My name is Georgia Keeling and I am so excited to be a GRiT ambassador this year! I’ve been mountain biking for the past four years, and a GRiT ambassador for the past three. I love adventuring and being out in nature, especially on bikes! In my free time I also enjoy ceramics and thrifting.

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite trail snack has got to be brownies.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is up on the grade in my town. There are so many fun steep and rocky trails and it’s so beautiful up there.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Outside of mountain biking I enjoy exploring, thrifting, and listening to music. I also love gravel and road biking.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am really looking forward to getting more girls on bikes this year and making more connections with girls on my team. I am also excited to have to host several GRiT rides!

Hello! My name is Madi, I am a junior at San Lorenzo Valley High School. This will be my fifth year racing with my team, Santa Cruz Mountains Cycling Composite, and second as a GRiT ambassador. I fell in love with the community of the NorCal league and mountain biking when I joined in 7th grade, and I have been racing since then. I love cross country but I also love enduro mountain biking and being able to hang out with my teams and friends in so many awesome places. I have met some of my best friends through the mountain biking and GRiT community. I’m super excited to be a bigger part of the NorCal GRiT program this year. I hope to bring more girls into the sport of mountain biking, and to strengthen the community of strong girls in NICA.

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite trail snack is CLIF Salted Watermelon Energy Bloks.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is the UC Santa Cruz campus, where there are a lot of trails of all kinds.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

I do a lot of things outside mountain biking; I love to run on the cross country and track teams at my school, and I also love to create art, be outdoors, and spend time with my friends and family.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am most excited to be able to have a bigger impact on bringing more girls into NICA as a GRiT ambassador. I also look foward to having and attending more GRiT events, so I can meet as many new people as I can!

Hi! My name is Nina and I am super excited to be a GRiT ambassador this year. This will be my fifth year mountain biking competitively, and my second as a GRiT ambassador. One of my favorite things about mountain biking is the community and all the amazing people you meet, and I am super excited to help get more girls on bikes and for this upcoming season!

What is your favorite trail snack?

Applesauce and clif blocks

Where is your favorite place to ride?

UCSC!

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Outside of mountain biking, I like going on adventures with my dogs, spending time at the beach, or playing other sports.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am excited to meet other girls who love mountain biking, encourage more girls to try this sport, host fun events, and make new friends!

My name is Haley and I am currently a junior on the SLO Scoters team. I have been riding for four years and this will be my fourth year racing with NorCal League. I can honestly say that my time with Scoters has significantly improved my life. Riding has made me stronger, both physically and mentally, and has taught me so much about myself. Mountain biking has also helped me make so many new friends, and I love being a part of such an incredible community. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to introduce more female and non-binary riders to the sport and witness first-hand the tremendous impact that GRiT has on my team.

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite thing to eat on the trail is homemade triple chocolate brownies.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is probably West Cuesta Grade. The Grade is an amazing local area with all kinds of trails to shred, and I love riding through each of the different microhabitats up there.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Outside of mountain biking, I love to rock climb! The climbing community is incredibly welcoming and inclusive, and I love the mental and physical challenges that climbing can provide. I also enjoy camping, hiking, and anything else outdoors.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am so excited for my second year as a NorCal GRiT Ambassador because I get the opportunity to get more girls excited about mountain biking! Last season as a GRiT Ambassador, I helped my team reach a record number of girls and we are now like family. This year, I am thrilled to use what I have learned to make an even bigger impact in the female mountain biking community.

My name is Jessica Tudor, I am a senior at Salinas High School and have been mountain biking for three years. When I first joined the mountain biking team it was an unbelievable experience for me because that was my first time I had ever gone mountain biking, but as I kept riding, I fell in love with the sport. I’m super excited to be a NorCal GRiT Ambassador as biking has been a love of mine for years, and I hope to get more girls into this amazing sport!

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite trail snack are the Skratch raspberry gummies!

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is in Fort Ord or Toro!

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Outside of mountain biking I love to play soccer. I love how all the girls on the team work together and form a close knit family.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am excited to be a NorCal GRiT Ambassador because I want to meet as many girls as possible and encourage them to join the sport that I love! I hope to see Norcal’s community filled with more girls on bikes!

