Emily Kane is a Mountain Biking, Clarinet Playing, Self-Proclaimed Klutz and Total Shred Girl IRL

New Jersey NICA rider Emily Kane didn’t necessarily think she was going to be a mountain biker… In fact, she was on the fence about signing up for even the first practice. But she showed up anyway — pushing her doubts aside — and fell in love with shredding singletrack, making new friends, and racing bikes (occasionally in a tutu!) while still being a self-described band nerd. Here’s her awesome story — and fantastic advice!

What got you into MTB?

Get ready for a LONG story.

A twist of fate got me into mountain biking. One night, the summer before my sophomore year, my dad took me and my sisters to Magic Fountain. (They don’t know I’m plugging them. They’re definitely not paying me. But if you’re ever in Summit it’s somewhere you have to go and get some ice cream.) On the wall by the ordering window, I saw a poster advertising a new mountain biking league. I hadn’t heard of mountain biking before, but I rode my bike on the road sometimes. I thought I could do this. I wanted to at least try it. I went to the information session the team was holding at Hilltop Bicycles’ Summit branch (another unpaid plug). I was the only girl there among a few boys. It was isolating. I felt the
doubt grow a bit.

It didn’t help that the coaches presenting (who would become my coaches) tried to assuage my doubt by telling me that biking girls existed and even did each other’s makeup before races. (Not all girls wear makeup. I didn’t wear makeup at all then. Putting makeup on before races didn’t even make sense to me, since I figured I’d sweat it all off biking anyway.) But I took a business card (which I still have) with the information about the New Jersey league, and a sheet with the coaches’ contact information.

I was very on the fence about signing up. I almost chose the “no” side of the fence. (A digression: although mountain biking is a Thing of mine, band is my THING. My clarinet is my
baby. I realize this makes me a cliché. But I knew my year would be filled with band commitments, and band came first. It still does. I didn’t want to sign up for something that I
wouldn’t be able to do. Also I had a heavy courseload.)

I emailed Coach James with my aforementioned doubts. I want to do this, I told him, but I didn’t think I would be able to. A selected excerpt from his reassuring response: “Don’t feel that if you can’t be at a practice or a race that you can’t participate. Looking forward to having you on the team.” So I registered for the team, feeling better that they weren’t going to be mad if I missed practice a few times. (I was stressing about that. Sports at Summit High School are basically a full-time commitment. It blew my mind that in high school I could more casually commit to a sport.)

That’s how I found my team. But I want to tell you another story.

That winter, I hadn’t told too many people about being on my team. I still didn’t feel fully comfortable embracing the “biker” identity. I didn’t know any girl my age biking, anyone at my
school biking, and, most importantly, anyone in band biking. That February, I missed a Saturday practice. On Monday, my band director (Mr. Rapp you are the absolute best) told me he had run into my team. Irrationally, panic spiked through me. My thoughts ran along the lines of “oh no, I’m found out”. Mr. Rapp told me he biked too, and encouraged me to pursue it. I felt like my identity was validated. I could bike and do band. Whoa! Mr. Rapp and I still talk biking in addition to various band-related topics. He asks me about my team and my races and my practices. I think my band friends are slightly impressed by my mountain biking. (Another digression: this summer Mr. Rapp got hit by a car while road biking. He was in the hospital for six days – he didn’t break any bones, but I think he needed stitches and still has nasty scabs and bruises on his knee. He’s mostly recovered, but didn’t climb the podium for band camp this summer. Cars, please watch out for bikers!)

Also, NICA and my team accept me for me. I don’t think they care that I’m an incredibly slow biker.

TL;DR: a trip to get ice cream led me to mountain biking, but acceptance kept me there.

Did you try any other riding, road/CX/BMX/etc.?

I rode my bike to get to my friends’ houses or downtown but that’s pretty much it. I’ve done road biking but not racing road biking

What made you love MTB?

