Local business and all girls club team up to grow Rutland’s mountain biking community
Alpine Bike Works is proud to announce its sponsorship of the Gritty Girls Mountain Bike Club with a donation of $1,500 and two new Giant youth mountain bikes.
The Gritty Girls events take place at the Rutland Recreation Community Center. The website of the community center states that the Gritty Girls is “a girls’ mountain bike club that encourages and promotes confidence, knowledge and basic skills in a supportive team environment through games, group rides, and fun challenges.” The first group event begins on April 28 and runs from 1-3 p.m.
“Supporting the local female cycling community is important to us, and the Gritty Girls program is aligned with our core values,” says Tony Accurso, owner of Alpine Bike Works. “Our company supports the regional women’s cycling community through our Liv Ambassador Program partnership by sponsoring local athletes such as Carrie Pill.” Pill is a local artist and active member of Rutland’s growing mountain biking community. “Carrie brings so much to the table,” Tony continues, “in the form of organizing local women’s rides, participating in programs such as the Gritty Girls, and generally keeping the women’s cycling stoke high in our area!”
The Killington, Vermont-based bike shop also plans to provide long-term support to the Gritty Girls program by providing service clinics for bike repair and maintenance, as well as providing an on-site mechanic for events.
Shelley Lutz, one of the leaders of the Gritty Girls team, said the mission of the Gritty Girls is really all about “having fun. It’s about getting the girls outdoors.” She went on to say that one of the biggest benefits of getting the girls together in a supportive, team-based environment is that it helps with “building self-confidence.”
Gritty Girls is a spin-off of the Youth Mountain Bike Club. After a hiatus due to Covid-19, they plan to start riding late this April. The team has also hosted related activities in the past, such as bringing in nutrition and fitness instructors, as well as hosting a squirt gun biathlon. The Gritty Girls team is led by Shelley Lutz, April Hayden, Peggy Shinn, and Pam Trainer.
To learn more about the Rutland Recreation Community Center, visit rutlandrec.com/communitycenter.
For those interested in donating to the program, or to learn more about sponsorship, contact brittanym@rutlandrec.com.
