Stöke MTB

This past Monday, the weather cooperated (third time’s a charm!) and Coach Leigh finally got to party on bikes at Bauhaus Brew Labs with our rad Guest Coach Matt Swenson () and an awesome group of Stökers!

There was much to celebrate: wheels were lifted, chickens were spared, balance was achieved, and yes, cans were crushed.🎉

After the session, we refueled with delicious Bauhaus bevs and Kham Fu Dee eats. All took home swag from ABUS Cycling, and one lucky rider will won an ABUS MoDrop MIPS helmet!

We’re stoked for these riders to now take the party to the trail. Cheers to all for progressing your skills!🤘

Cheers also to the incredible Bauhaus crew for hosting — we so appreciate your hospitality.🙏

Sunday’s Stöke Mini-School on Corners + Berms + Switchbacks at Lebanon Hills Mountain Bike Trail was one for the books.👌

With three different types of turns to cover, we had a full agenda—and a sunny sky overhead.🙌

These Stökers dove right in, picked up progressions, and deftly applied feedback. On trail, they became rebels with a (cornering) cause, honing their techniques in the sweeping corners and berms at Leb.🤘

Thanks to Bauhaus Brew Labs, we kept the rebellious vibe going with some delicious trail (N/A) bevs.😎

We’re grateful to have spent the day learning on bikes with this group. Thanks to all for joining and raising our stoke!

⚡NEW STÖKE SESSION ADDED: Staple Skills at Bauhaus Brew Labs on Monday, Sept. 16!⚡

Did you recently get into mountain biking? Are you a seasoned rider who hasn’t experienced the transformative power of the MTB fundamentals? Or have you just been feeling “off” on the bike?

If you’ve said “yes” to any of these, this special Stöke Session is for you!🙌

Join Coach Leigh and Guest Coach Katie Nowicki to dial in the Staple Skills you need to slay singletrack. We’ll spend two hours (5:30–7:30p) learning skills in Bauhaus’ easy-rolling parking lot before gathering on the patio to share the stoke.

Registration is $65 and includes a delicious Bauhaus beverage.🍻

Spots are limited — sign up via our website! https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

Static holds are one of the tools we use to help you learn skills on the mountain bike. When we hold you in place, you can focus solely on how it feels to execute the skill.

Here, Coach Lisa is doing a “Picnic Table Hold” on Coach Leigh. This hold allows you to practice the body positions needed to maintain balance when riding steep inclines and, conversely, steep descents.🤘

The goal is to be able to hover your hands right above your bars — then you know your weight is totally in your feet!

📸: Katie Nowicki

Calling all local Bike Instructor Certification Program-certified coaches, past and present: Join National Center for Youth Development, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (Bike MN), Melanin In Motion, and us for a pop-up ride in celebration of Black Bike Week in Minnesota featuring BICP Founder Shaums March!

DETAILS

⚡Date: Saturday, 8/10 (tomorrow!)
⚡Meeting time: 9a
⚡Location: Braemar Park MTB Trailhead West
https://maps.app.goo.gl/G7g6YgsUCQe9UScG7?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
⚡Ride plan: Check out the awesome trails built by and watch Shaums hit some sweet jumps!

August 4–10 is the inaugural Black Bike Week in Minnesota, per a proclamation co-authored by Cultural Wellness Center of Minnesota, Melanin in Motion, NCYD, and Bike MN that was supported by several local and national organizations, including the BICP, and signed by Governor Walz.

For those of you who don’t know, Shaums is a two-time Downhill Masters World Champion, former Athlete for 15 years, and even finished 4th at the Red Bull Rampage in Utah. He was the first black man to win a NORBA National Downhill Race and the first chosen to race Downhill World Championships. He also has coached the last three U.S. Olympic mountain bike teams.

NCYD has worked hard to bring Shaums into town, and we as BICP-certified coaches (Coach Lisa is the Upper Midwest BICP Instructor Trainer) are stoked to get some time with him.

Come join us!

We’re stoked to once again partner with the City of Minnetonka - Local Government to to provide a Stöke Session on Finding Your Flow at Lone Lake Park on Sunday, September 8, from 3–5p!

At this 2-hour mini-clinic, you’ll learn the following from two BICP Level 2-certified coaches (a.k.a. the Stöke Sisters):

⚡Body positioning
⚡Pumping
⚡Cornering + berms

…all to help you boost your confidence and control on the mountain bike!

