Beyond the Ride: Katie Holden

Editor’s Note:

Beyond the Ride is our love letter to the people who make mountain biking better. This isn’t a series reserved for sponsored athletes or the folks in power at bike brands (although we’re excited to cover those too). Instead, it’s an open invitation: Do you know someone who’s working to make mountain biking better? Nominate them here. We want to highlight the local ripper, the policy wonk who works with land agencies, the mechanic who saved your race, and the organizer who put it on. This is for the advocates, the storytellers, the builders, and the coaches.

Katie Holden embodies freeride. She has always carved her own path in life, whether that’s literally down mountain sides or figuratively in navigating the opportunity, exposure and pay gaps that have plagued the bike industry.

As the founding force behind Redbull Formation, Katie has also done more than perhaps any other single person to mentor and encourage other femme freeriders to pursue their passions and succeed in their careers. Her “relentless positivity,” as one friend puts it, has created an impressive community of bike-minded people working to improve the sport, make it more inclusive and keep it inspirational.

And that (among many, many other reasons) is why Katie Holden deserves her nomination to be featured in our Beyond the Ride series!

Name, current place of residence?

Katie Holden, Whidbey Island WA

What do you do (specifically related to mountain biking)?

I am a bit of a jack of all trades. I am an athlete and a creator, and I run my own consulting business that specializes in (action sports) communications, marketing, and production.

What’s been the bike-related highlight of your year?

I spent six weeks in New Zealand this winter. It was a soul trip if there ever was one. I rode a ton, connected with old friends, made new ones, and honestly just reconnected with mountain biking in a way that was calling, after twenty years of highs and lows in the industry. I love bikes more than ever at this moment in time and a big part of that is reclaiming and identifying what biking means to me.

If you could leave any impact on mountain biking, what would you like to be remembered for?

Helping to create space and opportunity. I want everyone to know that biking is for everyone. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, how you identify, what you ride, what you wear, how you like to ride - if you ride a bike and you enjoy it, you are a part of this awesome, global community.

That, and helping to create more opportunities, exposure and pay balance for women. Things are getting better, but there are still huge disparities in this industry that need to change.

What, outside of mountain biking, makes you excited?

Being in the water. I am a water baby at heart and find just as much joy in being in the water as on my bike. I love swimming, surfing, snorkeling, freediving… anything in the water, really. I have a neighborhood swim team at home called the Blue Lady Swim Team, and we swim in the ocean year-round. It is pretty special. :)

What are your goals for the next year? (They can be anything from race results, to injury recovery, to just trying to ride your bike more.)

I want to see the women competing alongside the men at Red Bull Rampage, with equal exposure and pay. I am a big goals person and so have lots more, but the Rampage thing is a biggie for me and long overdue.

What’s the most exciting trend in mountain biking you’re seeing right now (and how can we help foster it)?

The rise of the women. I cannot get enough!!!

What’s the worst trend you’re seeing right now (and how would you fix it)?

Gatekeepers who like things the way they have been and are close-minded to the future. The fix is more diverse voices in leadership positions.

What’s your trail of choice right now (and why?)

Any techy downhill dark blue/black trail that has good flow, pockety corners/compressions and some spice.

What other question do you wish we’d asked?

Nothing. But free Palestine.

Any sponsors, friends, or family you’d like to thank?

I am super grateful for the global bike community and every single person in it I have met along the way. I am also grateful for my Specialized Levo SL. That bike has changed my life and made me so obsessed with biking again.

Check out the rest of our Beyond the Ride profiles.