The Sunshine Coast saw 20 female riders arrive from all over B.C. on July 17 to race in the inaugural Sunshine Coast Women’s Enduro, also known as the SCWEnduro. An enduro is a mountain bike race in which you have to ride the whole course but are only timed on the descents.
Melanie Graversen, a local trainer at Gravy Training and Inner Lift, is the driving force behind the event, which she describes as “an awesome concept” that she intends to follow with similar events.
“I love the support I’ve felt and seen in these women’s-only events over the years and was so excited to be able to create a bunch of mini ones on the Sunshine Coast,” Graversen said.
“I love this community and the support I’ve felt from my sponsors, my volunteers and the trail society. I felt so proud to be able to donate $200 [to the Coast Mountain Bike Trail Association] from this July event.”
With a smaller boutique event, Graversen said, “the riders can chat, make connections in other B.C. riding communities and build a network of like-minded women within this incredible sport. The goal of a women’s-only event is to bring out even the most novice rider to an unintimidating place, laugh harder than you have in months and get out into the forest with your friends.”
Looking ahead, Graversen acknowledges that not everyone feels comfortable at events catering to specific genders, and notes that she wants the events she organizes to be “at the forefront of inclusion in sport.”
