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Project FIAS, a University of Bristol research and impact project, is pleased to announce the launch of the FIAS Toolkit: Supporting thriving women+ mountain biking communities. The launch took the form of a community mountain bike ride with various groups taking to the trails in Bristol, including women+ only groups. 

Project FIAS is committed to understanding and addressing gender inequality in mountain biking. The project takes a macro sociocultural change approach to tackling gender inequality, and has ‘community building’ at its heart, reflecting the need to support thriving communities of women+ mountain bikers as a stepping stone to more diverse and inclusive sports cultures. The FIAS Policy Framework (available for free here) has been used to work with policy stakeholders to map existing practice and shape future programmes of activity designed to inform gender transformative strategies.  

 

The FIAS Toolkit builds on the Framework, and particularly its central focus on community. It is underpinned by rigorous academic research and has been co-created with a wide range of community organisations across the UK, e.g. New Forest Off Road Club, Off Root, Colour Collective. The Toolkit is free to download. It is full of resources and insight designed to support the initiation and growth of women+ only mountain biking communities. The FIAS Toolkit provides guidance on the following areas: 

1. Planning and initiating: how to get things off the ground. 
2. Recruiting and diversifying: how to reach the women+ you’d like to reach.
3. Ensuring a positive experience: how to get the vibe right on every ride.
4. Retaining and sustaining: how to ensure your community thrives and grows. 

The Toolkit includes case studies, examples and links to further resources. It will be helpful for any women+ MTB community no matter what their vision is. 

The launch kicked off with a workshop with the FIAS steering group on Friday evening, which includes some of the leading advocates of and change makers in action sports: Sue Barrett, New Forest Off Road Club & Adventure Queens; Claire Bennett, Hope Technology and Hope WMN; Kath Goodey, RideHigh MTB & Trail Collective North Wales; Aneela McKenna, Mòr Diversity; Jo Lee-Morris, Pro Ride MTB Coaching & Infinite Pathways; Josie West, She Flies; Zoë Woodman girlsALIVE.  

The FIAS Project steering group and research team. From left to right: Professor Martin Hurcombe, Claire Bennet, Sue Barrett, Kath Goodey, Aneela McKenna, Josie West, Fiona Spotswood, Jo Lee-Morris, Zoë Woodman (with Business School research support staff Clara Oldfield and Hannah Dow). 

We took the opportunity to reflect and celebrate all the accomplishments of the project so far for Project FIAS. This includes podcasts, news articles, policy outputs, radio interviews, public engagement events, stakeholder workshops, FIAS workshops, academic conferences and academic journal articles. We also shared all the exciting activities to come, including our work with Fusion Media, with Our Media, Forest of Dean Cycling Centre and Beicio Cymru (Welsh Cycling). 

A big thank you to everyone who attended the launch!  

On Saturday 5th October we celebrated the launch of the FIAS Toolkit with an Autumn Celebration Ride from Pedal Progression in Ashton Court, in partnership with Ride Bristol, the local Trail Association that maintains Bristol’s trail network and supports community building activity in the city. The event attracted 80 riders and visitors from across the UK working in cycling community development, advocacy and policy. There were mountain bikers of varying ages, genders and abilities, including new riders trying mountain biking for the first time. 6 groups heading out on the trails, including three for women+ only.  

Dr Fiona Spotswood lead one of the groups at the launch 

The FIAS Project steering group and research team joined the launch. From left to right: Claire Bennett, Maria Moxey, Sue Barrett, Josie West, Jo Lee-Morris, Aneela McKenna, Kath Goodey 

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To download the toolkit, follow the link here FIAS Toolkit available from Bristol or using the QR code above. 

To find out more about Project FIAS, the FIAS Framework and FIAS Toolkit, please contact Fiona Spotswood (fiona.spotswood@bristol.ac.uk) or Martin Hurcombe (m.j.hurcombe@bristol.ac.uk)   

To see the Project FIAS blog, including photographs of the steering group, click here 

With thanks to our Project Partners: 

We can’t wait until the 5th October – the big Autumn celebration ride that will also see the launch of the FIAS Toolkit. Come along for a ride, a free coffee and pastry and to meet the FIAS Superstars. These amazing women have guided the work of Project FIAS and they are coming to Bristol for the launch. They are all inspirational leaders in sport – community drivers, industry drivers and culture shapers. We have been so proud to work with them.

