USA Cycling and Wolfpack Women’s Racing Team Up to Launch an Introduction to Racing Clinic Series 

Level Up Your Ride offers nine clinics across the country that teach riders of all skill levels the fundamentals of bike racing.

Salt Lake City Clinic Registration: https://www.bikereg.com/level-up-your-ride-bike-racing-clinic-for-women-salt-lake-city

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Cycling is excited to announce the launch of Level Up Your Ride, an introduction to racing series. Level Up Your Ride offers nine different opportunities for women, trans, femme, and non-binary cyclists to learn all about bike racing. Following the American Criterium Cup series, this program kicked off in Rochester followed by Tulsa and Harlem. It will continue with six more stops taking place in Boise, Salt Lake City, Lake Bluff, Ill., Littleton, Colo., Indianapolis, and St. Louis. All clinics are taught by Kelly Barrientes, owner of Wolfpack Women’s Racing, and a selection of professional female cyclists who race for the team. Each 2-hour clinic follows a circuit-style methodology designed and tested by Barrientes and leads riders of all skill levels through cornering exercises, sprinting and gearing drills, and other practical riding and racing skills.

“This program is a huge milestone for USA Cycling. As an organization, our goal is to advocate for the growth and expansion of cycling. Offering athletes the tools and resources to start their cycling journey is only the beginning of our efforts to lower the barrier of entry for our sport. Our collaboration with Kelly and Wolfpack Women’s Racing has allowed us to connect some of the best racers in the country with local communities,” said Erika Lehman, Chief Marketing Officer at USA Cycling.

This program exists to offer cyclists from all over the country an in-depth look into the fundamentals of bike racing. Each clinic is free and comes with a one-day novice race license, allowing new racers the opportunity to try an entry-level race.

This program is designed to meet cyclists where they are in terms of their skill and comfort level. Heidi Woika, an avid cyclist who attended the Rochester clinic said, “I have never done a clinic or bike race before. Today was my first bike clinic and my first racing experience. It was amazing! I felt welcomed, and I learned a lot about racing and everything I can do with my bike.”

Woika started riding during the pandemic and has fallen in love with it. She’s one of over two hundred riders that have participated in a Level Up Your Ride clinic.

Wolfpack has been a vital part of this program. “For years I have been working to empower women of every level to ride their bikes with confidence in a non-intimidating, friendly, welcoming environment. My goal for 2022 was to expand the grassroots efforts of Wolfpack to include women’s skills and drills clinics at some of the biggest events all over the country. Growing the cycling community has to be a group effort and wouldn’t be possible had USA Cycling not stepped in and partnered with us to create these Level Up Your Ride clinics,” said Kelly Barrientes, owner of Wolfpack Racing.

Registration is currently open for the remaining six clinics. To learn more about each clinic and to sign up, click here.