Written by Ruandy Albisurez, NWTA’s BICP Level 1 Instructor
The morning of Saturday, November 6th, the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) mountain bike ride for beginners/intermediate happened on a cold and soggy PNW morning. It’s late fall, so Forest Park’s ground is still covered in cold and wet leaves. Will Cortez from BikePOCpnw and myself led the group of riders. Being the genius I am, I forgot where I had my waterproof riding shorts and didn’t own any waterproof pants; I went for it anyway. I was hoping that it would stay clear long enough to keep my shorts from getting too soaked. I was wrong. It sprinkled consistently enough to soak my shorts and shoes through. It’s all good, though. We had a blast.
There were nine of us in total, all from various skill levels. We met up at the top of Thurman at about 9 am and went from there. We rode up to the port-a-potty’s and had a little huddle time before heading up Leif Erickson for our 15-mile round-trip trek through the park. We had a couple of stops along the way. One for me to get a photo of everyone riding and another for a snack break before the larger climb section of the trail.
All in all a good time was had by all. We all got to meet some new people and make new friends. I’m very stoked to be a part of the movement that is increasing the number of BIPOC people out on the trails by creating a comfortable place where people can dip their toes into the world of mountain biking. I am stoked to continue to do so in the future, and I can’t wait for the next ride. Next up is something a little spicier. Leif Erickson is good for fitness, but I also want to introduce people to more eventful trails. I wish we could also have one of those eventful trails here in Forest Park, but we don’t. I don’t mind waiting for something exciting in the future, though. Thanks to NWTA and BikePOCpnw for the support!