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Empowered and unstoppable: celebrating the evolution of women in freeride
Women's mountain biking has reached a turning point, with groundbreaking events and a fearless community of athletes. As the scene evolves, these women are forging their own path.
Women’s freeride has never been stronger. The evolution of women-only events like Red Bull Formation and the constant progression in the scene will witness a watershed moment in October, when Red Bull Rampage hosts its very own women’s edition for the first time.
The pinnacle of big-mountain riding has been pushing the sport's boundaries since its inaugural event in 2001 and the debut women's competition will give the discipline's best female athletes a platform on the biggest stage in Virgin, Utah. Eight athletes have been invited, including Hannah Bergemann, Camila Nogueira and Vaea Verbeeck, while four alternates are primed as backups.
Red Bull Formation showed that female freeriders are ready for Rampage
© Emily Tidwell/Red Bull Content Pool
Getting to this point hasn’t been straightforward, though. Many of those competing and riding have faced adversity on their way to the top – having to work and ride harder than their male peers to prove themselves and fight for their space in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Also, as pioneers, there's been no well-trodden route to the summit of big-mountain riding, but that hasn't stopped them from forming a freeride community and supporting each other every step of the way. A segment from Darcy Wittenburg’s latest film, ANYTIME, provides a glimpse of this network of gnarly women, focusing on a group session in the Utah desert.
Here, stars of the segment Camila Nogueira and Vaea Verbeeck share what it was like to be involved, the progression of women’s freeride and their hopes for the future of the sport.
3 min
ANYTIME – Trailer
Follow a new generation of mountain bikers as they try to conquer the world's most challenging terrain.
Capturing the movement
"When I heard about ANYTIME, I was so excited," says Camila Nogueira. The 30-year-old Argentine, who's based in Aspen, Colorado, featured at the 2021 and 2022 Red Bull Formation events, going home from the 2022 edition with the rider-voted 'Spicy Award'. But despite being one of the most exciting talents in women's freeride, the segment was a career first for her.
“It's my first movie ever, so it's just such a proud moment to be part of this. "Knowing that I was going to be in the same video as all the best riders in the world was a huge motivation to me, but so was the location and filming with Anthill Films and Red Bull.
Argentina's Cami Nogueira is stoked to be part of the ANYTIME cast
© Sterling Lorenc/Red Bull Content Pool
Knowing I was going to be in the same video as the best riders in the world was a huge motivation
Shot in the Utah desert, the group tackled some of the most iconic lines in freeride history, putting their own unique stamp on what has gone before: "We were filming in the desert for three weeks. It was long and hard work, but I'm stoked to see how it goes.”
For co-star Vaea Verbeeck, the lead-in to the shoot was less than ideal. "The day I was asked if I wanted to join the crew for that segment, I'd had one e-bike ride back after breaking my patella," she recalls. "I had been off the bike for three-to-four months and I was in a really bad place.”
The 33-year-old Canadian committed however, deciding there'd be less pressure on her because it was a group shoot rather than a single-rider segment – and she’s glad she did.
Former racer Vaea Verbeeck has found her freedom riding huge desert lines
© Sterling Lorence/Red Bull Content Pool
"It's just a group of girls in Utah. We wanted to see girls doing Red Bull Rampage eventually, which is going to happen later this year. Back then, we had no idea. I was just excited to do some builds and riding together."
Constant progression
Verbeeck sees the ANYTIME segment as the latest progression in women’s freeride. "There's so much more variety growing in the freeride world," she says. "It's cool to open up categories for women in all of these disciplines and different styles of big mountain freeride.
"We don't have to follow what's out there for us – you can pick what it is that calls out to you the most. It's sick because there's so much variety and then there's a bigger, larger pool of up-and-coming riders that can grow into that. I'm excited to see the next generation that grew up knowing there's an outlet for them."
An all-female freeride part would have been a dream even a few years ago
© Sterling Lorence/Red Bull Content Pool
Nogueira is one of those riders who's seized on the opportunities open to her and believes that the scene has changed even since she started riding freeride in 2021: "There was an insane progression in the last couple of years. I started to do more freeride three years ago and now it's such a different story.
"It's so cool, because we're progressing each other and we have such a cool group of girls. It's just a dream for me being involved in all these experiences."
I'm in the business of fun and I want it to be contagious
Overcoming adversity
Their respective rise to the top of freeride mountain biking hasn’t been without its challenges. Verbeeck cut her teeth in downhill racing, recording several top 10 finishes at UCI Downhill World Cups, before making the switch to the Crankworx World Tour, where she's claimed two Queen of Crankworx titles. It wasn’t until 2019 that she took the freeride plunge and felt like she could be herself on the bike.
“My biggest challenge from the beginning was getting attention for just being a girl – it wasn't about my capability or skills on a bike. I had issues with that because I would never want to take that easy route,” she says. "For some time, I fully put my femininity to one side and became one of the dudes – I had to act that part, because I wanted people to see my results on paper or the value I can bring on a bike.
Once the industry knew what I was there for, versus using my appearance, I got more comfortable. But it's taken half a dozen years to be myself.”
The all-girl freeride crw deep in the Utah desert filming ANYTIME
© Sterling Lorence/Red Bull Content Pool
"As a female, I'm pushing myself all the time and I'm trying to be the best version of me all the time," added Noguiera. “My challenge every day is to try to be better and help this community grow."
Future hopes
Despite these difficulties, both riders are optimistic for the future of women’s freeride, and hope that film segments like the group video in ANYTIME and this October's Red Bull Rampage women’s edition act as inspiration for anyone watching at home.
"My only goal is to be contagious," says Verbeeck. "I'm in the business of fun and I want it to be contagious. I want people to be stoked to grab their bikes and go ride with their crew, push and support each other, and grow like that. That's what we're doing and I hope that's contagious."
