“A community unlike anything I've ever been a part of”: women mountain bikers’ experiences of social support

Introduction Mountain biking is a male-dominated action sport with differences in engagement reported between men and women. Motivation to participate in action sports like mountain biking is influenced by social aspects, including social support. The role of social support within action sports has received little attention and is not fully understood. One model that may guide our understanding of social support in this context is the Thriving through Relationships model by Feeney and Collins. In this model, social support allows individuals to take advantage of life opportunities, as well as managing challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore women mountain bikers’ experiences of social support within the mountain bike community, focusing on goal exploration, connections with other riders, and gender specific experiences. Methods Twenty-two women mountain bikers (ages 29–61) participated in semi-structured virtual interviews lasting on average 51 min. Participants had varying mountain bike experience (beginner to expert) and were all from North America. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was used to identify the main themes reflecting the women's experiences. Results Participants described mountain biking as “a community building sport,” with two main themes and a third minor theme identified. Within the theme of the women's community in a male dominated sport , participants discussed three subthemes: a) the sport as male dominated with a lack of investment in women, b) the creation of the women's subcommunity, and c) the importance of giving back to the women's community. In the second theme of finding the right support group, three subthemes were identified: a) social support as function of the community, b) riding group considerations, and c) it's not just about mountain biking. The third minor theme was related to outsider support and involvement . Participants described that they may not be where they are without receiving social support within the sport and discussed how integral support has been to their mountain biking experience. Discussion Overall, the findings emphasize the need to foster a supportive community for women mountain bikers.