I love the people. On the whole, they’re kind and welcoming. There’s a lot less clique-iness in mountain biking than there is in band. My team feels like a family. I’ve gotten to know not only my teammates but also their parents and siblings because of all the time we’ve spent together at races. I’ve tutored Katie DeBello and babysat Skyler Pastro’s sister Mariella. Coach James has welcomed us to his house multiple times. For our very first team info meeting (in November 2016) he held it in his living room. This year’s end-of-season barbecue was in his backyard (he has a very nice garden, by the way). Coach also makes us really nice plaques at the end of the season with our names on it. Coach Nikki was pregnant this year and gave birth to her daughter Felicity in February, and brought her to a few races this year. I see baby pictures on Instagram and they are the cutest.
My team supports me. When my dad died, I emailed the news to my coaches and asked them to let the team know. Coaches James, Nikki, Dan, and John all came to my dad’s wake, along with several middle-schoolers and their parents. (It was a very long line they waited in and I’m so grateful they did.) I’d never seen these people in suits and fancy clothing before. I was more used to seeing them in spandex. Coach James dropped off Daddy Matty’s at my house a week later (another unpaid plug – they sponsor our team). Before I got my license this year, many parents drove me to practice or races when my mom couldn’t. There are many other nice people in mountain biking but my team is the most important to me. I love the sense of peace on the trails. You can’t use your phone. It’s awesome. Nothing beats riding in the shade with sun poking through a leafy forest. I get a lot of good thinking and
daydreaming done while riding.

Biking is a good way to exercise. You’re going somewhere, but you’re doing it under your own power, and you’re going a lot faster than if you were running. If the trail is wide enough, you can even carry a conversation.

Was there anything you hated about it? (And if so, how did you get over it?)

Before I talk about trivial complaints, I want to say that Union County should allow biking in its public parks, and it’s a shame that they’ve continued to prohibit it. I don’t love how expensive biking is. Cost isn’t a problem for my family, but it’s a barrier to a lot of people who could benefit from biking. When I first started biking, I used my mom’s hybrid bike from the 90’s because I didn’t want to buy a new one when I didn’t know if I would commit to this sport. (Looking back, I can’t believe I ever biked in the snow with such smooth tires .) My
parents gave me $200 that Christmas to put toward a new bike, so with that and some savings I bought a Giant Talon at Hilltop. Both my mom and I pay for accessories. But the costs for little things add up quickly.

Transporting bikes is a pain unless you have the right gear. When my family had a minivan, it was super easy to stick my bike in the trunk, but we traded the van in (along with my childhood). Right now, I have a single rack on top of my car. But i’m not tall enough to get my bike on and off of it without at least a ten-minute struggle that leaves me frustrated and covered in black streaks. I need to pick out a trunk rack. That will make my life easier. My legs always have scratches and/or bruises on them. I am a klutz. Pedals regularly hit my
ankles and calves. Coach James now carries Band-Aids during practice because of me. I fall often. I’ve learned to deal with it, though- nothing has killed or seriously injured me yet. If
you want a fun anecdote, here’s one: I’d been riding about a month – this was February 2017.

We had a Saturday practice at Lewis Morris. On the trail, there was a log. Coach James suggested we all try biking over it. (We’d been studying logarithms in math, which was my
teacher’s favorite topic. [Mr. Leaman – you get a shout-out for always being awesome.] Consequently, as Coach was talking and I was mostly listening, every time he said the word
“log” my mind flashed to the worksheets and problems we’d been doing in class. Anyway. I digress.) All the middle school boys sailed over the log. But when I tried I didn’t make it over. I fell flat on my chest, which left me on the ground gasping for air. And embarrassed me. It took about a minute for me to recover. We continued on and I walked my bike over many logs. The moral of this story is that nothing much fazes me anymore after I fell into a log. Even with padded leggings, it hurts my bottom and groin area to bike for long periods of time.

How did NICA help get you into riding?

Once I had committed to the team, I wanted to go to as many practices as I could. (My parents instilled in me the importance of following through on commitments. I mostly succeed at that.) If I’m by myself, I probably wouldn’t go riding, but knowing I had a team made me want to ride more. I wouldn’t be mountain biking AT ALL without my team.

