[Video] Chelsea Kimball at Desert Days - Building the Women's Freeride Movement

Desert Days, have you heard of it? In October 2023, the first ever open women's freeride mountain bike meet was held in southern Utah. In conversations between top female athletes, we unanimously agreed that there was a need for a women's event in Utah's freeride capital. I love open events that welcome both professionals and amateurs. That's how Desert Days was born.

Throughout the summer, I invited all the women I met to join me in the desert for a week of rides and good times. Freeride events are very special for athletes, many of them offer accommodation and food to riders for a complete experience of the event. I wanted to extend this luxury to the ladies who were excited to join me. Specialized was the first brand to embrace the idea and fully commit to making it a reality. New Belgium Brewing helped make sure we had enough rented houses for everyone. My main goal for this meeting was to bring as many women as possible out into the desert to ride and have a good time, in the hope that they would want to come back.