In an industry dominated by men, the Gowaan Gals (pronounced "Go-on") are using their platform as professional riders and racers to encourage women to ride mountain bikes!
Martha Gill and Bex Baraona, the founders of Gowaan Gals, are professional athletes who travel the globe to race the Enduro World Series. When they're not smashing some of the world's most difficult trails, you can find them living life to the fullest and creating ways to inspire other women to join and grow in the industry.
The upcoming Gowaan Gals MTB Festival, which is taking place this weekend at Farmer Johns MTB Park in Marple Bridge, England and is a women's only event (men can attend as spectators), is the latest example of the duo's hard work. The goal of the festival is to create a community in which new, and experienced, women MTB riders can feel included and encouraged to progress and be themselves without the typical performance based demands that accompany cycling related events. Martha and Bex have capped the number of tickets available (hurry and buy yours now!) so they can connect with the attendees on a personal level and show them that riding bikes is about self expression and good old fashioned fun!
The event lasts from September 6th-8th and attendees can join the Gowaan Gals, and special guests such as Veronique Sandler and Morgane Such, for coaching clinics, Q&A sessions, riding private trails and even a dual slalom course and pumptrack built specifically for the festival!
There will also be a large fleet of demo bikes, friendly dual slalom races, food, drinks, a weekend ending party, and a raffle with gear from some of the industry's biggest brands, including PNW Components.
If you're interested in attending the Gowaan Gals MTB Festival, tickets are available by clicking here: Purchase Tickets for the Gowaan Gals MTB Festival. Children under the age of five can attend for free. If you need a bit more information about the festival before making a decision, or you want to stay up to date with the happenings of next year's event, visit the website here, or follow Gowaan Gals on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
To hear more from Martha and Bex about their experiences with the MTB industry, racing the EWS, and organizing the festival, listen to their episode of the Downtime Podcast below: