“If you are too afraid to be a sucky beginner you will never become an expert master!”

Kate Sage is one of these rad Shred Girls who came to serious cycling a little later in life—her 20s—and is showing that no matter when you get started, you can absolutely be getting rad. But more than that, what I love about her is that she’s really helping other women and girls get on bikes (or as she puts it, ‘lady butts on bikes’ <3) in whatever capacity works for them. Whether you’re into mountain bikes, BMX, road or just cruising and looking fancy doing it, she has your back. And that kind of openness definitely makes her a Shred Girl IRL.

Why did you start riding bikes?

I’ve been riding bikes for as long as I can remember! I got my first taste of it on the back of my parents’ bike in their child seat. I graduated to training wheels when I was about five and pretty soon I was riding my own bike to school. It was my favourite part of the day – feeling free from school and independent on my own bike was the best ever.

What was your favorite part?

My favourite part was going fast and going wherever I liked – it felt like flying!

What was the hardest part?

The hardest part when I was a kid was learning how to ride with no hands – I remember the first time I tried I almost ended up under a jeep! Tricks in general continue to be the most challenging to learn – my greatest obstacle is fear: fear of crashing, fear of hurting myself on my bike. I keep trying because learning how to face fear and persevering despite fear is a lesson that enriches my life on and off the bike.

What made you choose to focus on MTB?

I got into mountain biking later in life – when I was 28. Growing up in Toronto, there are very few mountain bike trails so it just wasn’t on my radar. I knew I wanted to get into mountain biking when I moved to Reno – whenever I would go hiking in Reno I would be envious of the mountain bikers – they got to get out into nature, like I was, but on a bike, which looked way more fun. Urbane Cyclist in Toronto hooked me up with a sweet hardtail which I brought out with me when I moved. I enjoy the challenge and fitness that comes with riding up a mountain, but I really enjoy the speed of bombing down a mountain too. I guess it goes back to what I loved when I was a kid – it feels like flying.

What was the best tip or trick you’ve ever been told?

The most memorable comment anyone has ever made to me was “just keep riding.” I was living on my own in Toronto in my early twenties, working part time, going to university, it was a miserable winter and I was in general not very happy. I had built up a fixed gear bike a few years previous (it was the cheapest bike I could get my hands on) and I would take it out and just ride, ride anywhere and everywhere for hours. I was heading back home along Gerrard St., riding through sleet and slush in sub zero temperatures and feeling pretty sorry for myself when a group of roadies zoomed past me. One turns behind and yells “JUST KEEP RIDING.” It was really encouraging and it really resonated with me. I wasn’t riding as fast as them, I wasn’t on a fancy bike, but I could do that, I could just keep riding. In time, I got better, I went faster and farther, and got more comfortable riding in the winter. I think it stuck with me because it’s so easy – no matter what the conditions are, you can just keep riding.

Proudest accomplishment?

My most proud accomplishment is just being a mountain biker. When I started a year and a half ago I felt like I was doing nothing more than hanging on for dear life and making every mistake in the book. But I just kept riding – putting in the time and the miles. Climb after climb meant that soon I was no longer sucking wind and I eventually picked up new skills by riding with cyclists better than me. Now I feel like an actual mountain biker who can ‘shred the gnar,’ and am working on more advanced skills like bunny hopping and manual wheelies. Ask me again next year and I hope my response will be “that time I got epic air on Corral trail!”

Goals in cycling?

My overall goal is always to get more butts on bikes – with a special emphasis on lady butts on bikes. Bikes have brought so much joy into my life how could I not share the love? My riding goal is to get more rad on the bike – I am currently obsessed with learning tricks. My goal is to get big air! Now that I think about it I’m still pursuing that feeling of flight – I want the confidence to fly off jumps!

Advice for younger girls interested in riding?

My advice would be the same advice I got – just keep riding. It doesn’t matter how slow or ‘uncool’ you feel – if you keep riding you will find your place, no matter how long it takes. Just keep riding means you ride according to what you can do in that moment – maybe you can’t keep up with your friends, or maybe you don’t have the coolest bike or can’t do any cool tricks, but you keep going anyway, you just.keep.riding. It’s really easy. Riding for 5 mins around the block counts, riding off a baby curb counts. It all adds up, and the time will pass anyway, so just keep riding.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to not be afraid of looking stupid. Embrace the suck – recognize that to become a master at something you must go through being a beginner first – and that means sucking at something and making mistakes. If you are too afraid to be a sucky beginner, you will never become an expert master!

Tell us more about the Cyclofemme plans you have and what’s up with the fashion show (and why stuff like that is important for women’s cycling!)

I’m helping organize Reno’s Cyclofemme ride as part of the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Association’s Washoe County Bike Week. Last year’s ride was a bit small, so this year we are going big. We really want this to be a resource for women (but all are welcome!) There are extra barriers for women to get into cycling – it’s hard to find lady role models, its intimidating going to a bike shop filled with dudes, and although this is changing there are still not very many lady specific cycling resources out there. We want the Reno Cyclofemme ride to help break through some of these barriers by making it easier to meet rad ladies who ride, to learn a bit about bike maintenance and experience that amazing feeling of riding with a group of other rad cyclists. On top of a bike ride we are hosting a bike safety check as well as a fashion show with live models who will be joining us on the ride. There is definitely a learning curve to figuring out how to dress for riding in different conditions – we want our fashion show to be educational and stylish – the models are going to go on the ride with us so that anyone can approach them and ask about their outfit. We hope this will help others not only learn but also break the ice and meet new people too. Riding bikes has brought me innumerable joys – I want to help women overcome obstacles so we can all experience the same life enriching experiences that I have.

Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateTheSage for SO much MTB radness!

 

For all you Shred Girls out there: Have tips you want to pass on or a great story to share? Nominate yourself as a Real Life Shred Girl here!