4 minute read
CAMARADERIE ON THE TRAILS
A women’s mountain biking group finds joy in weekly rides
story by RUTH BERKOWITZ | photos by PALOMA AYALA
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It’s a Thursday afternoon, and Lydia Young Lehner is eager to finish her work at Mt. View Cycles and head to the trails. As co-owner, along with her husband, Rafe, of the popular downtown Hood River bike shop, mountain biking is in her wheelhouse. In fact, it’s what lured her to the Gorge. Lehner learned to ride trails in Colorado, then moved to Bend before coming to Hood River to follow the dream of owning a bike shop.
Thursdays are special because it’s the evening that Lehner rides with the women’s group she founded six years ago when she began riding regularly with her friend Elizabeth Monbouquette. They learned to navigate the trails at Post Canyon and elsewhere, getting stronger on the uphill climbs and more confident on the downhills. As they progressed, they thought it would be fun to invite other women to join them.
At first, only a few other women came. They didn’t have a regular schedule, so “it was a slow start” Lehner tells me as we talk in her store surrounded by high-end bikes and snazzy gear. Eventually they set a regular meeting time: every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the parking lot of Seven Streams Staging Area in
A member of the Trailblockers riding the Syncline, top. Looking out on the Columbia River from Hospital Hill, left, and a post-ride group photo, above.
The Trailblockers at Seven Streams after one of their weekly rides in Post Canyon, above. A late afternoon ride at Columbia Hills, right. Once a month, the group ventures away from Post Canyon to explore other Gorge trails.
Post Canyon. After that, more women began showing up.
Sometimes a dozen women come. Other times, there are more than 30. Ages range from 20 to 60-plus. Some are beginners; others are experts. “Our name, ‘the Trailblockers’ was a joke at first,” explains Lehner, because they literally block the trails waiting for the last rider to join them at the intersections.
“We have a no drop rule — no one is left behind,” she said. “There is no pressure to ride fast. We get there at our own pace.” Most rides happen at Post Canyon, except the third Thursday of the month when the group ventures to other trails around the Gorge, including Columbia Hills, the Whoopdie, the Syncline and Hospital Hill. Once a year, they have an overnight camping trip. Last year it was up off Forest Road 44 near Dufur. This year, the group will convene at Falls Creek in Washington.
Most riders are from the Gorge area, but one member drives more than three hours from Seattle to join the fun. After every ride, the
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Trailblockers gather to share snacks and drinks. The camaraderie is so inclusive that often someone who misses the ride comes for the social hour.
Photographer Paloma Ayala Vela, who has been riding with the group for a few years, gets giddy talking about it. “When you arrive at 5:15 at the parking lot of Seven Streams,” she says, “expect a lot of chatter and a lot of laughter.” Don’t be late, she advises, as the group leaves promptly at 5:30 p.m.
Sarah Ownby, a counselor at Hood River Valley High School, is one of the most improved riders. New to mountain bike riding, Ownby recalls practicing the technical downhills on the Syncline’s Little Maui trail and gaining confidence. “I love the group, she says. “Nobody minds that I am the last one down the trail or that I walk my bike when I feel nervous.” Ownby fondly remembers a night last October when they wore their headlamps and hung out at the bottom of the Syncline to chat. “There are a lot of new mamas, and we have a lot to talk about,” she says. “It was a magical night.”
There have been some crashes. Recently, one woman broke her nose when she took a corner too fast and spun out. Fortunately, there haven’t been any serious mishaps. “We all love mountain biking,” says Lehner. “I love improving my skills and getting better and faster, but I am not interested in flying off jumps.”
She pauses, then adds, “Come ride with us!”
For more information on the Trailblockers’ weekly rides, go to mtviewcycles.com. Ruth Berkowitz is a mediator and writer living in Hood River.
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