Why Fearless Women of Dirt?

Originally my friends and I thought the title "Badass MTB B*tches" would be a great name, but in order to promote the group thru Decorah Bicycles and beyond, it had to be family friendly. Fearless Women of Dirt [FWD] was the brainchild of Travis and I sitting on the couch in our apartment trying to come up with a name for the group that could be shortened and not sound dumb when doing so. I wanted the initials to make sense and to have meaning.

The last thing I wanted was for my group to have a name that would make me feel like I named a boy Sue. That's just not cool.

Fearless was a term that I did not resonate with when I got into mountain biking. I was the exact opposite of fearless. I was at best, fearful, if not absolutely scared sh*tless- but the thought of breaking out of that box and becoming fearless drove me to keep trying.

"Couldn't you be Courageous Women of Dirt?"
Nope.
It's basically the same word, but it's spelled differently and doesn't have that annoying little word "fear" in it. Even used in a positive context, the word "fearless" seems to ignite negative feelings because it also has the word "less" in it; everyone can argue that they have fears.

"I will never be without fear! I couldn't join your group!"
Listen. I still have fear, too. I look at the term fearless as something to strive for, not something you have to be. I'll always moments where my heart beats with rapid-fire pace as I'm riding something new and unfamiliar.

I go to races with anxiety. Sure, I might do well, but until I'm riding my bike I'm an absolute wreck. I hide it by being quiet and going into my head- this means I'm pretty boring to talk to at the beginning.
Trails with drop-offs to the side or wooden bridges still make me hold my breath while I ride- especially if they are on a system I've never ridden before.

"So why did you create a group with the term fearless, when you are so totally, not."
Who says I have to be?
My whole goal and purpose with Fearless Women of Dirt and my other site: Josie's Bike Life is to keep the mountain biking experience personal and unfiltered. Not every person goes out with immediate success. Some take months or years to feel confident on their local terrain. It can take many, many hours of practice and patience before one really feels they can have fun with mountain biking.

Fearless Women of Dirt welcomes all riders, those who have been riding trails for years and those who are looking for a place to start.
Fearless Women of Dirt wants to be a place where any female rider can feel welcomed.
Fearless Women of Dirt strives to keep mountain biking fun.
Fearless Women of Dirt is a group that encourages and supports all riders.

So what if the name feels like something you "can't" do...be fearless. FWD is something we all do on a daily- we move forward. Forward in life and forward on the bike.

Experience the camaraderie and join the movement!