Building a More Inclusive Mountain Biking Community with Roam Fest

Photo Credit: Re Wikstrom.

Roam Fest, a mountain bike festival for femme- and nonbinary-identifying people, is changing the landscape of off-road cycling for the better. The festival is building a more inclusive mountain biking community through support and empowerment.

Biking can be an incredibly freeing, joyful activity – careening down roads or single track paths, soaking up nature, and spending time with friends. 

But it can also be an unwelcoming sport, at times, with the prevalence of ultra-expensive bikes, uber-fit-looking bodies, and high percentage of white men who partake in cycling. 

For those who identify as femme or nonbinary, finding truly safe spaces to ride with others like themselves can be a challenge. 

Roam Fest, a mountain bike festival in Fruita, Colorado in September, seeks to make space for women, genderqueer femme folks, and non-traditional riders while having fun and building community. 

Roam Fest co-founder Ash Zolton and Director of Operations and Partnerships Sam Ryan gave us the lowdown on why the stoke is so high and inclusive at this special mountain bike festival.

The Story of Roam Fest

Zolton says that the inspiration for Roam Fest came from her own experience as a femme in mountain biking.

“My wife and I started Roam Fest back in 2017, when I was working in the bike industry,” Zolton says. “I would go to industry events and be one of the only femmes there and be surrounded by mostly men. I recognized that these spaces in cycling weren’t very welcoming or inclusive for folks that looked like me or folks who were outside of the typical demographic of who you might see at mountain bike events.”

Around the same time, Zolton was inspired by an all-women’s climbing festival, the Flash Foxy Festival, realizing that there was no equivalent for mountain biking. 

Thus, the idea for Roam Fest was born. 

Zolton notes that the first year of Roam Fest included seven industry partners and about 125 festival attendees – most of who identified as cisgender hetero white folks.

“I call that to attention because I’m really grateful and proud of what the demographic at Roam Fest looks like now, nearly 10 years later,” Zolton says. “I like to point out where we started because we’ve come so far, and it’s been a process and it’s been a constant learning and listening experience.” 

The Roam Fest Difference

Roam Fest isn’t like other mountain bike festivals – and it doesn’t want or try to be. 

Ryan notes that her first mountain and gravel event years ago was fun, but very heavily skewed towards men, and she described it as being intimidating. After connecting with Zolton, Ryan knew she too wanted to be part of a positive change in mountain biking.

“Roam Fest is not your typical mountain bike event, it is not a clinic, and it is not a competition,” Ryan says. “It is a bike party. And that, in and of itself, is what I think separates Roam Fest from so many other events.”

Empowering Femme and Nonbinary Riders

Not only is Roam Fest for women, genderqueer femme folks, and non-traditional riders to attend, it is also nearly entirely staffed by people who identify that way, too. 

From femme bike mechanics to femme brand representatives in the expo, Roam Fest takes femme empowerment beyond just the attendees and extends it to every possible aspect of the festival.

And if a gentleman is coming to Roam Fest, he is fully onboarded by the Roam Fest team about how to be a true ally.

“Our dance party is explicitly for women and nonbinary folks, and we hold that sacred,” Zolton says. “Additionally, any gentlemen attending via our various brand partners have been thoroughly vetted and onboarded.”

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Inclusivity is an Investment

Roam Fest is still in the minority of mountain bike festivals in that they prioritize creating a safe space explicitly for women, femme and nonbinary riders. Building an inclusive mountain biking community isn’t easy but it is worth it.

Zolton notes that in doing so, the Roam Fest team has made it a goal to listen, accept feedback, and invest in inclusive actions.

“I don’t think there is any ‘easy’ way to be more inclusive – I think very few people and brands do it well because it’s not easy,” Zolton says. “You have to relinquish your ego and your power, you have to listen. I’ve had to have some very tough conversations with folks about things we thought were very inclusive that actually weren’t.”

Brands, organizations, and people must make a true investment in inclusivity and not look at it as a box to tick off half-heartedly.

Small Steps, Big Impact: Actions for Change

Ryan recommends a handful of accessible and low-barrier ways to begin making those inclusivity investments:

• Include “nonbinary” and “other” selections in the “gender” category of any signup forms
• Put baby changing tables in all restrooms, regardless of gender designation
• Provide free sanitary supplies such as tampons and pads in porta potties and restrooms, regardless of gender designation

Additionally, Ryan recommends ensuring your organization’s leadership considers and includes as many diverse members and perspectives as possible. If events or activations involve hiring photographers or videographers, ensure you hire diverse media professionals to capture a wide variety of content and ways of thinking about content.

Join the Movement: Roam Fest 2024

Zolton, Ryan, and the entire Roam Fest team are constantly innovating and changing their approaches based on feedback and listening experiences around the festival each year to ensure it remains one of the most inclusive events in mountain biking. It is a festival where women, genderqueer femme folks, nonbinary folks, and non-traditional riders can relish shredding the trails of Fruita in a safe, supportive way.

Roam Fest is September 20-22 in Fruita, Colorado. You can buy tickets for this inclusive mountain biking community and check out the event schedule here.