You'll practice skills in a controlled environment and, if weather permits, take ‘em to one of the flowiest trails around: the Lone Lake Park Singletrack.👌

Join us to elevate your flow—and fun—on the trail!🤘

**This mini-clinic is recommended for riders who are familiar with the mountain biking basics.**

Spots are limited. To register, head to the City of Minnetonka’s website: https://webtrac.hopkinsminnetonka.com/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/search.html?Action=Start&SubAction=&_csrf_token=mk6T621A0N033M2R1V4M3U4J5U4N6E6J095Q3M5P3Y065H4E6H6C1B5O4P5C4U0502605J5I0F005T504Z1F5N4S6J516Y5Q4R5B5D1U5W4L524U005S4K6O52045G4S5I&keyword=&keywordoption=Match+One&primarycode=1010201&spotsavailable=&display=Detail&module=AR&multiselectlist_value=&arwebsearch_buttonsearch=yes

The hype over the City of Edina, MN (Local Government)’s new mountain biking trails at Braemar Park was strong, so the Stöke Sisters had to see what it was all about.

With the Bros and Torsten in tow along with special guest .co, we enjoyed a morning of flow and pure fun.🙌

Kudos to Pathfinder Trail Building LLC for building this rad system that allows riders to progress their skills and provides plenty of stoke for all ages!

Torsten can’t wait for his next visit.🤘

Last week's rain = your gain.⚡Our Stöke Session on Party Skills (wheel lifts + track stands) was rescheduled to Monday, 8/5, from 6–8p at Bauhaus Brew Labs, and we have 2 spots left!

Join Coach Leigh and Guest Coach Matt Swenson of , two Bike Instructor Certification Program Level 2-certified coaches, to learn the body positioning, timing, and techniques you need to execute wheel lifts (3 types!) and track stands on the trail.

Get lots of reps thanks to Bauhaus' easy-rolling parking lot, and expect rubber chickens and crushable cans to make an appearance too.😎

Following the session, we'll gather on Bauhaus' excellent patio to share the stoke! (Registration is $65 and includes a thirst-quenching Bauhaus beverage.)

Stoked to join the party? To sign up, head to our website: https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

Come party with Coach Leigh and Guest Coach Matt Swenson (a.k.a. ) on Monday, July 22, from 6–8 p.m. at Bauhaus Brew Labs! 🎉

At this Stöke Session on Party Skills, you’ll learn a few different types of wheel lifts and track stands from two Bike Instructor Certification Program Level 2-certified coaches, so you can bring the party to your next trail ride.🤘

We’ll break down the mechanics of each skill and practice timing for trail application with the help of beer cans and rubber chickens. Following the session, we’ll gather on Bauhaus’ beautiful patio to share the stoke over post-ride bevs (NA and GF options available)!🍻

Sound like your idea of a good time? Head to our website to register (spots are limited to 10 riders): https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

The Stöke Sisters are proud to once again be partnering with ABUS Cycling this season.⚡️

Safety is #1 for us, and wearing ABUS’ proven helmets helps us align with this priority. Bonus: they look cool and fit us well too. (We’re fans especially of their ponytail-friendly adjustable cages.)😏

This season, ABUS is doing a helmet giveaway at every Stöke MTB event. All you have to do is sign up for and show up at one of our skills instruction events (your next chance to sign up is our Party Skills Stöke Session at Bauhaus Brew Labs on July 22), and you could win one of their MoDrop helmets, pictured here!😎

For more information on ABUS and their rad helmets, head to their website: https://www.abus.com/usa/Products/Bike-helmets

Then and now.☺️

It was at our first Superior Cycling Association SheRides Women’s MTB Weekend in 2022 where we discovered our skill of unintentionally dressing alike. But, hey, that’s what sisters do, so we leaned into it.👯‍♀️

This year at SheRides, we showed up on Friday wearing the same ‘fits. We took it as a good sign for the weekend ahead — happily it proved true!🙏

Freedom, brought to you by two wheels.✌️

We are stoked to welcome The Spokelore (a.k.a. Matt Swenson) as our Guest Coach for our Stöke Session on Party Skills at Bauhaus Brew Labs on Monday, July 22!🎉

✨Matt is a Level 2 Bike Instructor Certification Program-certified MTB skills instructor who seeks to make mountain biking an accessible, lifelong activity for everyone, at every level.✨

Known for his inclusive approach, Matt coaches riders locally and throughout the country for several organizations and offers private lessons as well. He also maintains an awesome Insta feed, , where he showcases his love for all things mountain biking and rad skills!🤘

