Send It

On the trails with the Flow Riders, Boulder’s trailblazing women mountain bikers

By Mara Welty  »  Photos by Kelsey Wisinski

If there’s one word to describe Kelsey Wisinski, it’s stoke.

As a mountain biking coach and physical therapist, she brings a unique blend of skills and passion to every trail. Mainly, those at Trestle Bike Park—a full service downhill bike park at Winter Park Resort. Sitting at roughly 10,000 feet above sea level, Trestle overlooks stretching views of steel blue peaks and winds through a wall of pines and foliage-covered berms. The trails are laden with roots, drops, rocks and roots, making for a technical descent. Its trails range from easy to Pro Line, a restricted freeride trail that requires a separate pass based on skill level. 

Fortunately, Wisinski is no stranger to the downhill flow and seizes every opportunity to hit the trails.

When I caught up with Wisinski, she was dismounting the lift at Trestle, bike in tow. “It’s my day off, and I’m riding bikes,” she said with a grin that transcended the phone line. 

As a kid, Wisinski immersed herself in the world of motocross—racing and riding. “That was my first male-dominated sport,” she says. At age 17, she transitioned to Muay Thai, another traditionally male sport. After 10 years and a degree from medical school, she moved to Colorado and entered the world of mountain biking in 2018, wasting no time making her mark in the sport. 

She embarked on a pedal bike first and bought her first downhill bike in August of 2019. In September of the same year, she completed her first downhill race.

“I raced a trail of Trestle called Trestle Downhill (DH). It’s very chunky. It’s very gnarly. It’s rocky and scary and steep, and I raced unopposed,” she recounts. “There were no other women up for it, and it sort of sucked.”

As she continued to enter races, she saw the trend continue. Amateur class races would have only a few women in the lineup; jumping races, which are considered more accessible, would have only a couple more. As Wisinski continued to race, she’d podium among the other participants, but still saw a stark difference in the number of women and men downhill racers. “That’s what led me to go pro,” she says. “As a pro rider, there’s typically a group of five to twelve women, and there’s 40 men. In the amateur races, there’s still only one to five women in the races, compared to something like 70 men.”

Determined to make a change and encourage more talented women to pursue downhill riding, Wisinski created the Flow Riders Race Team, a mountain biking team that empowers women to feel confident and capable within the sport. She embarked on the journey with fellow coach Soha Kushitama, who Wisinski has dubbed her partner in crime. “It was a pipe dream that I needed someone to give me permission to do. She was the wind beneath my wings that got me going.” 

From there, they hit the ground running. 

Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA), of which Wisinski was already a coach and board member, provided the financial means to start. Then, they linked up with Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA), who provided scholarships for a few women on the team facing financial barriers. 

When recruiting for her team, Wisinski reached out to the female communities within BMA, a community-driven organization dedicated to advocating for and enhancing mountain biking opportunities and trails in the Boulder; Elevated Alpine, a community of mountain-minded women that aims to build inclusivity in outdoor sports; and Petunia Mafia Cycling, a Boulder-based women’s cycling community that touts unique kits.

There were no tryouts for the Flow Riders. “I found that the biggest barrier for women getting into the downhill world is not skill level; it’s just that it seems scary and unknown. Also, it’s hard to find other women to ride with,” Wisinski says. “The point of the team is, if you’re willing to come out and ride, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know to be a successful rider on the mountain.”

It’s a sisterhood of sorts, shares Wisinski. Outside of training days, team members embark on their own rides together. “It’s nice to see that camaraderie and team support,” she says. 

Two teams comprise the Flow Riders: Full Send, a 12-rider team of women new to the world of downhill racing, and the Chill Crew, 10 experienced riders in want of team support. The Full Send team receives hands-on coaching, working with Wisinski and Kushitama to break down the basics and master techniques. Members of the Chill Crew can join any team training day and attend every riding day.

Trestle is their home base. 

“It’s one of my favorite places to ride,” says Wisinski. Having completed the Trestle Gravity Series multiple times and participated in many of the park’s races, Wisinski is confident in the lay of the land—and that familiarity informs her coaching. 

There are three types of races at Trestle: The Trestle DH, which Wisinski describes as chunky, rocky, woody and steep; the Air DH, which is on a jump line; and the Super DH, which is known to be a longer race that flows through rollercoaster-like changes and may require some pedaling in flatter areas.

Accordingly, when coaching her team, Wisinski focuses on three core skills: navigating uneven terrain, jump control and cornering—the skill of maneuvering around turns or corners on trails. “It’s a really difficult mountain biking skill that can win you races,” says Wisinski. “It’s where you can lose the most speed and momentum if you don’t do it properly.”

After a decade of coaching, Wisinski relishes in seeing her team excel. “The best advice I have for women breaking into the world of DH mountain biking is to find someone to do it with—that camaraderie is important,” she says. “Also, know that you’re a very capable and strong person, even if you think you aren’t.”

The Flow Riders are never alone on the mountain. That sense of comradery stretches to partners like COMBA and BMA as well as swag sponsors like Pit Viper, Handup Gloves and 7iDP. Two $1,000-level monetary sponsors also showed their support this year, allowing Wisinski to drop the registration fees for every girl on the team. “My dream is that we’ll eventually have a bank that we can dip into when someone on the team really needs gear, like a new helmet, but can’t afford it.” she says. “We’re hoping to build a cushion that allows for a bit more flexibility and versatility in our budget.”

As resources and resolve grow, so too does the team’s capacity to expand its impact and support, fostering a stronger community bond and deeper personal connections on the trails.

“I love the people; I love the camaraderie; I love being in the forest by myself,” says Wisinski. “For me, it’s a form of meditation. I have trouble keeping my mind clear and focused on one thing at a time. But when I’m on my mountain bike, the whole world goes quiet.”

Learn more about the Flow Riders by visiting bouldermountainbike.org and follow Kelsey on Instagram @shewok_rides_bikes, along with the team @flowridersraceteam.