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| Finger Lakes Mountain Bike Club |
Carmen de Nominator, Early WOMBAT
"Who Says Pink Clashes with Mud?"
'Bat beginnings...
| In the beginning...the wheel set us free. Back around the late 1800's, a gal could ride her bicycle, lose her chaperone and have some fun spinning through the city park. But her dress would always get tangled or blackened in the chain. Then came the sensible riding "bloomers" and the hard-won right to vote. Women were off and rolling. Nowadays, we have different chains holding us back. Many American females, beginning at the age of 9 believe they should go on a diet, and every able-bodied person bemoans our "traffic situation." WOMBATS (Women's Mountain Bike and Tea Society) would like to make a modest proposal--"hop on your bike, solve the traffic jam and forget the diet." WOMBATS has all the features associated with a quality organization: a stupid motto ("You're never completely out of the woods") and a cute mascot. Every quarter, the WOMBAT News supplies a healthy dose of "tips for the mechanically impaired," "how-not-to's" and a cheerful blend of gossip, chain ring grease and ride itineraries. Club WOMBAT t-shirts and Team WOMBATS jerseys identify members as thoughtful, eco-minded and "into" mud! Riders in the same state are connected with their local chapter through WOMBAT worlds headquarters in Marin, California. |
We WOMBATS Entertain with gossip, advice, cartoons and inside scoops on bicycle politics, techniques, and (ugh) techknowledgy Encourage via anecdotes and the quarterly dose of BAT wisdom; Create events (like Camp WinnaWOMBAT, the longest running off-road camp), activities (rides, bike swaps, thrift-shop treasure hunts), tea-shirts, tea parties, and genuine new bicycle art (thanks to volunteer BAT artists;) Annoy, when appropriate, the Folks in Charge (be it advertising, manufacturing, or event promotion) that do not heed women's voice, but who eye the "Women's Market;" Get Results by sharing, whether it's networking with a sister BAT and finding new trails, or seeing that "no bikes" sign taken down as a result of a letter writing campaign. |
| Mountain Biking, like many sports and recreational activities, can result in injury if engaged in foolishly or through unforseeable events. All participants in WOMBATS rides and activities are strongly urged to ride within their own limits and abilities. Ride leaders are encouraged to coduct a basic safety review of helmets, bicycles and safe riding before embarking on a ride. All riders participate in WOMBATS activities at their own risk and responsibility. WOMBATS, either the National Organization or Local Chapter, is not responsible or liable for any injury to riders, participants or others. The national organization of WOMBATS is not responsible and is not liable for any acts, activities, or deeds, whether active or passive, of its staff, members, local chapters, local chapter members, or local chapter staff. All riders ride at their own risk and participate in WOMBATS activities at their own risk. |
| In 1984, there weren't many women in Marin County that rode fat-tire bikes. Or so it seemed to resident National Offroad Bicycle Association (NORBA) champion, Jacquie Phelan. But, bike shop owners in the area insisted that a healthy percentage of offroad bike customers were, in fact, women. So, Ms. Phelan began to ride with pen and paper in order to swap phone numbers with every woman on knobbies she encountered. Before long, a handful of riders were convening weekly at "Offhand Manor," her slightly disheveled "den of propinquity." Since the essence of a good ride is good company and good eats, she went public with her Women's Mountain Bike and Tea Society (WOMBATS), and found a baker to sponsor her popular rides. In the past five years, WOMBATS has grown from a dedicated bunch of mud-caked locals to a worldwide network of women of all ages and backgrounds. They all share on thing in common--a love of the outdoors and the urge to see who else is out there, doing it in the dirt. Not surprisingly, in areas like the Midwest and the South, some members feel like they're the "only ones" on fat tires. Because magazines focus on the sport's "rude boy" image and the media emphasizes thrills and spills, many women have no idea that it's possible to go slow downhill, and actually kind of fun to go uphill while taking in the scenery. Phelan promoted Fat Tire Festivals across the country and actively recruits women to join in the fun. The events are coed, but biased toward the ladies. Her WOMBAT camps are for women only and supply two idyllic days of offroad riding in Marin County. She shares her offroad expertise to teach fat tire finesse. |
| The Women's Mountain Bike and Tea Society was founded in 1986 to promote fat tire finesse and educate women in the art of mountain biking (not mutually exclusive). Since its inception, the organization has grown in membership to seven hundred women, with chapters across the nation from Hawaii to Georgia. WOMBATS form the country's (and possibly the world's) biggest offroad bicycle club, not counting NORBA, the sport's governing body. WOMBATS come in all sizes, ages and abilities. The WOMBATSs' objective is to bring women together while having fun riding so they can learn about technique, trail etiquette and safety, all in a friendly, nurturing atmosphere (nurturing for the environment as well as fellow 'bats'). Most importantly, WOMBATS helps women find another friend to ride with that understands the defeat you feel when you get dropped by the local men's club or worse, your true love, Mr. Gearhead. Accomplished many-year BATS usher in a new generation of enthusiastic beginners, and help them gain ease and skill through fun rides. WOMBATS possess the power to inspire friends, children and parents, to promote bicycle use, safety and etiquette, and to advocate for a better environment, trails and women athletes of all abilities. |
| The Whys & Wherefores of WOMBATS |
Women's Mountain Bike and Tea Socoety
| Jacquie Phelan, 3-time NORBA Champ, WOMBAT Founder |
| Downhill Divas |
