Boston Mountain Bike TEAM

9 Luna Chix; 33 eager participants; 1 former pro and 1 local-who-knows-the-trails = awesomeness!!

On Saturday, June 9, the Boston Mountain Bike team held a highly successful mountain bike clinic at nearby Hodges Dam. Oxford MA. Hodges is more central-state than Boston, but we find that it attracts participants from a wider geographical area than we usually reach (while not being so far away as to deter close to Boston).  It may be that we have happened upon the perfect location for a Massachusetts bike clinic!

We were lucky enough to have former LUNA pro, Jimena Florit, join us for the clinic.  Her effervescent personality and formidable skill set were a fantastic combination.  Jimena is expressive, funny, and an amazing cyclist, but she is also very approachable and down to earth.  We started our clinic by having Jimena give an overview of some basic pointers that you need to mountain bike: body positioning and fluidity, cornering, wheel lifting.  We then broke out into three groups – three LUNA Chix apiece – to teach those skills in more detail.  We had people crouching, hovering, and thrusting their bikes, as we tried to get folks used to shifting body weight and adapting to the terrain/situation.  Jimena circulated among the groups as we worked with them, offering invaluable one-on-ones and tidbits.

During lunch, we held a Q&A session with Jimena.  Everyone gathered in a circle and learned from her considerable experience in the pro ranks.  It was wonderful to be able to offer that much insight to our participants and we are very grateful to Jimena!

After lunch, we went trail riding to test our new-found skills.  Eammon, our sole male attendee and a co-organizer of this event, was a fantastic help and we thank him very much.  Not only did he assist us in getting a permit to use the space, but he arrowed courses for us, provided “props” (obstacles to practice on) and led an advanced ride.  Everyone loved that ride!  For less advanced women, we offered several other rides, so there was something for everybody.  It may not be much of an exaggeration to say that everyone learned something new that day, and left extremely satisfied.  We received numerous compliments on the clinic and many women want to ride with us again.  I hope we will see them out there.  Plus, while we did not charge for our clinic, we raised several hundred dollars for BCF!  Fantastic day all round!