Mountain bike racing is what we call an even playing field sport. No one sits on the bench, everyone participates, which opens it up to various ages and sexes. The rise in National Interscholastic Cycling Association races in Arkansas is giving opportunities for local high school girls to enjoy our trails, our scenery, and some competition.
When Cate Mertins first started racing mountain bikes as a high school sophomore, she cut a lonely figure on the trails of Northwest Arkansas.The Bentonville teenager had started the mountain biking team at her school, Haas Hall Academy, in 2016, but she was its only girl.Not only that, Cate was typically the lone female student athlete in her division to clip in to her pedals at Arkansas Interscholastic Cycling League competitions.“Other than me, our team was all boys,” she says.
Source: Competition, Camaraderie Fuel Growth of Mountain Bike Racing Among High School Girls
