ride review

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Beartooth La Femme – a Ride Review

The Beartooth La Femme is a fully supported, women-only cycling event that starts and ends in Red Lodge, Montana. As the name suggests, the route follows the iconic Highway 212—also known as the Beartooth Highway—to the summit of Beartooth Pass, which sits at 10,947 feet above sea level. This stretch of highway is paved and well-maintained, and includes sharp switchbacks and beautiful views of the Beartooth Mountains as it meanders between Montana and Wyoming. It’s a legendary route, and this event offers a rare opportunity to ride it in a supportive, women-centered setting.

Here’s what made the Beartooth La Femme a standout experience for me:

1. This event is limited to just 75 women, which keeps things intimate and, more importantly, safe. Traffic on the Beartooth Highway can be significant—especially on weekends—so the ride is held on a Monday. The route begins in downtown Red Lodge and starts with a wide shoulder, which gradually narrows as the climb progresses and ultimately disappears near the summit. The organizers discouraged personal support vehicles along the route—something I really appreciated. If each rider had a support vehicle following them, it would only increase the traffic on an already busy stretch of road. And because the riders were all women, there were cheerful conversations along the way- until the air got thin.

Me in the beautiful cycling top at the summit

2. The registration fee included a pre-ride dinner of pasta, salad, and dessert at the charming Pollard Hotel. It was a great opportunity to meet and connect with other riders. The dinner also served as a briefing session, with organizers providing detailed information about the next day’s weather, traffic expectations, route conditions, and support options.

3. The registration fee also included a cycling top. I’m not usually fond of jerseys that come with registration fees because they’re often lower qualit than what I would normally purchase. However, the Terry Soleil cycling top is exceptional. It features a beautiful custom print of the Beartooth Mountains, UPF 50 fabric, and three generous rear pockets. It’s now one of my favorite pieces of cycling gear.

4. From pre-ride communication to on-course presence, the support for this event was phenomenal. Aid stations were well-stocked, and the mobile SAG vehicle made multiple passes along the route. It was reassuring to know that if I’d needed help along this 60 mile route, it was never far away. The organizers moved the start time for the ride up by thirty minutes because afternoon thunderstorms were expected, and at 10,947 feet, rain can quickly become snow. Some riders were forced to turn back as the weather moved in.

The Beartooth La Femme is more than just a bike ride—it’s an empowering, well-run, and beautifully scenic challenge designed with women’s safety and camaraderie in mind. If you’re looking for a high-altitude adventure surrounded by supportive energy, this ride absolutely delivers.

Bacon, Bears, and Bikes
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Bacon, Bears, and Bikes

A trip to ride through vineyards in Tuscany was initially suggested. Yet we found ourselves in remote Montana on a chilly, overcast Saturday morning in the company of bacon, bears, and bikes. How did we get here? When did this all start?

It all started back in 2010, when life forces a person to shift gears and adapt to what remains; in other words, life has a way of bringing people together. The biking part of it all started back in 2016, when two cousins decided to take a bike ride through Yellowstone National Park. We had pledged back in 2016 to make the get together an annual, or biannual, event at the least. Then life got in the way, including a pandemic, so we never had another adventure… until 2023.

I don’t anyone else who can pair cycling apparel with cowboy boots, and make it look good!

As we prepared for departure to Ovando the next morning, there was a lot of discussion about bacon. Not only did we have bacon for breakfast, but KMax decided that bacon would be her snack of choice during the Dusty Bandita. She also decided that having bacon loaded jersey pockets, warranted a bike bell, to alert the grizzly bears that she was coming… in case they couldn’t already smell the bacon. It was at this moment I knew the grizzly bears were not a concern for me. I just had to be faster than KMax. So we left Bozeman with a cooler full of bacon, stopped in Helena to pick up a bike bell (and see Aunt MJ), and headed to Ovando for packet pickup. The further north and west we went, the harder it rained. We opted to stay near Seeley Lake on Friday night, which was about a 40 minute drive from Ovando with the road construction.

On Saturday morning, we arrived in Ovando about 45 minutes before the race started at 10:00 AM. The skies were gray, and eventually let go with a steady but light rain. I had somehow managed to leave most of my cold weather riding gear back in Denver. I’m still a little puzzled by how that happened, but I think my intention was to go back and add it to the gear bag, but I forgot to circle back. (Rookie move!) There was some discussion about abandoning the race and going over to Flathead Lake instead. But we decided that we had to at least give the race a chance and ride for a few miles before completely abandoning it. Besides, I didn’t drive all that way with bike gear, to not use it!

