Molly Russell is a Gravel Grinding, Cyclocrossing, Commuting and Mountain Biking Shred Girl IRL

Molly Russell’s name got brought up to Shred Girls because she’s not only an awesome competitor on the cyclocross bike and in gravel grinders, but she’s a firm believer in getting more women and girls onto bikes. For those of you new to cycling, cyclocross is an awesome style of racing that’s basically racing a road bike with knobby tires on mountain bike-style terrain, with obstacles all over the place that force you to hop on and off your bike and carry it over and through stuff. It’s pretty awesome—think mud running, but for cycling! Molly is based in Atlanta, so she races almost year-round—and she has some amazing advice to share if cyclocross sounds awesome to you!

How did you get started riding?

A friend and I got into mountain biking our senior year of high school for cross training (to supplement running) but my bike immediately got stolen when I brought it to college. I didn’t get back on a bike until four years later when I visited a friend in Brooklyn and he insisted we ride bikes to get around. I was terrified – but immediately hooked. When I came back to Atlanta I experimented with bike commuting on borrowed bikes until I bought my own. I’ve been bike commuting since then.

What got you into racing?

I can be a competitive person, so for me riding naturally led to racing. There was a specific event that really pushed me to race, though. There was this rad event at a local bar – goldsprints and a metal show. I had no clue what goldsprints were but my friend and I went anyways to try something different. [Goldsprints are basically super fast sprints done on stationary bikes, usually in a pretty fun party setting!] I was immediately surprised by the number of ladies that showed up to race. I was told that one of the fastest ladies raced track on the velodrome. I had no idea what a velodrome was but quickly did my research and realized the velodrome in Atlanta was only a 15-minute drive away from where I lived. The competitive side of me screamed YES, so I got certified to ride the track late that summer (past the racing season) and started racing the next track season in 2015. Both commuting and racing track got me into my local bike shop frequently where I met a ton of awesome people, who are now my closest friends, and my boyfriend. My boyfriend was really into cyclocross and talked me into going, so I gave it a shot in fall 2015. In 2016, I started doing gravel and mtb races as well.

What made you settle on CX (or mostly on CX?)

I can’t say I immediately fell in in love with cx racing, but I did immediately fall in love with the cx community/racing scene. My first cross race was in thick ‘peanut butter’ mud and I was off the bike more than I was riding it. I remember being pretty miserable. My entire first cross season was on an old borrowed Schwinn single speed that barely had brakes. (You can race cross on anything!!) But, somehow, as the season went on, I found I loved it more and more. The mixture of getting to play in the dirt, having people cheer you on, drinking beer handups DURING races, learning new things about bike handling, and knowing it didn’t really matter what place you came in was highly addictive. It’s also a relatively short race and a really awesome spectator sport so you can have just as much fun watching as you do racing.

Best CX tip you ever heard?

I’m really bad at recalling tips and tricks so I think the best tip is to get out there and race as much as you can so that you can learn by experience. I don’t think there is anything that can prepare you for the nervous feeling you get right before the start of the race- you just get better at dealing with it the more you experience it.

Remounting and dismounting your bike in a race is scary for new riders: any advice for getting past that?

Don’t think you have to start off doing the complete remount/dismount. It’s a lot easier to break it down into smaller steps and eventually work your way up to tying it all together. Don’t be afraid to land on your inner thigh for remounts when you first start if that makes your feel more comfortable. I’ve seen people do remounts/dismounts in so many different styles – I think you’ll do best when you do what is comfortable for you.

I was really shy around women when I got into cycling and found that the women in CX were absolutely amazing. Any advice for making friends with other women riders?

I am also really shy in general and I’m glad I had someone to introduce me to the cross scene. Though, I found if I just got out of my head and spoke up, the women were super welcoming. Most of us are just really excited to see more women in the racing scene so we want to be as encouraging as possible so you keep coming back to race!

What made you want to try gravel grinding?

Gravel is one of those surfaces that is unpredictable and that sounded exciting to me. I love challenges. Actually, a lot of my new biking experiences happened by just tagging along on bike adventures even though I knew I was in over my head.

Best gravel tip?

Don’t be afraid to put a foot out in a downhill gravel turn to keep yourself upright if you start to slide out – its better than going all the way down. Also – take the time to research gravel tires because the size and tread of a tire can totally change your experience.

Favorite moment in cycling so far?

Passing down bikes I previously owned to new lady riders. It makes me happy to know that something that gave me so much joy is stoking the fire for someone else!

Least favorite part of cycling?

Saddle issues!! You have to be on top of your hygiene when you ride bikes every day.

[Pro tip: Check out SaddleSoreBook.com for how to avoid saddle issues as a new or longtime rider!]

Craziest thing that’s happened in a ride or race?

I’m from the south so the craziest thing that’s happened to me is racing in snowy/icy conditions! Last year I raced Hendersonville NC in December and there were icy ruts you had to watch out for all over the course. It was mega fun! Again…I like challenges.

What’s your best advice to someone who’s seen CX and wants to try but is terrified?

You won’t really know what it’s like until you try it. Think about what motivates you personally and use that to give you courage to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.