MEET:

ANEELA – Founder of Mòr Diversity, Co-founder of FNY Collective, MissAdventures and the Colour Collective. Aneela is a mountain bike guide and coach and is passionate about equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and wellbeing. She works with a huge range of organisations on shifting mountain biking, including the UCI and British Cycling.

CLAIRE – Former outdoor instructor turned office bod! Claire works for Hope Technology Ltd in sales and events and heads up Hope WMN. Hope WMN is about celebrating women who ride bikes. They run women-led guided rides, talks, provide support to projects & events, publish informative blog posts and support brand ambassadors.

JO – Jo is co-owner of Pro Ride Mountain bike coaching and is passionate about women’s health – working in the field for 10 years. Jo is passionate about supporting more women to get involved in action sports and has decades of experience building and supporting communities of women in sport.

JOSIE – Josie is the Founder of She Flies Extreme Sports, a social enterprise encouraging women in kitesurfing – to ‘screw perfect and be courageous’. Josie straddles the corporate world as a Tech Executive with a passion for salt water and board sports.

KATH – An ex-pro climber, Kath has been riding bikes on the hills and mountains of North Wales since the early 2000s. She is owner and chief adventure creator at RideHigh MTB and Chair of Trail Collective North Wales. Kath’s mission is to not only get more women out on bikes but to get them more involved in the wonderful world of trail building. She is a mentor to many, and inspiration to all.

SUE – Sue is The Adventure Queen Mother. She is a ride leader for New Forest Off Road Club and member of Adventure Queens. She is wise and passionate about the outdoors and in supporting others to get active outside.

ZOË – Zoë and her family are all mountain biking heroes and inspirations to mountain bikers of all ages. Zoë is also a charity coordinator and ride volunteer for girlsALIVE in Surrey. She is hugely passionate about women in MTB and committed to shifting the culture now and in the future.

Join us in Bristol on 5th October for a ride to celebrate the launch of the FIAS Toolkit.

What is the FIAS Toolkit?

The FIAS Toolkit: Supporting thriving women+ mountain biking communities. The toolkit follows the FIAS Framework, which is designed to guide sports policy institutions in shaping their programmes and priorities to support activities that foster a cultural shift in mountain biking towards better gender equality and inclusivity. The Framework has ‘COMMUNITY’ at its core, based on our extensive research that illuminates the central role the women+ communities play in shifting the culture of mountain biking, and fostering positive experiences among women+.

The FIAS team have therefore, developed the toolkit to support women+ who want to set up a mountain biking community and women+ who already lead a community. It brings together the collective wisdom of mountain biking communities across the UK and provides guidance on the following areas:

1. Planning and initiating: how to get things off the ground.
2. Recruiting and diversifying: how to reach the women+ you’d like to reach.
3. Ensuring a positive experience: how to get the vibe right on every ride.
4. Retaining and sustaining: how to ensure your community thrives and grows.

Why are we holding the event and who is invited?

We are inviting ALL mountain bikers to come together to celebrate community in mountain biking, and the ways that women+ only communities can foster positive, joyful experiences for women+. We are celebrating the community catalysts, the new riders, and the supporters and allies who help mountain biking grow, thrive and evolve.

When and where is the event?

The event will be held on 5th October at Ashton Court in Bristol – a group ride followed by pastries and coffee. We will meet at 9am and ride from 9.30am.

The ride will be hosted by Ride Bristol, Bristol’s Trail Association who build and maintain Bristol’s amazing network of mountain bike trails. They have a mission to support community in mountain biking and run a monthly women’s ride: Women Ride Bristol. The women’s ride will be the main focus of the event, and there will be mixed group rides as well, so everyone is welcome to join one of the many led groups going out that morning.