Matt and Coach Leigh are stoked to help you add wheel lifts and track stands to your riding repertoire. For more information and to register (spots are limited to 10 riders), head to our website! 👉 https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

Some of our favorite photos from the Superior Cycling Association SheRides Women’s MTB Weekend, captured by the incredibly talented Kjersti Vick. 📷✨

This year marked our third year serving as lead coach for Superior Cycling Association SheRides Women’s MTB Weekend, and we were stoked to be able to recruit an all-star team of Bike Instructor Certification Program and Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association - PMBIA certified coaches from around the state to join in the fun. 🎉

Coaching, riding, and laughing alongside these badasses was one of the highlights of our weekend, and we’re so grateful for their dedication to professional skills instruction and the special stoke they brought to the event. This weekend could not have happened without them.

Thank you, coaches and assistant coaches, for joining us and all you did to make the weekend a fulfilling one for all! ✨

📷: Kjersti Vick

WHAT IF.✨

With a dismal weather forecast heading into this past weekend’s Superior Cycling Association SheRides Women’s MTB Weekend, we, along with the SCA planning team, spent a lot of time thinking through the “what ifs.” What if the trails are closed. What if the weather is awful. What if the riders don’t show up.

Not fun conversations to have, but part of planning for an event.

The “what if” turned out better than any of us could have imagined. The trails were open, thanks to the hard work of the SCA volunteers. The weather was beautiful (we even had a bug-dispersing breeze). And nearly 40 women riders still showed up to learn from 13 women MTB coaches, get their bikes wrenched on by female pro mechanic Casey Wytaske, and empower and inspire one another to do hard things—by focusing on the absolute best that could happen.

The weekend was a gift, and we’re so grateful to all who showed up—riders, fellow coaches, SCA volunteers, and sponsors—to make it happen. THANK YOU.

More SheRides social stoke to come!💫

📷: Kjersti Vick

ABUS Cycling
Visit Cook County MN
Dirt Candy Designs LLC
North Shore Winery

Odyssey Resorts - A Collection of Minnesota's Finest Resorts
Liv Cycling

Cook County Co-op
Bearskin Lodge

Lynx Fit

The pre-solstice sun was shining brightly at Bauhaus Brew Labs last night for our Stöke Session on Staple Skills, and so were our Stökers.☀️🙌

Coach Leigh and our rad Guest Coach Katie Nowicki loved watching these strong riders find their balance on the bike and smoothly execute new movements. The icing on the cake was sharing the stoke over delicious Bauhaus beverages, Kham Fu Dee eats, and a swag and ✨MoDrop helmet giveaway✨ courtesy of ABUS Cycling!

Fingers crossed the trails dry out soon for everyone’s new skills to be put to use.🤞

Thanks to all who joined and to the fantastic crew at Bauhaus for getting us set up and hosting us for the eve. We’re so grateful for all they do to bring our community together and their solid lineup of bevs. Nothing like a cold Lounge Wizard (their soft and juicy hazy pale ale) to cap off a summer night of MTB skills practice!😋

Meet (or re-meet 😜) the Stöke Sisters.

We are Lisa Martens (at right, with Coach Torsten) and Leigh Kramarczuk, co-founders of Stöke MTB and Bike Instructor Certification Program Level 2-certified mountain biking skills instructors.

Mountain biking is what brought us together, and we love sharing the stoke of this crazy sport with riders of all levels through approachable and professional skills instruction.

We’re currently in the midst of our third “Stöke Season,” running MTB skills clinics and private lessons throughout the Twin Cities and beyond.

We have a handful of spots left in our summer schedule, and we’d love to learn on bikes with you! Head to our website for dates and more: https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

Happy 40th birthday, Coach Lisa!⚡️

If you know Lisa, you know she’s one of the most badass and joy-filled people you’ll ever meet. You can bet she’ll be carving out brilliantly fun lines on this next ride segment, made even sweeter with her and Bruce’s littlest Stöker Torsten in tow.✨

Let’s send this gal some stoke as she sends it over the hill!🤘🎂🎉

The Stöke Sisters loved sharing the stoke at yesterday’s Lone Lake Park Singletrack Season Opener — the littlest Stöker, Torsten, did too!

Our free “intro to MTB” mini-clinic was his first official coaching gig, and he rocked it (as did the participants!). He even held down the fort at the tent and kept the good vibes rolling all day.☺️

Thank you so much to City of Minnetonka - Local Government and Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC) for having us once again. Such an awesome event and way to celebrate dirt season!

