Pt. 2 Louisiana MTB, A Day at Bogue Chitto
Words by Candice
While visiting Louisiana, not only was I going to explore the Bogue Chitto trails, but I was going to bring my 59 year old mom on her first mountain bike ride! She had the desire to mountain bike, but had some fears and didn’t know where to start. That’s what we here at Women’s MTB Network do, (in case you didn’t know) we provide resources for women getting into the MTB Sport.
First, we both needed bikes!
Google led me to Trek Mandeville bike shop, located about 40 minutes north of New Orleans on the way to Bogue Chitto State Park. This bike shop offers all things biking, from MTB to Road and Gravel biking, there’s something for all types of riders. The shop offers bike rentals, repairs, and will even shuttle you to the trailhead! Talk about service! The guys at the shop and the manager, Chris Nourse, were beyond helpful and so thrilled to work with WMTBN. When I gave the shop a call, Chris was excited to hear that the Bogue Chitto Trails were getting some attention, and even better by women mountain bikers. The morning we got to the bike shop, Chris talked with my mom in length about the bike she was renting and explained the trail terrain. When I asked if the shop sees many women mountain biking, they said, they have been trying to tap into the Women’s Mountain Biking scene but have struggled to find a way to reach women. Chris said, there’s more women out on the MTB trails these days, but they would love to see even more women out riding. So, how do we fix that? How do a group of guys at a bike mechanic shop inspire more women to ride? It comes down to representation and seeing more people like yourself, it becomes relatable and breaks down barriers, it seems possible. It also doesn’t hurt to have guys like the Trek Mandeville crew to support and encourage women to ride mountain bikes. They certainly helped to encourage my mom!
Shout out to Trek Mandeville for a helping us with the bikes and shuttling those bikes to the trails! It was so fun exploring the area and sharing that experience with my mom. If you’re in the South Louisiana area, give their shop a visit and check out their bikes or visit their website, link below.
Send-It Sisters MTB
Bringing my mom on her first MTB ride, I figured I’d be the one teaching her the fundamentals and beginner moves on the bike. However, I’m not a certified instructor and I knew there was a lot to go over and teach. Luckily, Chris Nourse from Trek Mandeville Bikes connected me with Nina Koile of Send-It Sisters MTB, a local instructor that has been pioneering the women’s Mtb scene in Louisiana. Setting my mom up with Nina would provide her with a better experience, and she’d have a greater understanding of the bike. Nina was patient and kind and gave my mom confidence on the bike. Nina’s clinic was about 90 minutes long and included trail time at the Bogue Chitto state park! Within the hour she had my mom riding over roots and helped her perfect the ready stance over the bike. I was so impressed and loved watching my mom progress and have a blast on the bike. Riding a mountain bike was something she thought was so challenging, but she was killing it. Even when my mom took a little spill on the bike, she had a smile on her face!
All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience for my mom’s first time on a mountain bike! From Nina’s MTB clinic to the wonderful fellas at Trek Mandeville we can’t thank everyone enough for making our day at Bogue Chitto so fun!
To book with Nina Koile call 678-333-7428 or visit her social media pages to message her @senditsistersmtb on Instagram and Facebook
