GOWAAN FEST 2022
The Gowaan girls are Bex Barona and Martha Gill, two pro riders from the North of England who love mountain biking and having fun on their bikes. They set up the Gowaan girls with the aim of getting more people, especially women and girls, out on bikes enjoying themselves, and they have already inspired thousands to do so!The second Gowaan Fest took place at Farmer John’s MTB park near Stockport this last weekend, where 275 women and girls, of all ages, from all over the UK and beyond, got together to learn new skills, meet new friends and have a great time on and off bikes. Rosie and I were there with the Hope Wmn stand, and what an awesome weekend it was!
The vibe for the event was super relaxed, with people able to take part in as much or as little as they wanted. The event centred around a giant tipi tent, with an event village where brands were set up, some with demo bikes, and others with products on display or merch to buy, and of course stickers and freebies to hand out. There was a food vendor keeping everyone supplied with bbq food and pizzas, as well as an all important coffee van and even a gin bar. It was a great spot to be able to watch the main action from, chat to everyone as they came past, and enjoy the sunshine which we were treated to all weekend.Riders could get involved in all sorts of fun throughout the day, from the Soul Connection Yoga sessions each morning, coaching sessions on the trails with Jess Stone, Katy Curd and others, giving the air bag a go, the pump track challenge, or even just heading off in groups to ride and session some of the trails.There were organised times where everyone was brought together to join in, and the atmosphere around these was so good! First up was the air bag trick off, where so many summoned up the courage to give it a go (it’s a scary looking ramp to hit, made even more terrifying by the strong winds that were present all weekend!), and we saw folks trying no handers and even back flips which was super impressive!
The dual slalom race saw pretty much everyone getting involved with some fun racing shenanigans, there was serious commitment and some crazy slide outs on the grass, and those that weren’t racing or who got knocked out early on joined in with the cheering.
Anyone who follows Martha knows she is a Wheelie queen, so it was no surprise to see her Wheelie workshop looking very popular! Hundreds of women all riding around practising getting their front wheel up in the air was so cool to see, and the progression made was awesome!
Another popular event was the Drift off, where riders had to sprint down a grassy field (made slick with a sprinkling of overnight rain!), then skid their rear wheel firstly as long as possible in a straight line, then around a corner. The crowds were going wild with everyone throwing themselves into the event and some impressive slide outs….worthy of lots of spot prizes!
In the evening there was a Q and A session with some special guests, including winner of the most recent Enduro World Series event, Ella Connolly. And then it was time to fire up the Red Bull party truck and dance into the night! It was a real festival atmosphere and so good to see everyone having such a brilliant time on and off the bikes.
The weekend finished with a giant raffle where someone won a bike and pretty much everyone won something, with some amazing prizes including a set of Hope brakes and some other shiny parts (these were definitely picked out first!). It was a fabulous event to be involved in, the amount of progression we saw amongst all riders was incredible. Confidence was built and everyone was buzzing from trying new skills and nailing drops or jumps that they hadn’t thought possible at the start of the weekend. There were a lot of smiling faces and happy folks as we all headed off on Sunday night! Well done Bex and Martha and your awesome team of volunteers, you did a great job! I highly recommend getting a spot to take part next year if you can, Gowaaaaan! You know you want to!
Words & Pictures: Julia Hobson
