Helping Women in Riding - An Earshots Partnered Event
May 18
In January 2022 we partnered with Rae Morrison – Pro Mountain Biker and Earshots Athlete, to bring the mountain biking community an event for women. Rae has been in the industry for many years and has experienced her fair share of barriers and stereotypes as a woman that rides. However, she has also received a lot of help from people along the way and now it's her turn to give back. It’s been Rae’s passion for some time to empower and support female riders, “I believe the more events there are with a sole focus of supporting more women into riding the more they will feel confident in this space.”
The event was a success with places filling very quickly. “I was blown away from all the support we received. The event wouldn’t have been made possible without the help from Earshots, and they were also generous enough to give away some of their new Earshots earbuds which was a really nice surprise for the ladies at the end of the event,” says Rae.
There were about 20 women in attendance who were all super keen to learn more about suspension and try out different settings. The day started off with Rae and Jesse from DVO explaining the different parts of the fork and shock, they had all the necessary tools for attendants to set up their bikes. “It’s great to know that all those women left that event with a baseline setting and the knowledge to change their settings depending on how they’re feeling,” explained Rae.
We also spoke to Renee Kroon, an advanced mountain biker who attended the event, “the event was awesome, it was a great atmosphere with like-minded women who all enjoy mountain biking. Even someone like me who has been riding for four years, I still gained a tonne of knowledge from Rae and Jesse - two people that truly understand that a bike setup for men is very different from a bike setup for women,” laughs Renee.
Rae would love to host another event but there are no plans just yet as she is about to jet off overseas for her race season for the next few months but when she’s back she’s keen to get planning again. For Renee, “the best part about the whole event was being able to witness so many women of all different riding levels come together, to smile, laugh and learn new things that’ll benefit their riding. It’s really great to have people like Rae and Jesse encouraging women to get out there and ride.”
If you want to hear more about Rae’s incredible story then check out her article in the latest issue of the NZ Mountain Biker Magazine.