Photos by: Shae James
Bellingham, Washington is an outdoor Mecca for many, including mountain bikers, but more specifically female identifying freeriders at the end of September! Hannah Bergeman hosted the second annual Hangtime – an event focused on big air, progression, and community, over two massive days. Super Grassroots rider Kyleigh Stewart and Ambassador Sydney Schumacher attended once again this year, coming back with more style and confidence than ever.Kyleigh and Sydney were both blown away by the comradarie and support everyone carried throughout the weekend, especially as one of their fellow riders took a huge hit at the start of the weekend. The community rallied, and showed their support for their teammate and for the rest of the women to listen to their intuition and continue riding if it felt right. This was a no pressure event and riders were reminded it’s their chioce to ride or not.
Both Kyleigh and Sydney walked away from the weekend feeling really proud of themselves and their friends. Sydney said “Everyone created such a unique event for all of the riders and the surrounding community. Space to express creativity on the bike, showcase everyone’s style, and foster so much progression.” Which seems to be the consensus across the board as Kyleigh commented that “Everyone’s creativity is what makes these events so unique, it was cool to see all the various approaches to freeride mountain biking on the same few jumps.” The crowd came alive when the ladies started jumping and showed it’s a prized event for the community. Everyone from old to young, beginner bikers to professionals come out to watch these riders go big and leave Galbraith buzzing by the end of the weekend.
Sydney Schumacher pushing her bike up for another round, she notes that Hangtime “not only creates space for women freeride but it encourages the whole community to take part in the progression of the sport.” She’s right, the mountain continued to buzz even days after the event was over. People hanging out at progression specific areas after being inspired by the women who rode over the weekend.
Sydney is sending summer out with a bang and a ton of good memories. She travelled up to Bellingham just a couple weeks after hosting her own Air Jam in Post Canyon.
Kyleigh’s bike of choice for the weekend was the Process X CR/DL. She comments on the vibe of the weekend….
“I’d say the final session was where I found myself fully confident on the line and riding like I knew I could. Watching everyone push their limits was inspiring and it was amazing to see each person achieve their goals throughout the final event. I would say my highlight from the finals was simply doing the tricks I enjoy and adding my flare to the features. “
Sydney decided to ride her Process CR for this event.
Give Kyleigh and Sydney a follow to see what they get up to on these bikes…
