on Halloween, when riders appeared at the massive warehouse facility dressed up, dressed down, dressed like a lizard, and even a clown! (Editor's note: it is never acceptable to dress like a clown, I don't care what day of the year it is.)

It was great to see so many ladies riding the park over the weekend. Several local female riders were there, as well as some from as far away as Colorado. Well known Rays’ ripper Nadia Steinbrecher, flew out from Denver on Thursday night with her bike packed in a hockey bag. Within 24hrs Nadia went from blizzard to tricking off the GT box and hitting up the new Rhythm Room. What does she love most about riding at Ray's? "Ray's has always been such a great place for both beginners and seasoned pros, and with the new addition of the Rhythm Room, it only adds to the countless riding possibilities of the park. Where else can cross country riders improve their jumping skills, freeriders get a workout on the XC course, and BMXers ride see-saws?! This park is truly phenomenal, and I am so excited for the upcoming season, especially Women's Weekend."

I also caught up with one of Rays regular female BMX riders, Michele Chiesa."This year Ray has once again outdone himself offering riders a new challenge at every turn. The re-designed pump track gave me a new meaning for the phrase, 'Hang on and enjoy the ride!' It is also a great place to find new friends that share your same passion for bike riding."

This weekend (November 6-8) is Ray’s 2009 Opening Bash and he has an all-star lineup of riders in the house, including female gravity pro Darcy Turenne, an autograph session, and free food. Another weekend you won't to want to miss is the Ray’s Angels 2010 Ladies Weekend scheduled for February 19th. Save the date and set your travel plans now. This event just keeps getting better and better with the some of the best female riders and coaches in the sport, big time sponsors, loads schwag, and even a PBR after party! Keep an eye on www.raysmtb.com for event updates and make sure you sign up to be a Ray’s Angel at www.factoryriders.com. See you at Ray’s!

Tamara Peloquin
MMR Mountain Bike Instruction & Certification
www.madmarchracing.com
www.marinbikes.com

November's Featured Rider: Jacqueline Harmony

We couldn't have picked a better time to highlight Jacqueline Harmony's riding talent. The girl has been on a tear lately. She's an all-around solid racer who's as comfortable on tight and techy trails as she is boosting 40-foot gaps. And she's as strong at racing mountaincross and dual slalom as she is at downhill. She raced at the World Championships in 2006, and is always standing on the podium at the US National Championships and Mountain States Cup races (she's won too many MSC downhill races to list, and she won the 2009 MSC Gravity Series). This fall, she won the Fall Tilt in Telluride 12-Hour DH race, Red Bull Burner 12-Hour DH race, and both events at the Bittersweet gravity races in Bootleg Canyon.--FF

Name: Jacqueline Harmony
Home: Tucson, AZ
Age: 31
Favorite type of riding: Downhill, but I love all types of riding.
Why you ride: It is so much fun, it makes me relaxed after a hard days work, I learn something new every time I ride, I can experience all new trails and places with each ride.
Sponsors: Vixen Racing, Hayes, Loeka, All Mountain Cyclery, Manitou, Sun Ringle, Answer, MRP, Von Zipper, Schwalbe, Atomlab

As a kid, I always had a bike. My first bike was a blue Schwinn with an awesome sparkly blue banana seat. When I was a little older I got a mountain bike, but I did not ride it for long because I moved to Tucson and did not have anywhere to ride there. I grew up running cross country, so this was my sport and I did not have a need for a bike. It was not until I met my husband that I starting riding again. Dante and I borrowed his parents Magna mountain bikes and rode some off-road trail on Reddington Pass in Tucson. I was very scared and used a lot of brakes. I look back at this trail now and it is probably one of the easiest trails you could ever ride. After riding this trail I definitely wanted more.

Dante purchased a Specialized FSR which he rode for a short period of time before he upgraded to a Trek VRX. This gave me the opportunity to have my very own bike, his Specialized FSR. After riding a lot of cross country trails with this bike I wanted to start racing cross country and wanted a different bike. I moved on to a Jamis Dakar Comp and raced cross country for a year. I could not understand why I was not very good at the uphills, but seemed to pass all the girls on the downhills. I think I have always liked the downhill part of any ride more than the uphills. This pushed me into downhill racing, which also gave me an excuse to get another bike, a Giant DH Comp.

I have been racing downhill for about 8 years and have been able to travel all over the world, from Canada to Hawaii to France and New Zealand. I love to race, as part of me wants to compete and be the best, but it definitely gives me the excuse to ride my bike in new places all over the world. Bikes have made it possible for me to explore different terrain and end up in the middle of nowhere and sometimes get lost. Any mountain with chairlift access usually has some really cool downhill trails and lift-accessed trails are definitely my favorites.

Out of all the different things I have learned from riding, the skill that I'm most proud of conquering is jumping. Any gap jump used to scare the life out of me. I would always look at the gap and think that is where I was going to land or crash. Over years of trying to hit all sorts of jumps from doubles to step downs, I have managed to overcome my fear of them and see how to jump and land them. It is such a great feeling to be floating in the air, and I suppose that is the reason I enjoy it so much.

Bittersweet DH and Super D Results

Gravity racer Francine Johnson promoted the Bittersweet Downhill and Super D races at Bootleg Canyon, NV October 17-18. The race has gotten rave reviews, so we're excited to see more events from her! Jackie Harmony stole the show again, winning the pro women's Super D and downhill races. Special congrats to Nancy Harris for winning her downhill race on her birthday!

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Jackie Harmony
2. Jennifer Wolf

Advanced/Intermediate Women
1. Nancy Harris
2. Kathleen Kingman

Super D
Pro Women
1. Jackie Harmony

Advanced/Intermediate Women
1. Erica Dimitrov
2. Kathleen Kingman