Hello my name is Laney. I’m a sophomore at Salinas High School. This is my third year racing NorCal and love every moment. I love using creativity to get things done and I am an assistant captain for the Salinas High Team. I run the social media for us Cowboys and love to get more girls interested in mountain biking! Outside of this awesomeness I love to make jewelry.

What is your favorite trail snack?

Bananas

Where is your favorite place to ride?

Fort Ord

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Jewelry making and FFA

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am so thrilled to be a NorCal GRiT ambassador not only that we get to get more girls connected to riding but the friends we all get to make.

Hi! My name is Jayce Cooper, I’m a Junior at Berkeley High School, and this is my 3rd year racing with Berkeley Mountain Bike Team. I love racing mountain biking, as well as gravel, cyclocross, and road. Cycling is a huge part of my life, as I ride all the time, and also work for a bike shop. I’m super stoked to be a GRiT ambassador this season, and can’t wait to ride, and race with, with other girls and nonbinary people!

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite trail snack is the Clif Strawberry-Lemonade Bloks.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

Locally, I’m partial to Tamarancho, but I have to say, I got to ride some dirt in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, this year, and it was AMAZING.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

I love to make art, recently I’ve really enjoyed photography, cyanotypes, and working with wood. I also love camping, swimming, hiking, and pretty much anything that lets me be out in nature.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I’m stoked to be a NorCal GRiT Ambassador for many reasons. The top one being that the GRiT program is what introduced me to mountain biking, and encouraged me to continue doing it, and I’m excited to help other gals and non-binary riders have that experience, too!

Hi! My name is Saachi D. Sarnoski and I’m currently a sophomore at Monte Vista high school, and I am absolutely thrilled to be chosen as a GRiT ambassador! I am the only girl on my high school’s mountain bike team and getting to be around the power female community that is GRiT has really increased my love for this sport. My dad took me on my first mountain bike ride when I was 10 and I’ve been in love with the sport ever since. This will be my second season biking with NICA, and I am so grateful for all the adventures that mountain biking has given me! When I’m not biking I like to listen to music, shop for clothes, and hang out with my friends.

What is your favorite trail snack?

Dried Mango

Where is your favorite place to ride?

Las Trampas Trails

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Swimming

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am the only high school girl on the Monte Vista, and I am so, so excited to have found a community of other girl mountain bikers! I can’t wait to help recruit more female riders and add to the overall GRiT circle!

My name is Zola and I am a junior riding with the El Cerrito High School Mountain Biking Team. This will be my 5th year racing for NICA, and 9th year mountain biking. I participated in Little Bellas starting in second grade, and fell in love with the sport and its wonderful community. I love being able to explore new places and spend time with my friends and teammates, and love meeting new GRiT members from the other regions. I hope to share my love for the sport with others and help give back to the amazing community that has shaped so much of my life.

What is your favorite trail snack?

Salted Watermelon Clif Bloks

Where is your favorite place to ride?

Exchequer Bike Park

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Outside of cycling, I love to ski. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always skied with my friends and family during the winter in Tahoe, and I always look forward to the Ski season. I also love to listen to music and read.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I’m excited to meet new people and help support underrepresented groups in the sport. I’m also looking forward to putting on fun and welcoming events for new perspective and existing riders alike!

Hello! My name is Mina Herrgott, and I am currently a sophomore at Piedmont High School. This will be my 3rd year racing, and I am so excited to be a GRiT ambassador this season. My first ever mountain bike ride was in 7th grade, with GRiT, and I have loved my time with the team ever since. It has allowed me to strengthen friendships and view exercise and competition as exciting. Outside of mountain biking I love to read, crochet, draw, and a bunch of other creative things.

What is your favorite trail snack?

Fruit Punch GU Chews

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is up at Chabot Lake.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

I love to read and play the drums.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am excited to help other girls find a new interest and give them the courage to continue with it. The supportive community is something I love about mountain biking, and I am excited to help grow that this year!

Hi, my name is Kate Huseby and I am a senior at Ghidotti Early College High School in Grass Valley. This will be my third season racing for the Miners Mountain bike team. I love all kinds of riding but I think my favorite is enduro and downhill with my friends. I hope to inspire more girls to fall in love with biking like I have.

