A few days ago I opened up a pandora’s box and wrote about the role that fear plays among female riders. Today I’d like to explore the topic a little further.

Why are women more afraid than men? Are women born afraid or is it taught? Is this a case of nature or nurture? And if women do find that fear is holding them back, what can they do to address it?

Danelle Kabush, who recently finished 2nd at the 2006 World Xterra Championships and has a Doctorate in Social Psychology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology, believes that the way young girls are raised plays a big part. “Girls aren’t socialized to be aggressive and competitive in the same way boys are. Little boys are encouraged to go out and rip around on their bikes, get dirty, get scraped up, and learn how to fix things. They are encouraged to always push their limits within their peer groups. Little girls are encouraged to play with their dolls, don’t get hurt, don’t play on the streets, don’t get dirty, be careful.”

Michelle Ward, founder and team manager of the Fly Gurlz women’s mountain biking team, points out that once those walls are built up in your mind over the years, it takes some work to bring them down. Fear can come simply from not knowing what you’re capable of. “Women almost always underestimate their abilities,” says Ward. “When we ask for their skill level at registration for our training camps, women will regularly list themselves as a beginner when they’re really an intermediate.”

Ward says that the fear factor is often easily surmounted with a gradual approach to teaching. “Some camps take riders right out onto the trails – we never do that. We spend the morning of the first day just working on basic skills such as shifting and braking. As the riders build up skill slowly, the fear falls away and sometimes by the afternoon that beginner group is riding right over the big log pile. They surprise themselves.”

Another source of confidence for female riders is seeing other women succeed. According to Kabush, female-only camps, rides, and training environments with female coaches are a great starting point to get past any initial fears and intimidation. Ward agrees. She believes that having female instructors teach the Fly Gurlz camps makes the riders more comfortable. “Our female instructors have felt the same feelings and can relate.”

I believe that fear does often present a bigger hurdle for women than it does for men. But, I think that with some time spent their honing skills and gaining confidence in their abilities, all fears can be overcome.