Babes in Bikeland race expects hundreds of riders

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Annie Grossarth commuted on bike from south to northeast Minneapolis for two years. She lived with people who worked in bike shops and rode in bike races. But still she was hesitant to sign up for a race herself.

"A lot of the other races that happen around town are pretty male dominated," Grossarth said. "They can be pretty intimidating."

Then friends told her about a unique race called Babes in Bikeland. In the annual race, women and female-identified riders took the lead while men only played a support role.

"I felt welcomed," Grossarth said. "If you win, it's cool but it doesn't even matter that much because that's not what people come together for -- they come together to celebrate the women, trans, femme cycling community."

Grossarth, who has only biked seriously for less than four years, took first place in the race last year. It gave her confidence in her cycling abilities.

"A lot of people who knew me before I'd gotten into cycling were just so excited to watch me from going from being a not particularly active person to winning this race," Grossarth said. "Winning is crazy shocking."

Up to 400 riders are expected to participate in the eighth annual Babes in Bikeland race in south Minneapolis on Saturday.

Although fewer women still bike than men in the United States, a report released by last year by the League of American Bicyclists last year found that the population of female bikers has skyrocketed in the last decade, partly thanks to inclusive events like Babes in Bikeland.

Co-organizer Kat McCarthy said the race will start in Powderhorn Park and wind its way 20 miles along with traffic on city streets, with riders making stops for fun activities along the way.

"Typically at each stop there's a little activity you have to do to get your stamp to prove that you were there," McCarthy said. "Sometimes there's a photo booth where they can get their portrait taken or maybe like a tire toss where you have to throw a tire and ring it around a little cone or something."

People can ride recreationally or competitively depending on what they're comfortable with.

"Some people are pretty familiar with bike racing, so they like to approach it where they might have a chance of actually winning," McCarthy said. "For a lot of people it's a way that they can meet more women who ride bikes and make some good friendships."

The race is aimed at what organizers refer to as "WTF." McCarthy said it stands for "women, transgender* and femme."

"We use the acronym 'WTF' to kind of provide a large catchall for anyone who doesn't benefit from male privilege," McCarthy said. "We try not to make assumptions about someone's gender, as long as they identify as 'WTF' they're welcome to participate in our race."

McCarthy and other organizers have consciously tried to make a break from other traditionally male-dominated bike events. In a post to the event's Facebook page this year, organizers acknowledged that some attendees have felt uncomfortable in the past and reminded volunteers to stay respectful.

"[W]hen YOU are at this event, we ask that you don't try to pick up WTFs, you don't touch people without their enthusiastic consent, you don't make homophobic or transphobic 'jokes,' and you don't use language that is grounded in hate or discrimination," the Facebook post read. "We are all here to have a good time, so just be respectful of one another, it's not that hard."

J.J. Kahle identifies as "gender non-conforming." Kahle has sometimes felt alienated by bike shop workers or others who assume that Kahle doesn't know the way around a bike. For Kahle said the inclusiveness that Babes in Bikeland organizers strive for has been "awesome."

"It's a blast scheming out a plan to get from one stop to the next in the Babes in Bikeland race," Kahle said. "It's exhilarating to cross paths with other Babes riders and yell, 'Yeah, Babes,' ding bells and slap high fives."

While men don't ride in the race, they do play an important support role, according to rider Letta Page.

"They're the ones at the stops stamping the manifests or standing still while we play 'ring the bike tire around the messenger,'" Page said. "There's a very visible aspect of gender support here."

Page said the Minneapolis bike racing scene seems to be more supportive and less male-dominated than in other parts of the country.

"The men who are involved in the race are thrilled," Page said. "They're seeing their biking community expand, and they go on to encourage Babes in Bikeland riders to come join in other races, to take this as a moment of inspiration that shows them that they're definitely up to the challenge of joining in on any race they want."

Letta said the broader public sometimes just sees bikers as either spandex-clad weekend warriors or an activity for people with the most expensive gear. She said Babes in Bikeland offers another way of thinking about biking.

"Bikes are fun -- just because we're grown ups doesn't mean we can't just look at our friends and say, 'Let's go ride bikes,'" Letta said. "Races like Babes in Bikeland that emphasize fun and cooperation and competition help us reclaim the fun part of riding bikes."

Babes in Bikeland registration goes from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 on the north end of Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. The race starts at 5 p.m.