A two-day meet up to help create stronger community and connections between women working in or aspiring to work in the bike industry in Scotland.

Expect inspiring talks, development sessions, skills work-shops, trail dig sessions, trail therapy, social rides and evening events.

This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

When: Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March 2024

Where: Glentress, Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders

Cost: Both days including lunch and refreshments - £20. Both days including lunch and refreshments, and evening event on Friday (includes evening meal) - £40. Evening event on Friday only - £20. All prices subject to Eventbrite booking fee.

Who: Women working in and around cycling, primarily based in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Norther England. Participants from elsewhere are welcome, though priority will be given to participants from these areas for places. Approx. 40 delegates for main programme; more places available for Friday evening event.

What to expect

This two-day meet up will welcome women working in, around, and aspiring to work, within the cycling industry. The event will focus on networking, knowledge-sharing and solution-focussed discussion.

Programme:

Friday 15th March

  • 09.15 - Welcome, registration and light refreshments

  • 10.00 - Aoife Glass: welcome and open the Summit

  • 10.10 - Edward Shoote, Economic Infrastructure Development Specialist, South of Scotland Enterprise, and lead on Mountain Bike Innovation Centre.

  • 10.35 - Paul Ward, Economic Infrastructure Development Specialized and Delivery Manager, South of Scotland Cycling Partnership Strategy, and UCI Optimisation Plan for South of Scotland Enterprise

  • 10.50 - Alex Feechan, Founder of Findra Clothing

  • 11.05 - Julia MacLean (AKA Jules on the Tools), Fox Factory World Series Race Technician

  • 11.20 - Break and networking

  • 11.50 - Dr Lesley Ingram-Sills, Lecturer in Sport, Exercise and Health, Program Leader for MSc Sport Performance Enhancement, Edinburgh Napier University

  • 12.05 - Aneela McKenna, Mòr Diversity

  • 12.20 - Emma Guy, Warner Brothers Discovery Sports

  • 12.35 - Bex Baroana, Elite athlete and Gowaan Girls founder

  • 12.50 - Problem solving session

  • 13.20 - Lunch and networking

  • 14.20 - Problem solving session

  • 14.50 - Film screening and Q&A

  • 15.20 - Break and networking

  • 15.30 - Professional development session

  • 17.00 - Reflections and close

  • 17.30 - Self-guided ride options

  • 19.00 - Networking evening, open to all (tickets available £20 including 2 course meal at Riders Retreat, Glentress)

Saturday 16th March

  • 07.30 - Rise & Grind, coffee with a view ride

  • 09.15 - Welcome, registration

  • 10.00 - Day two welcome, intro and session options

  • 10.15 - Dig session OR Trail Therapy ride OR Podcasting and interview skills

  • 12.30 - Lunch

  • 13.30 - Dig session OR Trail Therapy ride OR podcasting and interview skills

  • 15.30 - Thank you, final thoughts, and goodbye!

Where to stay

The beautiful Tweed Valley is home to world-class mountain biking, and the area also offers incredible road cycling, gravel riding, scenic traffic-free greenways, and plenty of walking and other activities. Whatever you’re into, there’s more than enough to fill a whole weekend, so if you’re coming to summit, why not consider spending a little more time in the area?

We’re working on a list of suggested accommodation options. Watch this space for more information!

FAQs

  • No, accommodation is not included in the event price. However, we can recommend several local providers to suit a range of budgets in the area, and we highly recommend coming and making a weekend of your attendance.

  • We want to ensure that cost is not a barrier to participation. Therefore if you are interested in coming but would find the cost of doing so prohibitive, please contact the organisers, as we are able to provide some assisted places.

  • We know that time is at a premium and people have busy lives and many commitments. We have designed the programme so that the main talks and events take place on Friday 15th March. The second day will focus on activities such as a trail dig and Trail Therapy ride.

  • We certainly hope so! We want to continue to facilitate networking, community-building and engagement across Scotland, and so we hope this event will be repeated in the future.

  • Women who work in and around to cycling industry. This includes all disciplines and types of cycling (mountain biking, road cycling, commuting, gravel riding, touring, family cycling, accessible cycling) and all areas, such as tourism, coaching, guiding, events, advocacy, charities, mechanics, governance, etc. We are particularly keen to ensure individuals working in Scotland can attend. All individuals who identify as women are welcome.