Athlete Cadel Carrigan Proves That The Future of Women's Mountain Biking is Bright

As larger-scale industry investment for women’s events like Redbull Formation has dried up in recent years, grassroots events, like She Shreds Legacy and Thunderstruck by KaJay have begun popping up to fill the gap. For the femme freeride community, such events offer a chance to progress, network, bolster portfolios, and, most importantly, have fun in a supportive environment. The Future is Bright is a series dedicated to hearing more from the athletes at these grassroots events about their "Why:" why they participate and why things like She Shreds Legacy matter.

Cadel Carrigan knows that mentorship works both ways. She showed up to She Shreds Legacy, with an obvious love of the color pink, eating pasta, and riding bikes, to challenge herself, first and foremost - but she also rallied other gals to join the event with her who might not have shown up otherwise, encouraging them to similarly push themselves to take the next steps in their progression. She's proof positive that a rising tide really does lift all ships.

Name, age, current place of residence?

Cadel Carrigan (she/her), from Jackson, Wyoming and currently attending college in Bozeman MT!

Why did you attend She Shreds?

I've learned that riding with women and being surrounded by women is crucial in my success as a rider. The way we are able to encourage each other and bring a non-competitive side to the sport is really important to me.

What makes She Shreds stand out, to you, from other MTB / freeride events?

She Shreds was a bit more welcoming to me in a sense of knowing that it was close to home and knowing it would be similar to the riding I already do! It also was something that I was able to attend with my current team of women riders from back home so that made it a pretty special experience to get to share together.

Did you have a proudest moment from the event?

My proudest moment for the event was honestly the whole event in general. I tried not to watch YouTube videos of what we would be hitting before I went but of course after a few sneak peaks I was pretty scared to go hit some of these bigger lines. I have gone to Legacy over the past few summers and have always looked at Jammer Lane and thought “I don't think I even would want to hit those,” so going into this trying to be open and at the end being able to clean Jammer was easily my proudest moment. Along with that, though, I am so stoked and proud of how many women put themselves out there with us, and were constantly encouraging each other. So for that, I'm proud of all of us as a bike community being able to support one another!

Did you have a most challenging moment from the event?

Day two I attempted Jammer Lane from the top after having sessioned just the lower the day before and I had a pretty scary case on the “gatekeeper” jump. Normally, I feel like I am pretty good at judging my speed but this time I let myself down and it was pretty disappointing. Luckily I had a huge support crew there to help me get the good vibes back and the good juices flowing and I was able to attempt it the next day with a taped ankle and a fresh mind and was able to clear the line.

Did you have any goals coming into the event?

Coming into this event my main goal was to meet new people and push my riding elsewhere. I feel like at home I get comfortable and don't push myself as much as I can whereas going to other places I get scared to push, or feel like I can't, so coming into this my goal was to push my riding and my confidence towards riding new places! This was a good confidence boost before moving to a new town and new trails and gave me the OK to go try bigger things away from home.

Do you have any goals moving forward (this season or in future seasons)?

I would love to lock in some no handers by the end of the season but am currently pushing some mental boundaries with that one. Other than that specific goal I would love to continue to progress my riding in all areas and continue to meet new people!

Anything else you wish I had asked / that you want to share?

I recently took on the role of Gravity Captain at Montana State University so I am stoked to be in a position to try and bring more riders, especially females into the sport! I am stoked to pursue this role while also a little nervous but we have a great team and I can't wait to hit the road and take my racing to a new level!

Any family, friends, or sponsors you want to thank?

Thank you to my family and friends for bringing me to be the rider I am today. Especially thank you to Erin and Ariel who have helped me push so many barriers within my riding. Also thank you to Arcteryx for supporting me to go to She Shreds and believing in me as an athlete as well as POC and Ripton!