Oh, and if you’ve never ridden Lone Lake, do put it on your list. One of the flowiest and most fun trails in the Metro!💨

Come learn on bikes with us!⚡️

Interested in mountain biking but unsure where to start? Join Stöke MTB at the Minnetonka Mountain Bike Opener Saturday for two FREE intro clinics (10:30 a.m. and noon). The event also features:

🚵‍♂️Group rides
🚵‍♂️Bike demos, maintenance clinic and safety checks
🚵‍♂️Bicycle scavenger hunt

Join us from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Lone Lake Park Singletrack. More info: https://bit.ly/44KyAnO

Can a Saturday get any better? Nah! After the overnight aurora borealis show, we spent the day digging into slow-speed MTB skills at Lebanon Hills Mountain Bike Trail with 10 amazing women.

We loved seeing them confidently nail tricky skill after tricky skill and conquer features (and fears!) on the bike. We wrapped up with a hang under the bluebird sky and raffled off a sweet MoDrop helmet from ABUS Cycling to a lucky winner!

Although seeing the northern lights was cool, spending the afternoon on bikes with these awesome riders took the cake.💫

Exciting news for our June 3 Stöke Session on Staple Skills at Bauhaus Brew Labs: We’re bringing on Guest Coach Katie Nowicki!⚡️

Katie has been a Bike Instructor Certification Program-certified MTB skills instructor since 2022 and loves sharing the stoke with new riders. She’s known for putting her own brand of FUN in the fundamentals. Katie is a sought-after coach for several local and national organizations and will also be joining us for the Superior Cycling Association’s SheRides Women’s MTB Weekend in June!🙌

She and Coach Leigh are stoked (what else?) to share the Staple Skills you need to shred singletrack in this special two-hour session.

For more information and to register for what is sure to be a fun night of skills + delicious post-session bevs, head to https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events!

So looking forward to this!⚡️

If you’re on the fence about SheRides Women's Mountain Bike Weekend, now’s the time to sign up!

Have you heard? Our Annual SheRides Women's Mountain Bike Weekend is nearly sold out! If you're not signed up yet, now is the time!

ATTN: Cook County residents and Superior Cycling Association members: you receive a $50 discount on registration! (You can become a member for $39 before registering by following this link: https://www.imba.com/join-local - choose Superior Cycling Association as your local chapter.)

This event is made possible by our SheRide event sponsors! Thank you to Visit Cook County MN, Odyssey Resorts - A Collection of Minnesota's Finest Resorts, Lynx Fit, Bearskin Lodge, Dirt Candy Designs LLC, Sawtooth Outfitters, Sisu and Löyly Nordic Sauna, North Shore Winery, ABUS Cycling, Liv Cycling USA, Fika Coffee

Although our Stöke Mini-School on Slow-Speed Skills is sold out (waitlist available), we do have spots available for our Stöke Session on Staple Skills at Bauhaus Brew Labs on June 3!

Staple Skills is open to all levels of riders, and gives you the formal instruction you need to join any other skills instruction programs we offer.

It’s a fun evening of learning skills on easy-rolling pavement, followed by a social hour on Bauhaus’ awesome patio! (And with their delicious bevvies, of course.)

Learn more and register here: https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

We have exciting news coming for this particular Stöke Session — stay tuned!😎

Our hearts are full. 💜 We spent the most beautiful Sunday afternoon immersing ourselves in the special language of mountain bike skills with an incredible group of Stökers. Their progression on the bike — and ability to execute tricky elements of skills! — left us even more stoked for the season to come.

Thank you to these badass women, our sisters in Stöke and .katie.no, our Stöke Bros and the littlest Stöker, and sweet friends for helping us kick off the season.

Thank you, as always, to the amazing crew at for your hospitality in hosting.

Mountain biking is an awesome sport, but it’s the community around it that makes it addictive.

We can’t wait for next time.⚡️

Last call to come learn skills with us tomorrow at Bauhaus Brew Labs!⚡️

From 3–5p, we’ll cover the Staple Skills you need to shred singletrack: body/foot positioning, finding your balance point on bike in changing terrain, controlling your speed and braking, a useful pedaling technique and more.

Afterwards, we’ll hang on the patio for a beverage, open the floor for MTB Q&A, and share the stoke.

We have a few spots left — sign up here and join us! https://www.stoke-mtb.com/events

Yesterday was New Bike Day for Coach Leigh! She is (over)stoked to start the new season on a fresh Juliana Bicycles Furtado.

She’s grateful to the One on One Bicycle Studio crew for helping her get rolling on the new whip, just in time for our first event on Sunday!

Cheers to new beginnings.☀️