As mountain bike leaders and coaches, there’s a goal we all agree on: We all want the sport we love to be open and welcoming for all. That’s why we’re here: to ensure as many people as possible experience the fun of the trails.
But there’s a reality about our sport that we just can’t escape: currently, most mountain bikers are male. It’s chiefly men and boys who are out there on the trails of the UK. Only around 20% of riders are female.
So – is this a problem? Depends how you look at it. If mountain biking is the sport that engages and entertains all those blokes and lads, we’re glad they’re out on their bikes, enjoying the landscape and keeping fit with us. No complaints. But what about their sisters, partners, mums, daughters and friends? How about their fitness and enjoyment? Why are we less likely to find women off-road? Are they choosing other sports – or are they generally less inclined to be engaging in sports and exercise at all?
The answer is a bit of both. Certain sports do generally seem to bias towards one gender rather than another – for reasons of culture, upbringing or broader social trends. But there are also well-founded concerns about low levels of physical activity among women and girls. Excellent campaigns like This Girl Can are doing fabulous work to challenge perceptions, question expectations and generate a supportive culture where women feel empowered to participate and enjoy in whichever sports they choose.
“Liz has this unique ability of assessing everyone’s skills and managing to use trails to challenge everyone in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Also has the ability to be flexible, to accommodate weather, skill mix of riders, due to the obvious pre planning and preparation.”
(Gaynor – regular Marmalade rider)
But what about us, as mountain bikers? What can we do?
Here’s where opinions vary…
Many within the cycling community feel the answer is to make our rides, sessions and whole approach as broadly welcoming as we can – looking at the way we ride, communicate, talk, organise and recruit to ensure we don’t have a subconscious bias towards the needs of men and boys over women and girls. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But when you’re part of a sport that has an unmistakably male tendency, it can be harder than it first seems to to truly create a welcome that levels out its approach.
That’s where another view comes in…
Should we instead be providing separate sessions, female-tailored rides, and gender-specific trips, giving women time on the trails without the male atmosphere they often find to be the norm? Is that what it takes to genuinely provide the female-friendly welcome we want to see around mountain biking?
But some women tell us – particularly when they’re first starting out – that they like the idea of women-specific sessions. They can see the appeal of rides and adventures designed for women and led by women, enjoying their own time and space to explore our sport among other female riders.
At Marmalade, we’ve always taken the first approach: aiming for a culture that provides a great experience whatever your gender. And we like to think that we do a good job. But we’d also like to check out the other perspective – testing the water with female-specific rides intended to welcome women to the trails.
We already have the team in place: guides like Liz, Rachel, Claire, Rhonda and Rachael have the skills, qualifications and attitudes we value within the Marmalade team.
“The option of a women’s group makes it a lot easier for some to feel brave and come out with us. Mixed groups are great, but some ladies feel hesitant about joining them. A women’s intro session isn’t a zoom around the forest, but a leisurely ride to get help with basic riding skills and enjoy a chat with the other ladies, followed by a coffee in the cafe after!”(Rhonda – Marmalade MTB guide)
New for 2026, beginner riders can take their pick: choose a female-led, female-focussed intro session to provide a welcome to the trails – or go for a mixed session, with a leader of any gender, that will remain as open, relaxed and free of barriers as we can achieve.
We know some women will welcome this experiment, while others will continue to feel fine in our mixed groups. And that’s OK with us. We’re not all the same. Which is, in a way, the whole point, isn’t it?