Learn to Bike Clinic
On June 20th, Slate Valley Trails partnered with Chicks on Cliffs—a rapidly growing women’s outdoor adventure group which has been bringing incredible energy and opportunities to riders across the Northeast—to create a supportive, fun and free Learn to Mountain Bike Day! The day was dedicated to building skills, confidence, and community on two wheels in our beautiful corner of Vermont: The Slate Valley. ✨🚵🏻♀️ 🙌 We were especially thrilled to host Chicks on Cliff’s very first bike-focused event!
It’s no secret that biking is expensive and there are loads of barriers for those who are trying to learn–especially for women and gender queer folks–which is a big part of what made this totally free learn to bike day so special!
Two sessions were offered (a morning and afternoon session) with demo bikes available for those who needed them to help alleviate the financial barrier when learning to bike. The sessions were led by a team certified bike instructors and volunteers. We can’t thank our team of ladies enough for sharing their knowledge and their stoke!
If you’re interested in other opportunities to connect with women on bikes in an inclusive, supportive environment, check out our Wednesday Women’s Mountain Bike Rides, hosted every other week! Find updates about the time on our events page here!
Social Mixer Festivities
After the afternoon session wrapped, we hosted a fabulous Social Mixer with a drool-worthy spread of local cheeses, snacks, bread, charcuterie, beer, and salads sourced from local farms! Some hyper-local favorites included the hearty, nutritious, and somewhat sweet Bloomer Loaf from Bryn Cariad Farm, (Poultney, VT), as well as the Salted Maple crackers from Castleton Crackers (Castleton, VT), made from 100% pure Vermont maple and a savory touch of sea salt which paired beautifully with the Bailey Hazen Bleu cheese (Greensboro Bend, VT) and charcuterie. Some other favorite hyper-local cheeses featured were the Camembrie, Lake’s Edge Ash-Veined Goat Cheese, and La Luna Goat Gouda from Blue Ledge Farm (Salisbury, VT).
Local Farms and Creameries Featured:
- Jasper Hill Farm (Greensboro, VT)
- Cobb Hill Cheese (Hartland, VT)
- Maplebrook Farm (North Bennington, VT)
- Spring Brook Farm (Reading, VT)
- Vermont Creamery (Webstervile, VT)
- Blue Ledge Farm (Salisbury, VT)
- Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company (Woodstock, VT)
- Plymouth Cheese Company (Plymouth, VT)
- Cabot Cheese (Barre, VT)
- Green Mountain Smokehouse (Windsor, VT)
- Vermont Salumi (Barre, VT)
- Murray’s Miracle Farm (Grantham, NH)
- Four Corners Farm (Newbury, VT)
- Castleton Crackers (Castleton, VT)
- Bryn Cariad Farm (Poultney, VT)
A Reflection on the Event by Ashley Murray, Slate Valley Trail’s Communications & Events Coordinator:
“We’re still coming down from all the excitement of our Women’s & Gender Expansive Learn to Bike Day this weekend! We left feeling *so* inspired by how supportive, stoked, and fun everyone was to be around
It’s truly empowering to watch women thrive in an environment where they are listened to and understood. Women’s bodies are different. Their experiences in the world are also often different and that shapes the way they learn. These kinds of events demonstrate that when supported and met where they are, women absolutely crush it with confidence, style (& biodegradable glitter!)
We left our participants with a key takeaway that we’d like to share here too: Pay it forward. Don’t be afraid to be a mentor to someone else. Don’t undersell yourself. Find a tidbit of knowledge and pass it on! Invite someone along for a ride! Embrace “mentorship moments.” If you’re feeling really bold, revolutionize your community and create the opportunities and experiences you wish existed!!! Make connections and be a part of something
Massive THANK YOU to our coaches, sweeps and sponsors who made the event a huge success! Thank you Base Camp, First Stop Board Barn, and Porcupine Bikes for donating demo bikes and Vermont Mountain Bike Assoc. for donating a food budget as well as memberships for all the attendees. Thank you to all the local Vermont farms & creameries who harvested & created the beautiful food that went into our food spread. Thank you Chicks on Cliffs for bringing the stoke and thank you SVT community for sharing your trails!”