A photographer and videographer from the University of Bristol will be at the event to capture the excitement, connection and joy that comes from mountain biking community rides.

We hope to see you there!

To find out more about the launch event, and the FIAS project, please get in touch with project lead, Fiona Spotswood Fiona.Spotswood@Bristol.ac.uk.

 

Project FIAS is working with Fusion Media, to develop a ‘Transformative Marketing Framework’ for the mountain biking industry. The framework will be co-created and will build on existing examples of best practice to help the industry to become more inclusive and move towards gender equality.

We want to hear from women in the mountain biking marketplace to help us to understand the untapped economic market potential of women’s mountain biking. We want to hear examples of best practice – anything from events, sponsorship, holidays, to product sales…

The Framework will be launched at the Kendal Mountain Festival in November 24!

Please email Fiona.Spotswood@Bristol.ac.uk for more details.

The FIAS team has just returned from delivering a FIAS research and Framework workshop with Scottish Cycling and DimBins, up in beautiful Glentress. After a flurry of travel and presentations, this trip concludes our FIAS Roadshow.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our partner organisations; Forestry England, Welsh Cycling, British Cycling, DimBins and IMBA for working with us on the development of the FIAS Framework. We have stayed close to these partners throughout the project, and to an extensive range of stakeholders from industry and policy throughout the wider project. We have been guided through their questions, ambitions and input. The workshops have given us a chance to explore the potential impact the FIAS Framework might make on the gendered nature of mountain biking, and it has galvanised important conversations about a fairer, more inclusive future for the sport. We have been consistently encouraged by the engagement and excitement that has taken place at the workshops, and by the commitment and energy of participants. Now the real work begins as organisations, business and regions set to work shifting programmes of activity around the four Framework areas. We can’t wait to see what happens next.

Now that we’ve completed our final workshop, we will be sending out a feedback form for attendees so we can stay in touch and you can tell us how you are changing your practice to help shift the culture of mountain biking.

Finally, we would like to assure you that the FIAS project is not over. We are working on a number of important aligned projects that range from embedding the Framework into specific organisations, and developing related toolkits for specific audiences. Particularly, we are developing a Women+’s Mountain Biking Community Building Toolkit, expertly guided by our amazing steering group. That toolkit will be launched in Bristol on October 5^th and everyone is welcome to come down for a celebratory ride and to meet our team. Keep an eye on our blog and Instagram page for details and stay in touch to find out more about the work we’re doing to help foster inclusivity in mountain biking.

 

Our work on project FIAS has been cited in a thought-provoking article by Bike Radar. The article discusses the need to shift the culture of mountain biking to make it more inclusive for women and highlights important topics such as;

• The need for more women in leadership positions within the industry
• The role that stakeholders can play in championing female participation in cycling
• That women feel disconnected from mainstream mountain biking culture, prompting them to start creating their own
• The need for continued effort to help shift culture

The article includes voices from those leading the way in this area, including organisations such as Zwift, Limitlass and the Uplift mentor programme. See the full article here Women’s cycling is growing in popularity, but how can participation be improved? | BikeRadar

 

Project FIAS have been busy with our roadshow workshops with some of our partner organisations; Forestry England, Welsh Cycling and British Cycling. We explored how the FIAS Framework can be embedded within these organisations to help foster gender inclusivity in mountain biking. A Big thank you to everyone who has attended and contributed to the workshops. We’re encouraged by the passion and excitement to contribute towards a culture change, to help shift perceptions, and ultimately, to make mountain biking a more inclusive space for women+.

The Project FIAS team couldn’t miss an opportunity to get in some rides at our roadshow workshops. From the stunning hills of the Ellan Valley, to the Velodrome at the Nation Cycling Centre! Another big thank you to our partner organisations for hosting the Project FIAS workshops. We hope the FIAS Framework will help to foster gender inclusivity in mountain biking.

Dr Fiona Spotswood will be speaking at this year’s IMBA Summit in Vienna 22-24^th May 2024.

The IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) Europe Summit is a unique opportunity for a cross-sectoral knowledge exchange in the field of mountain biking. The summit have included more women than ever in the programme of speakers and presenters, and as part of their goal to encourage more women into mountain biking, IMBA are kickstarting a new European Women in MTB network.

More details on the summit can be found here IMBA Europe Summit 2024 — IMBA Europe (imba-europe.org)

Breaking down barriers in women’s mountain biking

“It is really important to integrate women into all levels of mountain bike culture, but also look at changes in the cultural representation of mountain biking in how women can be involved in leadership in mountain biking and cycle sport at all levels.”

Dr Fiona Spotswood joined Pedro Lopes on his Podcast, Ride to Success. They delve into issues of gender inequality in mountain biking and discuss the following areas;

• Project FIAS: Bridging the Gender Divide in Action Sports
• Unveiling the Hidden Barriers: Key Findings on Gender Inequality
• Building Inclusive Communities: The Heart of Project FIAS
• Changing the Narrative: The Power of Communities and Marketing
• The Impact of Media and Marketing on Mountain Biking’s Image
• Successful Strategies for Cultivating Diversity on the Trails
• Stories of Change: Transformative Moments in Mountain Biking
• Looking Ahead: The Future Path of Project FIAS

Links to the podcast:
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eNgcEQm5
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eP9qmTPc
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/efbeFJkb

Social Links to Ride to Success:
Follow Pedro Couto Lopes: https://lnkd.in/eMUx2By5
Instagram: https://lnkd.in/eh5qZgcY
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/ehjqVptX

The FIAS team is in the process of running our ‘roadshow workshops’ with our consortium of partners – British Cycling, Forestry England, Welsh Cycling, Scottish Cycling and Forestry England. The workshops are designed to initiate conversations about how the four strategic areas in the Framework can inform, shape and transform the work of these partner organisations and further transform mountain bike culture towards gender inclusivity. We are lucky to have excellent support from all our partners, and their energy will enable us to build on existing work and accelerate change. Our first roadshow was with Forestry England at their annual Cycle Network Meeting, held in the Forest of Dean. “We could have talked through FIAS for two days, let alone two hours”, admitted one of the workshop delegates. We agree!

Fi Spotswood presenting research findings to Forestry England

Our Welsh Cycling partnership is led by Robbie George, Director of Development and Participation. He has an ambitious plans for cultural transformation in mountain biking in Wales. Working with Robbie, we are embedding the FIAS Framework into plans for MBWales, a national programme designed to

• Develop, maintain and grow a sustainable network of diverse mountain biking trails suitable for all levels of rider.
• Foster an inclusive, vibrant mountain biking community through events, workshops, and skill-building programs.
• Promote eco-friendly practices such as regenerative trails to and work with industry partners to ensure the preservation of our cherished outdoor environment.
• Boost tourism and economic growth in local communities by attracting mountain biking enthusiasts and supporting cycle friendly tourist infrastructure.
• Campaign on behalf of the sector to improve trail access and investment (both public & private) in MTB in Wales.

The FIAS Team will be working with Welsh Cycling to build inclusive mountain biking into MBWales, starting with the MBWales Gathering on 10th May. On LinkedIn, Robbie writes:

“We’re kickstarting discussions on the 10th May @ The Lodge, Staylittle (thanks Phill Stasiw for hosting), in the heart of Powys, and pleased to be welcoming Fiona Spotswood Maria Moxey Martin Hurcombe to work through the #FIAS Framework to ensure we embed considerations about leadership, culture, representation and inclusion throughout our work moving forward.

“Looking forward to engaging with partners from MB Wales Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales BikePark Wales Plas y Brenin Revolution Bike Park Trash Free Trails Pedal MTB and more to get the wheels turning and build on the excellent work already achieved to date”.

He adds, “If you are a sector leader in Wales sign up via the link” Developing MTB in Wales – are you in? (office.com).

We are so excited to work with Robbie and the team at Welsh Cycling and we can’t wait to continue the roadshow workshops over the next few months.