More Girls On Bikes

You’ve heard our mission by now: developing lifelong cyclists, one ride at a time. Implied in this — perhaps too subtly at times — is that we are committed to ALL cyclists: all genders, all ages, and all ability levels.

For years, female-identifying rider participation in Devo has hovered around 20-25 percent, and we have come to realize that we must do more to support our female athletes toward an ultimate goal of truly equal opportunity. A variety of barriers exist to getting and keeping more girls on bikes, and we are committed to overcoming them! Primarily, research and experience have shown us that girls don’t always feel fully comfortable participating in co-ed sports.

With this in mind, we have been adding all-girls programs, one at a time, since our inception:

• U19 Girls – 2007
• U14 Girls – 2008
• Junior Programs  – 2009-2015
• Exploras (all girls bikepacking) – 2017 
• Sendas and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – 2024

In the past year, we have grown increasingly aware of the seeming trickle of girls out of the organized cycling community in the middle school and high school years — not just in Durango, but nationwide.  We feel it is our responsibility as Durango’s youth cycling non-profit to do more to support female riders throughout their cycling journeys, all the way through high school. This means providing more girls programming options at the middle and high school ages. Girls shouldn’t have to leave Devo for lack of the right next step.

After lots of feedback from our community, long talks with Devo families, coaches, and female leaders have led us to the birth of two new teams we hope will close gaps identified in Devo’s female-specific programming. 

In Spring 2024, we are stoked to introduce:

Sendas – 6th – 12th Grade – Head Coach: Aubrey Volger. Sendas is an all-girls group for girls who are newer to the world of gravity mountain biking and want to build on the fundamental skills learned in U14. The goal of this group is to enhance jumping and descending skills. This is a great group for riders who have already completed at least one season of U14, U19, or Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – 9th – 12th Grade – Head Coach: Cara Kropp. This is the evolution of our U19 Girls Team! With the same overall goals as the U19 squad, this group is for female riders looking to build fundamental bike skills, make connections with fellow femme riders, and enjoy the spirit of biking with your friends! This is a great group for riders who have chosen not to race in high school but still want to ride with their friends in a laid-back, inviting atmosphere.

Check out our full catalog of all-girls program options on our website, or join us on Thursday March 14th from 5-6pm at the Zia Cantina (Upstairs, north Zia) for a casual open house for our girls’ programs. Meet the coaches, and find the team that’s right for you!