The hall of fame likes to showcase women involved in mountain biking from across the globe.
Jenn and Jennie run Singletrack Mindfulness; a mountain bike and yoga retreat in Vermont. We caught up with them to find out a bit more about what they do?
Name: Jenn Childress
Nickname(s): Ms. C (I?m a middle school teacher.) Chills ? There are too many Jenns in the world.
Age:? 32
Lives:? Burlington, Vermont, USA
Rides: Specialized Safire FSR Elite
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Tell us a little about yourself:
I love riding my bike! When I?m not teaching middle school kids how to read and write, I am riding my bike or thinking about riding my bike. ?I grew up in Virginia playing? team sports like basketball and softball, but I grew disillusioned with them as an adult. I needed a way to stay in shape and still have fun. Enter -mountain biking.
Jenn
How come you decided to set up a mountain bike and yoga business?
Jennie told me about her idea, and I realized the potential in it. Mountain biking, although fun, can take a toll on your body.? I realized that the combination of yoga and mountain biking helped improve my recovery time and my overall fitness.? Yoga helps you improve skills such as balance as well as work on mental obstacles like fear.? I also believe that combining the two practices will help riders extend the longevity of their mountain biking by maintaining their bodies.
If we were to learn one yoga move, which one would you recommend?
Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)- My back and shoulders often get really tight and sore after riding.? The standing forward fold helps to reduce pain in your back and increase flexibility in your hamstrings and hip flexors.? You can add more intensity by grasping a strap or clasping your hands behind your back to open up your chest even more.
On the trails
What could we expect from a Singletrack Mindfulness holiday?
You could expect to leave your worries behind and really unplug for the duration of your retreat.? We take care of everything including your meals, transportation, guiding, yoga instruction, and bike care.? We?ve done enough of our own bike trips to recognize where time and money is wasted. Our goal is to ensure that guests have a chance to enjoy their vacations while spending more time biking and practicing yoga and not thinking so much about details like where to stay and what to eat.
What?s the riding like in your neck of the woods?
There are a lot of steep up and down transitions. Trails have many technical sections using natural obstacles like roots, rocks, and other terrain features both up and down hill.? Some trails feature numerous rock rollers and little hucks as well as rock piles and something I like to call ?spiderweb? roots.? The ?spiderweb? roots are smaller root systems that cover an entire area like a web and can be quite challenging when they?re slick.
Technical sections
When/How did you get into riding?
Eight years ago I started doing some bike commuting when I lived in Chicago. ?I read about a mountain bike hut-to-hut trip in Colorado and Utah, and I decided I wanted to do it. ?I called up a couple of my best friends from college and recruited them for the ride.? We did the trip ? 250 miles from Telluride to Moab, and that?s when I fell in love with singletrack!
I love riding because?
it makes me feel like a kid.? I have so much fun on the bike and with my friends. It keeps me in shape and helps reduce my stress in a healthy way.? It also provides a unique way to experience the earth?s terrain.? You get to flow with it rather than tread upon it and that just feels so good!
Top 3 Riding Spots
- Black Mountain, Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina ? This ride is sick!
- Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont ? Of course!
- Doctor Park in Crested Butte, Colorado ? It?s like being a Jedi on that trail!
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Jennie and Jenn
Name: Jennie Date
Nickname(s): Jennie Date
Age:? 38
Lives:? Burlington, Vermont, USA
Rides: Santa Cruz Blur LT
Tell us a little about yourself:
I was born in the UK and grew up in California, now I live in Vermont, which has elements of both and is also totally unique.? I love to spend as much time as possible outdoors, and I co-habitate with a really cool cat named BB.? Besides the obsessive mountain biking and a deep devotion to yoga, I dig making plant medicines, studying astrology, enjoying good beer, consuming local food and working with youth.
Jennie checking out the view
How come you decided to set up a mountain bike and yoga business?
I?ve tried many different careers ? wine buyer, naturalist, youth worker, carpenter, road bike tour leading ? struggling to figure out what I should do for a ?career.?? Through all those changes, I always rode my bike ? the one constant ? and built my schedule around it.? About 5 years into my recreational mountain biking career, I started doing yoga. Yoga allowed me to confront physical and mental obstacles, creating a new sense of confidence and balance.? Combine that with the amazing power of going on retreat, and I just thought I should share.
If we were to learn one yoga move, which one would you recommend?
If I were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one yoga pose? it would be downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana).? Downward Dog is an overall body stretch, opening the entire backside of the body and at the same time dynamically strengthening the upper body. The spine lengthens and the entire body is rejuvenated. In a way, it?s a bit of a ?do-all? pose:? part inversion, part hip/shoulder opener, part forward bend, with even a suggestion of a back bend in between the shoulder blades.? It also can serve as either a challenging pose, or a restful one.
Mid ride, downward dog break
What could we expect from a Singletrack Mindfulness holiday?
You could expect to feel completely relaxed and rejuvenated.? The balance of the physical exertion of mountain biking and the inner reflection of yoga practically guarantees an experience that is both exhilarating and deeply restful.? Vermont is beautiful and quiet and also makes some good ale. You can expect to have a lot of fun, good laughs, and some actual time to yourself!? And you?ll feel like a badass!
What?s the riding like in your neck of the woods?
The riding in Vermont is amazing.? In the last decade, some very dedicated trail builders have taken over the scene and now there are hundreds of miles of winding, challenging, incredible singletrack, built by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers.? The views are spectacular and there are loads of swimming holes to cool off in too.? The terrain is varied, making excellent use of local rock for stunts.? It is technical, demanding, and extremely rewarding.
The rock strewn trails
When/How did you get into riding?
I started riding at age 7 in my driveway, determined to learn without training wheels.? Years later, I picked up mountain biking while going to college in Montana, while feeling somewhat disillusioned by academia; I was studying plants, but couldn?t understand why we weren?t spending more time outdoors.? Mountain biking became the way I connected with the wilderness.
I love riding because?
It has brought me friends, solitude, fitness, connection to the outdoors, community, sweet travel opportunities, a vocation, and a way to overcome obstacles in life.? Additionally, it has connected me with my lifelong partner and companion ? now that can?t be beat!
Top 3 Riding Spots
- Waterbury, Vermont
- The Preacher, Hinesburg, Vermont
- Zippety Do Da, Fruita, Colorado
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Find out more about Singletrack Mindfulness retreats here.
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