A summer camp in Vermont's Chittenden County aims to build confidence in girls passionate about mountain biking. Weeklong programs for "Little Bellas" ages 8-10 and 11-14 are based at the Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston. Sisters Sabra and Lea Davison of Jericho, Vermont launched the concept in 2007. "Really, we just want them to fall in love with an active lifestyle," Lea Davison said.
Lea Davison represented the United States in cross-country mountain bike racing at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Earlier this month, she took home the 2014 cross-country national championship at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Pennsylvania. That victory came despite losing training time this year to injury. "That was probably the biggest win of my career, coming back from hip surgery," Davison told New England Cable News.
Davison, who is signed to the Specialized Bicycles team, said she hopes her camps also increase interest in women's cycling. There are more elite competitions and more valuable prizes for male athletes, Davison said. "A lot of people aren't even aware of the inequality out there in cycling," Davison said. "And it's drastic."
"I feel like a lot of times, men in sports are more popular than women," said 10-year-old Liza Bell, a Little Bella from Putney, Vermont. "So it makes me really happy when there's women who are biking and are popular."
Davison said she hopes the summer programs empower girls to conquer mountain biking terrain with no fear, and help them gain confidence in other areas of their lives, too. "It's a tool to overcoming challenges," she explained, describing mountain biking.
"I think it's good character-building; you get to learn how to work with other people," Nora Jacobsen, an 11-year from Burlington, Vermont said of the Little Bellas experience. "It's also just really fun-- you get to bike through the woods. You'll never in your life see a clean Little Bellas jersey!"
"Some people think that girls aren't as strong as men," another Little Bella, 12-year-old Emma Strack of Williston, told NECN. "And I think that it's important that they know that we're equally strong."
The program participants plan to attend a Professional Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) competition this Saturday. The Catamount Classic mountain bike race is held at the Catamount Outdoor Family Center. The men's event starts at noon, and the women's at 2:30. Sunday, a short track competition starts at 2 p.m. for men and 2:45 for women.
Lea Davison is the defending champ at the Catamount Classic. "I'm excited to be back in Vermont and racing on my home course at Catamount," Davison said in a press release announcing her participation in the competition. "Nothing beats the love from local fans. I can't tell you how much that support means to me."
After the Pro XCT race, fans will have a chance to meet Davison and other top riders in Burlington on the evening of July 26th, the press release said. The riders will be on hand for a screening of "Half the Road," a documentary film about inequities in women's elite cycling. The screening, held at 7 p.m. Saturday at Burlington’s Main Street Landing, is a benefit for Little Bellas.
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