Bianca Ochoa started mountain biking last year. Now she's eyeing more technical single track in her hometown of Eagle - trails like Haymaker and Extra Credit that have lots of rolling ups and downs.
Ochoa rides with Mujeres y Pedales, Spanish for “women who pedal,” a weekly group in Eagle County. It's part of The Cycle Effect, a nonprofit best known for its work getting young girls on mountain bikes.
But this group is different, as co-founder and executive director of The Cycle Effect, Brett Donaldson, explains. “We started the program about 15 years ago with young women, and as they grew up we realized that they needed a space to ride as they got older. We also knew that their moms and their aunts and their grandmothers wanted to ride with them. We thought there was a real space to support women in riding bikes in a way that they've never approached before or had access to. And that's what makes this program so magical.”
Donaldson says the women's group didn't start as a formal program, it grew organically. Today, there are Mujeres y Pedales groups across Eagle, Summit, Routt, and Mesa Counties. In 2024, it officially became part of The Cycle Effect's programming.
Every Tuesday, bilingual coaches bring a trailer loaded with mountain bikes to the Eagle Pool and Ice Rink where the group sessions begin. The program starts in early March with indoor training sessions, then moves onto the trails as the snow melts.
Even on a cold May evening with temperatures hovering near freezing and snow falling lightly, 16 women showed up to ride. For many of the women, this isn't just a bike ride. It's a rare window of time that's entirely their own. The bikes are ready, the time is the same every week, and the expectation is simple: just show up and ride.
Cycle Effect coach Lisa Seaman says the program structure matters. ”I think the women have this sense of belonging and community where they have one night for themselves. A lot of these women have two, three, four children, full-time jobs, and so they don't have a lot of leisure activities and times.”
For Bianca Ochoa, that consistency has been life-changing. She's 37 with four kids, and she says for nearly two decades there hasn't been much time carved out just for her. Mountain biking has now become her thing. “I mean, it's something for me, because I have four kids and I've dedicated so many of my years to just raising them. And this is for my physical, mental, emotional health. All of it.”
Like many in the group, Ochoa didn't come here to keep up with her children. She came for herself and to be around other women. “I really enjoy being in community with these ladies, because for a little while I had kind of alienated myself, Ochoa mused. “It can get tough to survive here in this county. Especially as a young mom, a single mom.”
The camaraderie with other women was exactly what new rider Carolina was also drawn to. She's new to Mujeres y Pedales this year, and has already found a sense of community in the group. In Spanish, she described her pleasure in the opportunity to get to know other women, the community, and the trails.
The Mujeres y Pedales rides are unlike the Cycle Effect’s girls programming in that they aren't overly structured. There's no pressure to master technique or chase performance goals. Racing is an option for those who are interested, but most aren't. Usually, it's just about moving through the woods together, laughing, and stopping to take photos. It's been wildly successful. From a half dozen riders in 2018, the Mujeres y Pedales program has grown to more than 150 women, with wait lists in several counties. Donaldson said, “Because they're older, they're more able to articulate what it's doing for their life. They're more able to appreciate what the program supports them with, whether that's just the freedom of being out on a bike or getting away from their daily routines.
“Sometimes when you're talking with a 12-year-old athlete, they don't quite understand that. They just know they're going to practice. So I think the women show up with a level of gratitude and interest in the sport that some of our younger athletes haven't been able to grow into yet.”
That gratitude is for the bikes and the coaching, but also for an evening away from home to enjoy the company of other women. And with cries of “Vamos, chicas,” the ride begins.
