Beyond the Ride: Alex Showerman

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.

Name, age, current place of residence?

Alex Showerman, 35, Waterbury, VT.

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

Professional mountain biker, filmmaker, and trail builder/advocate.

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

Filming with Micayla Gatto in Green River! Micayla is somebody who I have always looked up to and been super inspired by. Getting to learn from her out in that terrain, and just hang out for the week, was an absolute blast. She picked a beast of a line for us to ride that definitely represented a big step forward in my riding. I wouldn’t have done it without her mentorship and support!

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

A wrecking ball for getting more women and queer folx into freeride and trail building.

What, outside of mountain biking, makes you excited?

First and foremost, any adventure with my rescue German Shepherd, Gus. Beyond that: thrifting, shopping for records, meals and drinks with friends, and cross country road trips.

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.)

This year, I successfully launched both of my video projects. Generating industry support behind some of the events and programs I’m trying to build has been difficult, so I’m hoping these back to back video parts will raise my platform in the industry, so I can gain access to more resources to invest back in building community and breaking down barriers for women and traditionally excluded folks in action sports.

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

The Women’s Freeride Movement! It's directly challenging the status quo in such a big way. To meaningfully change culture, we have to change it at every level of the sport, especially at the top. We also have to turn men into allies.

Also, I don’t think it's as visible, but some of the athletes at the top level of the sport have been working hard to broaden the tent - for example, at almost every major freeride event I have been to, Formation included, I have not been the only trans or queer woman there, which is a huge testament to the community pushing for change.

We also have to connect the Women's Freeride Movement to the everyday rider. That was what my event Foundation, featured in my film, Coming Home , was all about: bringing well-known pros and everyday riders together to show that you don’t have to be a pro to go hit big features at your local bike park! Freeride is truly for everybody!

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

Treating every woman and marginalized person as a beginner. Growing up presenting as a guy, pretty much all marketing treats you like you could be the next pro. It's why a lot of guys act like experts even though they're… not; they have a lifetime of being told they are. Meanwhile, women and marginalized groups are marketed and spoken to like we all have no idea what we are doing. It's patronizing, it erases all of the very talented women and traditionally excluded folks who already exist in the space, and it directly contributes to why many of us struggle with imposter syndrome.

A study by the Association of National Advertisers found that just seventeen percent of women feel well-represented by how they are portrayed in marketing and advertising. They also found that when brands accurately represent women, those brands will see a sales bump, not only amongst women, but male consumers as well!

Our sport is aspirational: if we want to grow the sport for women and traditionally excluded folks, we have to inspire folks to want to try it and capture their imagination. Not just show them on green trails.

I’d love to see the industry flip the script a little bit more. Start showing more of us women and marginalized folks thriving in the sport at the highest levels. More rad video parts, more barrier breaking events. Having a women’s category at Rampage is going to be HUGE! Then on the flip side, the industry should invest a little more in communicating to beginners regardless of gender. I know there are a lot of guys out there who might be intimidated to try the sport. Showing that vulnerability to men might open sport up to more folks, and also help it climb out of this downturn we are in.

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

Always so hard to pick one! I’m fired up on what Richmond Mountain Trails are doing at the Driving Range. Its a fully aMTB friendly network and has a really fun gap jump line -we actually filmed on in it in Coming Home, and it was such a fun day! Driving Range has already generated so much energy and enthusiasm, and I think it represents the future of where trail building in Vermont needs to go. It also has some of the first features (on public trails) that are starting to approach the level of creativity and challenge I found in the PNW. We’ve got great dirt in Vermont, and really amazing terrain, I see no reason why we can’t have riding like Bellingham or BC.

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

HUGE shout to Smartwool, Juliana , and Lawson’s Finest Liquids. I would not be doing what I do as an athlete without them. Also huge shout out to the Waterbury Area Trail Alliance , who just hired me on as part time Trails Director; we’ve got some exciting things cooking! I also want to give a big shout out to my friends and my dad. I would not be doing what I do without their constant love and support.