Velomuse

Homewood Bike Park, coming soon!

erynhughes — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:20:52 +0000

Public Board meetings commence Monday April 16th

erynhughes — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:53:33 +0000

Velomuse Board meetings will now meet on the 3rd Monday of each month at Big Idea Bookstore from 6-8pm. The meetings are open to the public for discussion and information, while only Board members will vote on action items. General members from the public are encouraged to attend and participate. We will share agenda and minutes on the Velomuse website: http://www.velomuse.org/

Click the flyer to RSVP on our facebook event.

Women’s Weekend: Gravity Camps at Snowshoe

erynhughes — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Whether you’re just getting into Gravity riding or you’re a seasoned veteran, Snowshoe‘s wide range of Downhill & Freeride Camps will help you make huge leaps in your riding skill and confidence. Velomuse endorses these camps and the bike park, they support women’s mountain biking and women ride free all the time! We attended last year and wrote a report on it, here.

July 21-22, 2012
Kona’s Women’s Weekend Camp I
Ability Level: All ability levels welcome
Head Coach: Angi Weston
Base Price: $149 plus tax
Optional Add-on’s: Bike Rentals starting at $40 per day, Lodging starting at $16.50 per day, Meal Plans starting at $18 per day (taxes not included)

Summary: A 2 day Camp designed for women riders by women coaches. This camp is designed to introduce women of all riding backgrounds to the sport of gravity riding in the Bike Park during a fun filled weekend with the girls. Skills clinics, trail riding, group learning, morning yoga, and evening chair massage are all included in this Camp Package.

August 11-12, 2012
Women’s Weekend Camp II
Ability Level: All ability levels welcome
Head Coach: TBD
Base Price: $149 plus tax
Optional Add-on’s: Bike Rentals starting at $40 per day, Lodging starting at $16.50 per day, Meal Plans starting at $18 per day (taxes not included)

Coach Bio: Angi Weston hails from Bellingham, Washington, is an IMIC Level 3 Coach and works for Kona USA in Ferndale, WA. Angi has extensive downhill and freeride coaching background both in group and one-on-one settings and is a competitive racer across a number of riding disciplines.

Snowshoe is recruiting and training additional mountain bike coaches this summer, as well. Registration is $599 (+$100) for the June 13 – 15, 2012 weekend learning essential bike handling skills from Shaums March. Last year’s Coach Certification flyer can be found here.

Call to action: Trail Day in Frick Park 4/1

erynhughes — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:48:22 +0000

Velomuse is going out to provide volunteer support on an important trail day this Sunday at Frick Park in Pittsburgh, PA – coordinated by Pittsburgh Trails Advocacy Group. You can find more information on the flyer here.

Velomuse Nightvision Project

erynhughes — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:13:18 +0000

In a unique time-lapse photography project, Velomuse’s Alicia Mathers embraced our group concept by taking pictures of our group of mountain bikers tracing lines along the contour of lanscape at night with bicycle headlights. This project has sparked the interest of various riders, bringing together new cross-sections of the community and creating compelling images. Please click the image for the complete photoshoot. Leave a comment if you think you can identify the trails in Frick Park, Pittsburgh, PA. Winner will be notified to receive a prize.

We’re also accepting donations if you want to purchase prints of these images, with the funds going to women’s mountain biking leadership programs.

Velomuse Vixens Ride Again!

Alicia Mathers — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:48:10 +0000

On February 26th 2012 a group of six Velomuse Vixens (Greta Daniels, Alicia Mathers, Jeanne Morin-Leisk, Kamden Hoffman, Melissa Hopkins, and Jessica Nelson) dressed up as Ballet Bikers, complete with tutus and Velomuse T-shirts, and competed with more than 80 other teams in the largest stationary bike race in Western Pennsylvania. The Race to Any Place was a six-hour relay race, consisting of twenty-four grueling 15 minute heats and lots of fun, that benefited the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Velomuse Vixens were able to raise over $500 in donations, which we are grateful to all of our friends and family for sponsoring our fabulous team. We may not have won the race in mileage but we did win the best dressed team, the best dancers, and the team with the most spirit! We had such a great time and encourage everyone to come out next year and join us in supporting this great event, no athletic prowess is necessary just a desire to have fun and meet a lot of awesome people, especially if you’re dressed in a tutu! If you don’t believe me check out what a couple of the Velomuse Vixens had to say about this year’s event.