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite trail snack is gummy worms.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite trails to ride are in Nevada City, CA up highway 20. The system of trails are called the Parliament Trails, they are fun flow trails with some optional jump lines and drops. I also like riding around the TDS ranch when its open for the season.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Besides mountain biking, I spend a lot of time rock climbing, and exploring the mountains. Some of my other interests are backpacking, trail running, and anything that will get me out in nature.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am excited to be an ambassador this season, and I hope to meet new people. I would love to help build a community that is getting more girls on bikes.

My name is Charlie Jones, and I am a Junior at Redwood High school. This is my third season racing with this team. I started mountain biking in middle school with my dad and have met so many amazing people from the community since then! One of my goals this season is to get more girls to join the sport and show them how amazing the community can be. Off the bike, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and volunteering at wildlife rescues.

What is your favorite trail snack?

My favorite trail snack would have to be Clif Bloks, and my favorite flavor is strawberry!

Where is your favorite place to ride?

I would say my favorite place to ride would be a tie between the Mt. Tamalpais watershed and the Marin Headlands.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Off of the bike, I’m passionate about wildlife conservation and volunteer at several rescues.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador because I want to help bring more girls into the mountain biking community. I love working with new riders and making new friends, so I am looking forward to getting to know more people in the league and helping new riders find their footing.

Hi I’m Greta, a junior from the Tam High racing team. I’m super passionate about increasing diversity in mountain biking and getting more girl on bikes. In my free time I work as a math tutor, run the Sustainable Fashion Club at my school, and love exploring new trails with friends.

What is your favorite trail snack?

Tropical punch shot blocks (the best flavor)

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is Tahoe because of all the amazing views.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

I love adventuring outdoors whether it’s trail running, skiing, surfing, or climbing.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I’m excited to get more girls on bikes from all different backgrounds. I’ve really enjoyed my time with GRiT and the NorCal league and I can’t wait to meet more girls who are also stoked to ride!

My name is Charly Newman, I am a Junior at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, and I live in Sonoma Valley. I have always loved biking, but I first started mountain biking with my dad during the Covid lockdown in our local Jack London State Park. I joined Annadel Composite (A-team), my freshman year of high school, and loved racing in Stafford, Six-Sigma, Fort Ord, and Granite Bay. Aside from high school races, I have also participated in Levi’s Granfondo, Truckee Tahoe Gravel in 2023, and Low Gap Hopper in 2024, and I am excited to do more this year!

What is your favorite trail snack?

I love pancakes before rides, stroopwaffles during, and potato chips, pickles, or anything salty after.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

I love riding in Tahoe (the flume trail!) or Jack London with my dad, but my favorite rides are in Annadel with my friends.

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

I have a ton! In the fall, I do musical theater; this year’s production was Mean Girls! In the winter, I dance at my school and compete in speech. In the spring, I do lacrosse at the same time as the NICA season. I also love to ski, hike, and hang out with my dogs.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

GRiT is definitely one of the top reasons I look forward to the biking season each year. I love meeting awesome girls on rides, and I can’t wait to introduce new girls to this amazing community. I want a ton more girls to join mountain biking, but I want them to know that they are supported by a strong group of women excited to make mountain biking as fun as possible: now I can’t wait to be a part of that group!

My name is Alice Ardiano, and I am a sophomore at Marin Academy. Although I started mountain biking when I was eight with my dad, I joined my first team last year. This year will be my second year racing with NICA and being part of the Marin Academy Mountain Biking team. I am super excited to be a GRiT Ambassador this year because I love empowering girls and showing them how mountain biking is a sport for everyone, where we can all feel confident and included. I hope to create spaces where more girls feel supported and inspired so that they feel they can take risks, both on and off the bike

What is your favorite trail snack?

Skratch lemon and green tea energy chews

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is at Tamarancho (I love the flow trail)

What is a hobby or interest of yours outside of mountain biking?

Outside of mountain biking, I love being creative, and I express this through art. I love to draw and paint because it gives me a break from my daily life, and it gives me the time to focus on doing something that I love. Similar to mountain biking, creating art has taught me many things, such as patience and persistence.

Why are you excited about being a NorCal GRiT Ambassador?

I am most excited to be a GRiT Ambassador because I can’t wait to meet and connect with more girls who share my passion for mountain biking. I am eager to build a stronger community of girls where we can support and encourage each other.