Image courtesy of Hilary LexIn March of 2017, World Ride founder Julie Cornelius traveled to Nepal for an AndShesDopeToo(Opens in a new window) film Moksha, a women's mountain bike film project that. After two years, Julie traveled to Nepal with a team to work with three female mountain bikers in Nepal and tell their story through the film that was released in January 2018. Julie wanted to start a program that would continue to help grow the community of female mountain bikers in Nepal, and World Ride was born.
Image courtesy of World RideWhy just stop in one country when there is an opportunity to make an impact in other areas as well? The beauty of World Ride’s mission and work is that it can have an impact in all countries around the globe. World Ride has since to also work in Guatemala, Peru, Lesotho and Botswana (and very soon in Tanzania!).
World Ride works with local partners and female leaders in each location that are committed to giving women opportunity through the sport of mountain biking. World Ride programs help to train female mountain bike guides, certified skills coaches and other ride leaders. These women serve as role models and help to recruit more women into the sport. The women trained as guides and skills coaches have the opportunity to work year round with our partners, and also guide all World Ride trips in their countries. These mountain bike adventure trips are an important part of our mission because they allow YOU to visit the places that we work to experience the amazing cultures and see first hand how mountain biking is making a difference in the lives of the women we work with.
Image courtesy of Hilary LexWith limited resources, World Ride has been able to make significant strides in building economic opportunities and communities. World Ride…
- Trains women to be certified mountain bike skills instructors and guide leaders via Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Certification courses
- Creates equipment libraries women can borrow bikes from, thereby building a base of local network of female riders for social support.
- Assists women in their other business endeavors, as it most often requires multiple income streams to earn a living wage.
- Organizes and markets mountain bike trips to the countries which employ the female guides we have supported.
- Builds a 360 degree ecosystem for small business development, including skills training, guide certification, and driving revenue to the region.
In January of 2023, World Ride brought filmmakers Hilary Lex and Ashley Hayes to Guatemala to help tell the story of Christa Castillo, World Ride’s first guide there. The film follows Christa and explore her journey of healing and empowerment through mountain biking. Amidst incredible landscapes and against the backdrop of gender inequality, Christa's passion for mountain biking becomes a catalyst for change.
The film(Opens in a new window) tells her story and also shows the greater impact World Ride is having with women in Guatemala. In 2019, World Ride and local partner Old Town Outfitters organized the first ever women’s only Travesia event, a type of community ride that is popular in Guatemala. The energy at this event highlights the work that World Ride and Christa are doing. This event happens yearly and World Ride hosts a trip that includes it every year.
You can help support World Ride by joining on the Travesia(Opens in a new window) trip January 14-21, 2024, donate to support their programs, or participate in any of their mountain bike trips in the countries they work in. Watch the film Libertad(Opens in a new window) to learn more about World Ride, meet Christa and see what the Travesia was like.
Follow along with World Ride(Opens in a new window) to hear about upcoming trips, new countries they are starting to work in and how to help support the women they work with.