Last summer, when Dessa sent me the info about the Ray’s Angels Women’s Weekend at Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, Ohio, I was all over it. How fun, different and crazy does that sound? I’m always up for an adventure and trying something new. Well, it exceeded all expectations.

Jacks, Dessa, myself and our fabulous friend, Krista from the KC area, all piled into The Mother Ship (that which Dessa’s van was Christened at last year’s Tour deCure), and took off on the ten hour road trip that would prove to be more fun that a barrel of monkeys. Who knew four girls with four bikes for four days would need so much gear?

When we got to Ray’s and started surveying the venue we were like kids in a candy store. There were miles and miles of track, lines, jumps, a foam pit, whoop-de-doo’s, ramps, logs, rocks and teeter-totters. A plethora of toys for girls on bikes.

Then it became obvious. We were a bit out of our element. Several things we noticed were low seats, small bikes, no 29-ers, tennis shoes on top of flat pedals, no spandex and everyone was wearing shin and elbow pads. Toto, we weren’t in the Mid-west woods anymore! So we all lowered our seats and donned protective gear and began talking with people who had been there before.

Team Rev suits up for the Ray’s experience

As we soon found out, you don’t spend much time on the saddle but on top of your pedals, instead. And you need to be able to get off the bike in a split second which is why the seats are lowered and no one wears clipped in shoes. So we adjusted our equipment as best we could.

After the coaches were introduced to the hundreds of women in attendance we took off to explore the huge expanse of man-made structures inside the old, cold warehouse building. Since our background consists of single track dirt trail riding, we were considered “Cross Country” riders and were lead to the cross country track which weaved up into the rafters and around the entire warehouse perimeter for over a half mile workout per lap.

Much to our awe and excitement, we were able to witness riders and pros from various disciplines including BMX, trials, dirt jumping, downhill and free ride. The coaches were awesome and very excited to help everyone get comfortable and try new things. We all trekked out of our comfort zones and did things we never expected to do. And Jackie, in her usual, ever eager and child-like way, ventured over to the pump course and expert course on her newly acquired demo bike and giggled and squealed as she pumped over hills, flew over jumps, rolled up the Red Bull berm and caught the attention of several coaches. Later that evening, at the awards ceremony, Jackie won the award for Trying the Most New Things which included a $50 gift certificate for Ray’s. Team Rev cleaned up that night as every one of us got attendance prizes and schwag that was being thrown out across the crowd.

There were women from various states on both coasts and in between who had flown or driven in for this third annual event and Team Rev was highly noticed in our stand out kits. While no one escaped without a few bumps and bruises thanks to a couple of crashes and endo’s, it was definitely worth the trip and so much fun. Jackie even snuck in a cross country ski jaunt Saturday afternoon with long time cycling friends of Dessa’s who then treated us to a gourmet home cooked meal at their home on Lake Erie later that evening.

There is something about twenty hours in a van and four days of fun and sisterhood that can really get the creative juices flowing. We’ve got some things in the works…

Krista, Suzanne, Dessa and Jackie

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