Elsa westenfelder
What is your name? (include your nicknames!)
Elsa Westenfelder
Occupation/Grade and School: (tell us a little about what your summer plans are!)
I’m an 8th Grader at the Missoula International School (soon to be a 9th Grader at Hellgate!). I’m super excited to go to the MontanaCrossCamp (a cyclocross camp in Helena) this summer! I’m also doing a week-long river trip down the Salmon River in Idaho!
What is your bike’s name?
My bike’s name is Perry!
What do you think about when you’re riding down EWOK?
Riding down Ewok always makes me think of the crazy and fun experiences I’ve had while riding my bike. Ewok was maybe the first trail I ever rode, and always reminds me of fun and crazy adventures!
How old were you when you started riding? When did you join MT Alpha?
I think I was 3 years old when I started riding a Strider Bike! I joined MT Alpha about five or six years ago, participating in the juniors group at the Skills Clinic.
What is your favorite Missoula trail and why?
My favorite Missoula trail is the Ravine Trail, because the climb is a great challenge and the downhill is always super fun and worth the work!
What do you like best about riding your bike?
What I like most about riding my bike is that it’s a super fun way to get outside with friends. I also like the freedom of it; how there’s no set of rules to follow, unlike some other sports. I love how you can choose to make it competitive if you want, but don’t have to! Your opponent can always be yourself.
Are there any hurdles to riding your bike? How did you overcome them?
I love riding my bike, but there aren’t many girls my age who do it! I love that Alpha has encouraged women of all ages to ride their bikes. It’s helped me meet new people who share my passion for cycling!
What is your favorite post ride snack?
Chocolate milk all the way!
If there is a message or advice you would give to inspire someone (young or old) to ride bikes, what would that be?
I would tell them to always be confident and have fun on the bike. You can do amazing things on the bike if you are determined, confident, and are enjoying yourself!
Elsa Westenfelder
Occupation/Grade and School: (tell us a little about what your summer plans are!)
I’m an 8th Grader at the Missoula International School (soon to be a 9th Grader at Hellgate!). I’m super excited to go to the MontanaCrossCamp (a cyclocross camp in Helena) this summer! I’m also doing a week-long river trip down the Salmon River in Idaho!
What is your bike’s name?
My bike’s name is Perry!
What do you think about when you’re riding down EWOK?
Riding down Ewok always makes me think of the crazy and fun experiences I’ve had while riding my bike. Ewok was maybe the first trail I ever rode, and always reminds me of fun and crazy adventures!
How old were you when you started riding? When did you join MT Alpha?
I think I was 3 years old when I started riding a Strider Bike! I joined MT Alpha about five or six years ago, participating in the juniors group at the Skills Clinic.
What is your favorite Missoula trail and why?
My favorite Missoula trail is the Ravine Trail, because the climb is a great challenge and the downhill is always super fun and worth the work!
What do you like best about riding your bike?
What I like most about riding my bike is that it’s a super fun way to get outside with friends. I also like the freedom of it; how there’s no set of rules to follow, unlike some other sports. I love how you can choose to make it competitive if you want, but don’t have to! Your opponent can always be yourself.
Are there any hurdles to riding your bike? How did you overcome them?
I love riding my bike, but there aren’t many girls my age who do it! I love that Alpha has encouraged women of all ages to ride their bikes. It’s helped me meet new people who share my passion for cycling!
What is your favorite post ride snack?
Chocolate milk all the way!
If there is a message or advice you would give to inspire someone (young or old) to ride bikes, what would that be?
I would tell them to always be confident and have fun on the bike. You can do amazing things on the bike if you are determined, confident, and are enjoying yourself!
Elise baker
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What is your name? (include your nicknames!)
Elise Baker Occupation/Grade and School: (tell us a little about what you plan on doing after graduation!) I am a senior at Hellgate High School, and I am taking a gap year before attending MSU in the fall of 2020. I’m still not totally sure what I’ll be doing over the course of my gap year, but one of my goals is to hike the Camino de Santiago in Spain. And go skiing and biking, of course. What is your bike’s name? My last bike was named Black Stallion, but I am riding my mom’s bike these days. She won’t let me name it because it’s “her” bike. It’s silver, so maybe something with Silver in the name? What do you think about when you’re riding down EWOK? “Ooh, that fun corner by the roots is coming up, should I go high or low?” “Shoot, I think going high would have been faster.” “Do I have a math test tomorrow??” How old were you when you started riding? When did you join MT Alpha? I started riding when I was 5, I think. But it wasn’t until I was 10 or 11 that I started mountain biking more, and it was around then that I joined MT Alpha. I think it was the summer of 2013. What is your favorite Missoula trail and why? Oof, that’s a tough question. But even with all the options, I have to go with Ewok! I love ending most of my rides with it, and it has been so much fun to feel myself getting faster and faster as I grow up. The first time I did Ewok with my parents it took my sister and I 20 minutes or something. I cried. What do you like best about riding your bike? I like how quiet it can be. It seems like a lot of sports that are fast and exciting are also loud, but bikes seem to blend with nature a little bit more. I also like the strategy of it, on both the climb and the descent. Are there any hurdles to riding your bike? How did you overcome them? When I started MT Alpha, I was a couple years younger than the other junior girls, who were mostly in high school. I felt a little shy, but I slowly learned how to seek out the things we had in common, and then I felt like part of the pack. What is your favorite post ride snack? Pickles! If there is a message or advise you would give to inspire someone (young or old) to ride bikes, what would that be? Trust your bike and trust yourself! You can do amazing things on a bike, and find amazing people to do them with. Find your pack and have fun! |
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