Best tip for dealing with obstacles on the trail?

I talk more about this in #12, but to sum it up: four-letter words and positivity.

Best piece of advice you ever got?

When I was a total newbie, I learned that you should shift your weight forward when biking up hills and backward when going down. Logically, now, it makes sense, especially when you consider gravity. But it was something I had never thought about before.

Proudest moment riding?

I have several moments I’m proud of – please don’t make me pick!

• It has made me so happy seeing Mary Caffrey growing to love mountain biking. I know it sounds narcissistic, but I see myself in her. She was hesitant her first few months, but
  she’s improved a lot and gained so many technical skills. She talks so animatedly about biking and our team and it warms my heart.
• The last NICA race, I didn’t come in last place. I came in second-to last. Fourth out of fifth. That was big for me. (Sophomore year I beat Alina once but only because her bike broke during the race.)
• There was one race this year where my times were pretty consistent throughout the three laps.
• I can bike over most logs now.

Where do you see your riding going, i.e do you want to race professionally, or just have fun?

I will never race professionally. I never considered it before, but I know I’m not willing to ride that much. I want to keep riding for fun. Hopefully I’ll go to a college that is bike-friendly and has bike paths on it or trails not too far away.

Have you made friends through MTB?

Unequivocally yes. Alina Sternesky is officially one of my best friends. Here is another long story, the story of how our friendship came to be: At the very first New Jersey NICA race, another girl showed up, with a super-long braid. She wasn’t wearing the CMS jersey, but somehow she was riding for us. She beat me and then left before I could talk to her. She showed up at the next practice. I was grateful that there was another girl my age, but there was still the awkward “who-are-you-I-don’t-really-know-you” feeling. But I mentioned offhandedly how I hadn’t shaved in a while and how I hated having to shave my legs and she was like “girl me too!”. And that’s how we started to become friends. The next race was at Lewis Morris Park. As we were lining up, I said, “you know what song is stuck in my head? ‘Mr. Brightside’ by the Killers.” Alina was like “I love that song too!” And we started belting the chorus at the start line. That pretty much cemented our friendship. That year, we had practice the day after my birthday, so she brought munchkins for everyone. We had known each other for about a month at that point. When my dad died, my three closest friends were away in New York City, Italy, and on a cruise, so it felt especially tough for me since both my sisters had their best friends around. The day after he died, I texted Alina asking if we could hang out (read: please keep me company so I don’t lose my mind). She said okay. So my uncle and I drove to pick her up and bring her to my house, and she and I watched Deadpool. Even though it wasn’t a big thing it helped me so much. I want to be there for her like she was for me. Alina and I been to see Fall Out Boy and the Killers together last year. Also we went to the beach this summer. Kai Schraven and Mary Caffrey are two of my teammates who have become good friends of mine. All the girls in my category are great people. Raquel Migliorino and Brianna Pascale are tough competitors but always friendly. I discovered at the starting line of one of of the last races that Claire Oplinger is an all-state flautist. Mind blown. And Shannon Quiles is one of the nicest people ever – always friendly and smiling. First place is usually hers, but she never rubs it in anyone’s face.

Any tips for shy girls who want to ride but don’t know anyone else who rides?

Start on a super easy trail. Stay on a paved trail to start – take baby steps at first. But don’t be afraid to ride on the dirt and rocks and roots! Loantaka is one of my favorite parks. It’s paved, there are barely any hills, and it’s gorgeous. Convince one of your friends to go with you, even if neither of you have much experience. I rarely ride alone – I like riding with other people. Just ride around your neighborhood (or to downtown if you have one). People might notice you in a good way and seek you out if they want to learn to ride too. You might become a role model without knowing it.

Best tip for tackling something on the trail that seems scary?

Attitude is everything. Repeat “I think I can I think I can” or some other motivational phrase in your head – it helps a lot.