Written by Isabella Taylor of River City Bikes
On the last Saturday of August, River City Bicycles and NWTA teamed up for the second year in a row to begin our Women-Led summer ride series. Partnering with NWTA to host these rides has truly been the most wonderful experience. It’s expanded the rider participation compared to previous un-partnered years, and fostered an unquantifiable sense of fellowship for many of us in Portland’s mountain biking community. For this, all of us at River City Bicycles are incredibly grateful.
We wanted to try something new in 2023 by organizing rides for differing skill levels to better serve all types of riders. This ride was oriented towards beginners, so we thought Stub Stewart would be the perfect place. It’s the type of trail system that’s got something interesting for every kind of rider with lines ranging from green to black. It’s also worth noting the climb trail that takes you to the heart of everything is manageable for most skill levels.
With about 20 riders total, we ended up splitting into two groups: about half the group began the journey up through the woods, and up to the “ride park” area to do short laps on Greenhorn (a flowy, green level trail). The other half who identified as on the more “beginner” side of beginner stuck around at the meetup area for a little bike handling 101.
After about an hour, all groups ended up finding each other amidst the incessant hootin’ and hollerin’ down Greenhorn. We then re-grouped at the bottom and headed back to the top for one last lap, where everyone realized it was most certainly time to call it a day and head back to the lot for refreshments. Thanks to Hopworks Brewing and Liquid Death for the generously donated brews and spicy waters!
Our summer ride series will continue in late September on the 30th at Rocky Point trails. This one won’t be beginner focused like our Stub Stewart ride, but we always cater to the diverse groups of riders that end up coming to shred with us. We’d love to see you there! Follow the link here (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/group-ride-w-river-city-bikes-rocky-point-tickets-661414176607) to sign-up and find out more!