The first couple of miles were sloppy as the rain continued its steady descent onto the dirt road. But within 5 miles or so, it tapered off and we were left with decent temperatures under overcast skies. It ended up being perfect riding weather: not too hot, not too cold, just right! This picture shows the two of us at the first aid station, snacking on bacon, and other tasty and salty treats! This was a fairly remote section of the race and if there were bears to be seen, this would have been a place to see them. Alas, the only sign of bears that day was the huge pile of scat on the road. The aid station was at the base of the climb, and this is where KMax and I split up to ride at our own paces.

All the moisture over the winter left behind meadows bursting with wild flowers and green prairie grasses. I had to stop several times to take it all in, and some pictures! Our parade most certainly got rained on that day, but there was no shortage of smiles and laughter. Oh, and we still went Flathead Lake anyway!

The Dusty Bandita – A Race Review
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The Dusty Bandita – A Race Review

Background:

The organizer’s held their first edition of the race in 2022. This is a women’s only gravel race held in the remote location of Ovando, Montana. For 2023, two courses were offered: a 45ish mile course, and an 80ish mile course. You can check out their website to learn more about the race, the name, the location, and the fantastic crew putting it all together.

Registration & Race Communication:

The registration process was smooth and I was able to register myself and a friend without any trouble. Communication leading up to the event was timed well, and began at one month out with a weekly email update. Lodging, camping, parking, cutoff times, and the event schedule were very well communicated. Final GPX files were provided at approximately one week out from the event. The organizers did a fine job of addressing two concerns: snow pack (which did finally melt in time) and grizzly bears. Yes, grizzly bears.

When we arrived in Ovando, Montana on Friday night for packet pickup, the hardest part was finding the church where packet pickup was located. Ovando is a tiny town and prominent signage isn’t really necessary when everyone from there knows where everything is! But it didn’t take long to find and we were able to peruse the raffle items, meet the organizers, and get answers to any questions we had.

The Race:

There were two start waves on Saturday morning. The longer route departed earlier at 8 AM, and the shorter course departed at 10 AM. Parking was very clearly communicated to racers; as were expectations about stopping before the one major highway crossing. The course was very well marked, with both signage, and volunteers pointing the right direction. There were two aid stations along the shorter course: one at the base of the climb, and the other just five miles away at the summit of the climb. Personally, I would have liked to see these spread out a bit more. The first aid station, was well stocked with pre-packaged snacks and fluids for topping off bottles. They also offered olives and pickles – yum! The second station had a similar offering, although slightly fewer options – I’m guessing this is because it was even more remotely located than the first aid station.

My favorite part of this race was the finish line, which was not visible until you were nearly there. The very last quarter mile of the race was up a slight hill and the finish line was hidden around a corner in the heart of the town square. When you finally crested the hill and came around the corner, there were hoards of people gathered in the town square to watch finishers. There was applause, inflatables surrounding the timing equipment, and an announcer who made me feel like I had just finished in first place. Inclusivity and support were some of the reasons this race was founded, and I definitely felt both throughout event, but especially at the finish line. All race finishers received a Dusty Bandita bandana and stainless steel coffee mug.

All race entries included a post-race lunch ticket, which was very important. A town the size of Ovando has few and limited dining options for such a large crowd. Racers had their choice of sandwich, chips, drink, and cookie.

What’s the story with the grizzly bears that I mentioned earlier, you may be wondering. In 2021, a woman was was pulled from her tent by a grizzly bear as she was sleeping. Race organizers did a fantastic job of communicating the seriousness of tent camping in the Ovando area. Here’s an excerpt from one of their emails:

If you do choose to camp, you’re on your own, and please, please, please practice BEAR SAFETY while camping. Grizzlies frequent the area and roam around the town of Ovando, so take bear safety seriously: 

  • Have bear spray on you and in your tent/van.
  • No food or fragrances (including toothpaste) in tents/vans, etc.
  • Use secure bear storage.

Their website even has an entire page dedicated to this topic.

Despite all the talk of grizzly bears, I didn’t see a single one on race day. The closest thing to a grizzly bear was the huge pile of scat on the ascent to the second aid station. They were most definitely in the area!

It would be remiss if I didn’t mention the significant number of women who opted to stop in the middle of roads or on blind corners to chat or address mechanical issues. This happened on flat roads where there was plenty of room to pull to the side, and on the descent from the race course summit, where there wasn’t much room or visibility for riders coming up from behind. They were oblivious to the danger they were putting themselves in, as well as every other cyclist who encountered them. This is something the race organizers should address in their communication in the future. It seems like it would be an obvious safety concern, but due to the large numbers of women that were doing it, it should be clearly communicated going forward.

While Ovando was certainly out of the way, I would do it again!

Colorado Mountain Bike Sampler
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Colorado Mountain Bike Sampler

Colorado has so much to offer in terms of mountain biking. I recently made a tour of several places that I’d been wanting to ride. It was the ultimate Colorado mountain biking sampler.