“I really thought wearing a tutu was a crazy idea, but after a couple spins with my awesome lady team and the admiring looks we received I was honored to be on team Velomuse. Can’t waiy until next year, who knows what kind of costume we’ll come with but if I have teammates like I did this year I can’t wait!!” ~Kamden Hoffman

“The Race to Anyplace is one of my favorite events every year. Not only is the entire room coming together to benefit a great cause, but this year’s turnout of women’s riders/racers was truly an inspiring site. The community is certainly growing by leaps and bounds and I know it is because of the welcoming and supportive environment that we all work very hard to cultivate and maintain. As for the Vixens – I could not have asked for a better ballerina squad spinning their hearts out!” ~ Greta Daniels

Women’s MTB repair class – information now available online

erynhughes — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:56:42 +0000

Our Pittsburgh chapter of Velomuse is targeting development of the women’s mountain bike contingency, and as such, we’re providing much-needed information. Ladies, please join our facebook group if you are interested in mountain biking in Pittsburgh. If you’re not in Pittsburgh, interested in mountain biking or a woman, please just email me and I’ll send you a copy via email.

Velomuse MTB ride for Nightvision Installation

Alicia Mathers — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:20:10 +0000

Eryn and I went to Frick a week before (topography trail map in hand) and scouted out a couple good spots for me to shoot pictures from. Then, on Dec 12th we all meet at Frick Park to lite up the trails. The weather was decent (i.e. no rain); though, it was pretty cold so we only got in two runs down the hill. We had about ten eager riders who split up into two groups for each shot. However, by splitting up the group we didn’t get enough light on the top trails. So, this is a works-in-progress update, because we would like to try this again and get more riders and keep all the riders in one group. Also, we are going to look at other spots to shoot from. We’ll get the photo we want eventually we just may have to have a lot of fun getting there . Thanks to all the riders who showed up to help get this project going.

Welcome NEW Board members in PGH!

erynhughes — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:04:57 +0000

December 07, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PITTSBURGH, PA - Velomuse welcomes new Board members for the Pittsburgh chapter!

As we’ve grown over the years, our purpose has remained unchanged while the regional participation has shifted. One commonality is that while mountain biking issues are shared, new strategies for pulling volunteers and land managers together are frequently required. Further, since the most important thing is riding – we’ve been researching what folks are doing elsewhere, while keeping tabs on what other folks (mtb and non-mtb alike) are doing right here in Pittsburgh.

In leading by example, we have been able to initiate programs and create relationships that didn’t previously exist: getting permits for bike events in City parks, coordinating film premiers for local and international producers, leading a women’s mountain bike skills series and hosting kids mountain bike rodeos with our own fleet of kids’ bikes and features.

Last year, we had so much variety that it was difficult to keep up with the needs in the community, finding new volunteers for every event – it was a full-time and fulfilling job, despite being unpaid. This year, we’ve narrowed the focus to reconnecting with newer still, cross-sections of the community and using the research to understand where we can best put our focus for 2012, and avoid burnout. We’ve decided it is time to make the Pittsburgh (PGH) chapter of Velomuse an official mountain bike development organization, focusing on women’s leadership. As continuing founder and Executive Director, I would like to introduce you to the all-female Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Chapter of Velomuse:

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - PITTSBURGH CHAPTER

Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park is back, with new recruits!

erynhughes — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:32:09 +0000

Last winter was my first exposure to indoor mountain biking. As the cold, wet weather creeps in, I will be the first to admit that I can’t wait to go back and continue skills practice on some new features! The website might need to be updated to reflect the new dates for the women’s weekend in 2012, but it should be noted that it is their busiest weekend!