Adirondack Sports November 2020

NOVEMBER 2020 11
● SHREDDERS SHREDDING.
NORTH COUNTRY MTB
● SOME OLDER
SHREDDERS HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO RACE
THIS FALL. ANNA LALOË
● MENTORS SPOTTING A SHREDDER
IN KALABUS PERRY TRAILS.
● THE AUTHOR’S
DAUGHTERS,
ANNE-SOPHIE AND
ZOE. ANNA LALOË
handling tips. During the ride, the groups
will stop and ‘session’ features, which could
mean anything from learning how to roll
over a log on the trail for the beginner riders,
how to pedal up and down a small ‘gravity
cavity,’ to bunny hopping and track stands
for our more advanced riders.
Our goal is simple: get more girls on bikes.
As part of our diversity and inclusion initiative,
we have bikes available for those that
don’t have the means to buy one. Providing
an opportunity and a platform for girls to
feel empowered by riding their bikes in the
woods with other girls has proved, time and
time again this season, that confidence
on the bike translates to confidence off
the bike. The girls are proud to be part
of this movement to get more girls on bikes,
and their parents and other adults in the
community have been incredibly supportive
of this mission. A couple of dads asked if they
could accompany their daughters early on
in the season and I kindly declined. We are
not anti-boys/dads, but we exist to provide a
unique opportunity for girls in our community,
and will remain as such.
After a hugely successful summer and
fall riding season, we’re transitioning into
NORTH COUNTRY MTB
off-the-bike activities for
these Shredders. We began our shoulder
season sessions on November 2. This is a
six-week, once per week series for Shredders
aged seven to 12 to be exposed to skills
and conversations that are inherent to and
important in all sports: respect, team building,
anti-bullying, balance, agility, strength
and flexibility.
These sessions are run in the Spa Park,
and will mostly be conducted in the dark!
Each child has a headlamp and we will set
up stations in the pavilion areas and the
woods where they learn the various facets
of sport and sportsmanship. The theme is
that small positive behaviors by many girls
can make a BIG impact – we are helping to
grow kind humans. In addition, we will be
teaching a bit of outdoor science as we have
mentors with PhDs in ornithology, botany
and geology! Every session will start and end
with a mini hike through the woods.
In the winter, we will do a webinar series
where we will invite inspirational female
adventurers every week to speak with the
Shredders virtually – elite mountain bike
racers, mountaineers, Ironman athletes,
polar scientists and more. The girls will be
able to chat with these inspiring role models
and ask them questions about their adventures
and their careers.
And in the spring, we will return to our
focus of getting #moregirlsonbikes! If you’d
like to find out more about our organization,
or have a potential new Shredder in your family,
visit: saratogashredders.com. Sponsors
include Grey Ghost Bicycles, The Form
Collaborative, Adirondack Multisport Club,
Trek Bicycles of Saratoga, Bikeatoga, Capital
Bike Racing Club, and Farmer’s Daughter
Gravel Grinder.
Anna Laloë, PhD (annaelizabethlaloe@
gmail.com) is proud mama to Shredders
Anne-Sophie and Zoe, a polar geologist,
environmental consultant, mountain
bike racer for North American Velo, and
founder/CEO of ecoFête and Saratoga
Shredders.
NORTH COUNTRY MTB
● SHREDDERS IN
KINGDOM TRAILS,
VERMONT.