{"id":37848,"date":"2018-08-28T06:23:26","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T13:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=37848"},"modified":"2020-05-22T12:58:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T19:58:13","slug":"the-lady-shred-spirit-is-alive-and-growing-in-wydaho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/the-lady-shred-spirit-is-alive-and-growing-in-wydaho","title":{"rendered":"The Lady Shred Spirit is Alive and Growing in Wydaho"},"content":{"rendered":"

Devin Dwyer\u2019s path to women\u2019s advocacy started with a tough day in the snow. In 2011 she showed up to a level II avalanche class in Utah\u2019s Wasatch Mountains as the lone woman in a room of men. On the first day of ski touring, her guide and group left her behind. After that Dwyer called the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) to explain why she thought a women\u2019s-only course could promote inclusivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The UAC was receptive and asked Dwyer to organize and promote a\u00a0women\u2019s-only class that spring. Dwyer didn\u2019t balk at the opportunity. The course quickly filled up with a waitlist and was an unabashed success. Following her pioneering course in 2012, Dwyer spent the next five years as the UAC education and event coordinator, and the UAC has offered women\u2019s-only courses ever since. Her proudest achievement was starting the women\u2019s avalanche program, and as mountain biking became a bigger part of Dwyer\u2019s life, she wanted to help bolster a community for women who shred on bikes, too. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 31-year-old has been riding mountain bikes for 10 years, the past four of which have been spent on the trails of her adopted home in Driggs, Idaho. Dwyer carries an upbeat, frank energy that\u2019s equal parts pragmatism and optimism. An unlikely but inspirational advocate for women in outdoor sports, Dwyer isn\u2019t a professional athlete or industry insider, but a self-described \u201cregular person\u201d who juggles gigs as a Pilates instructor and concierge in Driggs while pursuing a nursing degree. <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The latest entry on Dwyer\u2019s CV is festival manager at the Wydaho Rendezvous, the annual mountain bike festival that takes over Grand Targhee each summer. This year\u2019s edition is over Labor Day Weekend from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. The <\/span>Wydaho Rendezvous<\/span><\/a> is a fixture in the Teton riding scene, and in her first year as festival manager, Dwyer is bringing a distinct women\u2019s focus to the event, with women\u2019s-only group rides and clinics led by local pro riders. Around 30 percent of attendees\u2014more than 240 people\u2014at last year\u2019s Rendezvous were women, a number Dwyer aims to push over 40 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n

I picked Dwyer\u2019s brain to garner some insight into how to navigate a male-dominated cycling industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Cy Whitling<\/p><\/div>\n

Q: We like to think of the mountain bike community as open-armed, but that isn\u2019t always the case. What challenges do women face, especially when getting started in the sport? <\/b><\/p>\n

DD: Ideally, community allows riders to have fun, grow and push their abilities without fear of failure. Exactly what that looks like is different for everyone, but it\u2019s particularly challenging for women to feel included. A lot of women get introduced to mountain biking by riding with their boyfriends who already ride or another group of more experienced riders. That can lead to challenging dynamics when you\u2019re starting out, especially in a place like the Tetons where so many people are talented, committed athletes. People who are higher caliber riders often have a hard time articulating their advice and appropriately judging newer riders\u2019 comfort levels. Doing isn\u2019t the same as teaching, and tips like \u201cjust commit\u201d or \u201cgo faster\u201d aren\u2019t particularly helpful. It\u2019s easy [for women] to feel intimidated and underestimate their own abilities if they don\u2019t have the right support. When that happens early on, it\u2019s difficult to stay committed to the sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Where do women mountain bikers go to seek out and foster a more welcoming community?<\/b><\/p>\n

DD: I participate in weekly Sisters of Dirt group rides organized by <\/span>Ride the Tetons<\/span><\/a> where our only goal is to get girls out on the trails. Even with varying abilities nobody ever gets dropped, and we just worry about having a good time. I know that no matter what else is going on in my life I\u2019m going to get out with a rad group of women every Tuesday night. <\/span><\/p>\n

It starts with finding the right group of people, and that has more to do with attitude than ability or anything else. The right riding group does so much to build confidence and consistency. You can have a light-bulb moment at different events or clinics, but you need to sustain that energy to have a real community. <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: The Wydaho Rendezvous isn\u2019t just for women, but what have you done as festival director to bring a women\u2019s focus to the event?<\/b><\/p>\n

DD: Sometimes women\u2019s-only events can feel just as intimidating as co-ed events. And we all know showing up to an event with all men when you\u2019re the only woman is terrifying! We\u2019re providing a ton of women\u2019s-focused opportunities like clinics led by local <\/span>pro rider Amanda Carey<\/span><\/a>, which she\u2019s taught at The Rendezvous for the past four years, and free ladies group rides throughout the event while removing some of the barriers associated with a women\u2019s-only festival. <\/span><\/p>\n

Women are just one of the underrepresented groups in mountain biking. The Rendezvous is about inclusion for people of all backgrounds and abilities. We\u2019re a family-friendly festival and we partner with the <\/span>Joe Stone Foundation<\/span><\/a> to bring an amazing adaptive cycling component. Being inclusive involves not only catering to different demographics, but also bringing them together within larger community of cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts in general. Women, men, families, adaptive athletes, we\u2019re all doing the same sport. Breaking barriers means riding more together instead of in isolated groups. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What advice do you have for women who want to get involved in the industry?<\/b><\/p>\n

DD: The No. 1 thing would be to participate in a weekly women\u2019s group ride. If there\u2019s not one in your area, go to the local bike shop and encourage them to help you coordinate one. You don\u2019t have to commit all your time to women\u2019s advocacy to make a difference. Maintain balance in your life so you can find the time to go riding and help build the culture you\u2019re looking for. Take one night a week to share your passion for mountain biking with others on a lady shred and see where it ends up taking you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Heading to the Rendezvous?<\/b><\/h4>\n

Ready to rip with Devin and more inspiring Wydaho women? Visit the festival <\/span>website<\/span><\/a> to learn more, <\/span>purchase a festival pass<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>sign up for skills clinics<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ready to organize your own women\u2019s ride?<\/b><\/h4>\n

Take the helm and help organize a weekly women\u2019s ride in your area. Check out the <\/span>IMBA\u2019s tips<\/span><\/a> on organizing women\u2019s group rides, and be sure to participate in next year\u2019s <\/span>Women\u2019s Mountain Bike Day<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>IMBA Women\u2019s Summit<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Devin Dwyer\u2019s path to women\u2019s advocacy started with a tough day in the snow. In 2011 she showed up to a level II avalanche class in Utah\u2019s Wasatch Mountains as the lone woman in a room of men. On the first day of ski touring, her guide and group left her behind. After that Dwyer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":37850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1127,726,1604,727,110,1484,1603],"internal-tag":[1680],"class_list":["post-37848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-cycling","tag-force-of-nature","tag-lady-shred","tag-latest-posts","tag-mountain-biking","tag-staff-society","tag-wydaho-rendezvous","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycling"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/the-lady-shred-spirit-is-alive-and-growing-in-wydaho","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Lady Shred Spirit is Alive and Growing in Wydaho","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/the-lady-shred-spirit-is-alive-and-growing-in-wydaho","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/the-lady-shred-spirit-is-alive-and-growing-in-wydaho"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/Sisters-of-Dirt-3.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/Sisters-of-Dirt-3.jpg?fit=1616%2C1080"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycling","force of nature","lady shred","latest posts","mountain biking","staff society","wydaho rendezvous"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-28T13:23:26Z","datePublished":"2018-08-28T13:23:26Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T19:58:13Z"},"rendered":"