Project Evolve at Ramp World Cardiff was an absolute blast.
It was our first time in a skatepark on our jump bike so we were inwardly terrified and wondered if we would ever see our loved ones again. We put our big girl pants on and smiled through the trepidation and got ourselves there and booked in.
There was a wonderful buzz in the air, a mix of fear and excitement and uncertainty. As soon as we realised everyone else was feeling the same, (you could just tell by the nervous laughter and hearing everyone proclaim how ‘crap’ they were on little bikes), we started to relax. A bit.
Seeing Becci, Vero and Sian milling about was surreal, what a trio of MTB muses.
The session kicked off and initially everyone seemed to be in one place, the obligatory little rippers putting EVERYONE to shame with their skills as we looked on thinking, why can’t I take both feet off the pedals? We all started to spread out and soon found ourselves on top of the roll in looking down at the foam pit. Gulp.
A collective of women on bikes is something to behold, the support, encouragement and humility creates the perfect vibe to push yourself. Before we knew it we had done our first foam pit. Followed by so many other foam pit newbies. It was electric. Getting out wasn’t, that was struggle street..
Wherever you looked there were gaggles of girls; laughing, smiling and riding bikes. All different ages and abilities on all manner of bikes.
There were no egos, only unspoken support. It didn’t matter how ‘good’ you were on a bike; you felt confident enough to have a go, to join a casual girl train with Vero Sandler (pinch me), or to get some private coaching from the staff on how to drop into the bowl. There was someone to learn from wherever you went and we just loved that.
Women supporting women is where it is at. We can’t wait for the next one and encourage anyone who wasn’t sure about coming to this one, to get yourself booked on next time. We promise you will not regret it, you’ll have fun, make friends and see how empowering it is to spend the day with people just like you.
All photos are by the incredibly talented Sadie Aldridge.