Liv ambassador Katie Holden uses the bike as a platform to break down cultural barriers.
Katie Holden never intended to fall in love with mountain biking.
The downhill racer and free rider who is now a full-time global brand ambassador for Liv cycles used to dream of being an Olympic swimmer or sled dog musher in the Iditarod. Dream boards she made while growing up are filled with cut-out magazine images and words of inspiration reflecting those early aspirations. The Iditarod spoke to her inner adventurer. Swimming was rooted in her athletic pursuits: She swam the breaststroke and played soccer and softball competitively throughout her childhood and teen years. She was even on track to attend college and play catcher on a women’s team.
By accident, she ended up on a high school mountain bike trip, and everything changed. While attending International Community School in Kirkland, Wash., she was scheduled for a trip to Europe with some classmates as part of “Focus Week,” an intensive five days of real-world experiences for students. Due to the travel restrictions in place after 9/11, however, school administrators cancelled the overseas tour. The only other options were a film festival and mountain biking. She didn’t want to sit inside watching movies, but she was terrified to ride.
“I had absolutely no interest in bikes. I didn’t even have a bike. I went to a bike shop and rented a bike for the trip,” Holden told Mountain Flyer. “I was so scared of it. I was scared to even ride through a ditch. I had no experience on a bike.”
For their final ride that week, the students went to a trail that had jumps and drops and free ride features. It was way beyond her ability, but it was enough to give her a taste.
This story is from the Number 52 edition of Mountain Flyer.
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This story is from the Number 52 edition of Mountain Flyer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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