Hardscrabble map at the trail head

Day 1: East Hardscrabble Trail System – Eagle, Colorado – Located just off I-70, the East Harscrabble Trail System is a “SRMA”, Special Recreational Management Area of BLM Public Land. I found a loop on MTBProject.com that I had planned to ride. Unfortunately, the description lead me to a different trail head so I ended up doing an out and back. My advise is to thoroughly research your ride to ensure this does not happen to you. The trail I rode up was clearly designed for downhill, so I ended up scrambling out of the way on a couple of occasions. What I didn’t realize at the time is there is also a West Hardscrabble trail System that is open to ATV’s and motorcycles. I spent just over an hour riding here but it was long enough to know that I’d like to go back for more. Next stop: the desert.

Day 1: 18 Road Trail System – Fruita, Colorado – Located just a few miles north of Fruita, Colorado. This location is also BLM Public Land. I arrived in the early evening. What’s great about riding at this trail system in addition to its proximity to Fruita, is there is also camping available, and well maintained vault toilets. While the trail system is located in the desert, it doesn’t have the technical rocks and ledges that tend to be present in the desert. In fact, the trails I rode were so dry and well traveled, it was almost like riding on a concrete path in places. Because this system is nestled right up against what is known as the “book cliffs”, some of the trails offer a lot of short and snappy ups and downs, so speed is key. I was able to get one ride in just before sunset on Day 1 and an early morning ride on Day 2. Trees in the area are scarce, so my suggestion is to choose a campsite wisely and avoid riding in the heat of the day. As of April 8, 2022, Class 1 E-Bikes are welcome to ride throughout the 18 Road Trail System.

A view from Mary’s Loop

Day 2: Kokopelli Loops at McInnis Canyon Conservation Area – Loma, Colorado – Located just west of Fruita, right along the Colorado/Utah border sits the McInnis Canyon Conservation Area. Trailhead parking is right off I-70, giving this trail system quick and easy access. I spent most of Day 2 riding the variety of trails available in this system: from easy green loops (Rustler’s Loop), to a very difficult black diamond trail (Moore Fun). This trail system is full of sandy, ledgy, rocky technical features. The scenery in this area is breathtaking. Trees are scarce and riding in the middle of the day in the desert is not ideal, but it’s what worked with my schedule that day.

50 Shades of Green

Day 3: Uncompahgre National Forest – Montrose, Colorado – Montrose is the gateway to the San Juan Mountains. However, just west of town is a lesser known gem for mountain biking, the Uncompahgre Plateau. If you’re a mountain biker, you’ve probably heard of a ride near Moab called “the whole enchilada”. Not to be outdone, Montrose offers “the whole uncolada”. I rode a portion of this trail and found it to be a pleasant change from the desert riding of the previous two days. The route went through the forest and it was considerably cooler on the Plateau. In my Strava upload, I ended up calling the ride 50 Shades of Green, and you can probably guess why.

Day 4: Electric Hills Trail System– Montrose, Colorado – What happens when land provided by Xcel Energy is developed into a mountain bike trail system? You end up with fantastic trail names like Flux Capacitor, Shock Therapy, and Electric Avenue, among others. The trail system is nestled in a juniper grove growing in the red high desert dirt overlooking Montrose. It’s like Christmas manifested itself as a mountain bike trail, and you’re the lucky kid riding a bike through it.

Day 5: Hartman Rocks – Gunnison, Colorado – This system is located just outside Gunnison. What I didn’t know about this trail system is that it is open to ALL the bikes… mountain bikes, e-bikes, and motorcycles. The day I rode, I saw only other mountain bikes, but motorcycle tire marks were visible in the trails I rode. What I really like about this area aside from the fact that it doesn’t discriminate against certain bike types, is the terrain itself. It’s high desert, so there were rock features, flowy single track, sand pits and lots of sage brush. Once again, trees were scarce, so I’d suggest not riding in the middle of a hot day and choosing campsites wisely.

Day 5: Methodist Mountain Trail System – Salida, Colorado – This system sits on the mountains south of town, making it quickly accessible. While I didn’t ride all the trails, the ones I did ride seemed to be very thoughtfully designed for riding up or down. Their signage also reflected the preferred riding direction. While this is nice for trail users, it made the trails feel very “human made”, unlike other trails that seem to appear and feel more like the surrounding landscape.

Royal Gorgeous

Day 5: Royal Gorge Park Trails System – Canon City, Colorado – This should really be called the Royal Gorgeous Park. It’s not an extensive trail system by any means, but the views were some of the best of the trip. While I was feeling rushed for time to finish before dark, I’d recommend taking your time and a picnic and enjoying the spectacular scenery offered on this trail system. It’s far enough from town that you’ll want to be prepared by packing everything needed for a ride on what I’d categorize as an intermediately technical trail system.

Yep, Day 5 was full. I went home with tired legs and a happy heart.