Organising Mountain Bike Events. Advice From Someone Silly Enough to Keep Doing It

Four years ago, I had a simple idea: create an event for women that genuinely connected women. As a new mountain biker, I’d launched myself into racing enduros (because why not?) but quickly realised I didn’t actually relate to many people there. The few women racing all seemed like pros to me. I was shy. And definitely not the kind of person who casually chats to strangers in a stage queue like ‘Hi I’m Katie, I’m new around here and currently questioning all my life choices’. Even on rides full of men, I’d spot another lone woman in another group of men, and somehow, we’d silently pass each other like ships in the night with a little smile. Not ideal. Katie just speak to her!

I wanted to change that. I wanted a space where women felt comfortable, welcomed, celebrated and actually connected. A space to progress skills, meet friends and play on bikes.  

I saw events like that elsewhere in the UK but not in Scotland. And despite having zero event-organising experience (but a lot of passion, enthusiasm, stubbornness and naïve confidence) I dove in. Anna and Fee joined the madness, and together we launched Limitlass. Four years later, we’ve won “Event of the Year” in Scotland three times, doubled our numbers, showcased incredible female coaches, guides and mechanics, supported underrepresented groups, become a community, spread globally, and launched the Limitlass Legacy Programme to develop the next generation of women in the mountain bike world. I’m unbelievably proud of what we’ve built. Not bad for three women armed with a gigantic spreadsheet, many cups of tea and chaos.

And, naturally, because I don’t know how to sit still… I’m now taking all those learnings and organising a six-day mountain bike race, called Trans Caledonia. I’ve never organised a race before, let alone something that lasts a week, but here we are! Still passionate, slightly wiser, and equally naïve.  

I genuinely want more people to feel confident running their own events. Outdoor communities grow when we create the spaces we wish existed. So, here’s some honest, hard-earned advice from someone who jumped in headfirst… and is still swimming (and sometimes, let’s be honest, drowning a bit!).

1. If no one else is doing it… congratulations, you should do it!

Limitlass exists because what I wanted didn’t exist. Trans Caledonia exists for the same reason. If you’re craving something in your community that you’re passionate about, chances are others are too. Sometimes you have to be the person that goes ‘fine. FINE. I’ll do it’. And then voila, you’re suddenly an event organiser! Take the leap, you’ve got this!

2. Build a Team Who Can Survive a Spreadsheet Apocalypse With You

Find people who genuinely share the passion and have a can-do attitude. You’re going to work hard together. There will be stress. There will be late nights. There might be tears. Someone will definitely choose “finishing this one last job” over basic human nourishment.

Working face-to-face when you can is magic. Yes, Teams is great. Remote work is great. But nothing beats sitting around a table with cups of tea, a million tabs open on laptops, and everyone watching the to-do list multiply before their eyes.

Also: don’t underestimate the impact on family. For the first year of Limitlass I worked mornings before my “real” job, at lunch, and evenings. My partner deserves a medal, but he also became an excellent sounding board for my many, many rants.

A good team doesn’t remove the chaos, but it absolutely makes it survivable, and sometimes even fun.

4. Start Small. Like Really Small. Bite Sized-Event Small. Oh and Simple.

Limitlass didn’t start as the bold event it is today. It started tiny. A bit chaotic. A bit winging-it. If we’d tried to run what it is now first, it would have exploded. Possibly literally. Starting small isn’t failure, it’s building foundations that won’t crumble the second the wind picks up your gazebo (honestly, can someone please explain why Limitlass is always windy!).

2. Hurdles Will Come, Keep Calm and Carry On

Landowner headaches. Sponsorship struggles. Caterers cancelling. Guides cancelling. Broken legs. During the event planning, you will face hurdles, it’s basically an initiation ritual.

Plenty of great events disappear the moment things get tough. But if you truly care about what you’re building, you will find a way through. And honestly? Nothing beats the post-event high of knowing you solved a problem that should’ve taken you out.

5. Don’t apologise for charging what it’s worth

Events take time. A LOT of time. And apparently we all need food and electricity and occasionally new brake pads.

Events “not making money” is often normal, but your time still has value. Passion is lovely, but sustainability matters too, for the event and for you.

And perhaps one day your passion project can become your job. It’s tough to balance wanting to keep ticket prices low whilst covering costs and paying yourself fairly, but sometimes we have to be tough little cookies.

6. Protect Yourself From Burnout

In 2024, in the run-up to Limitlass, I cried every time I rode my bike. Every. Time.
My brain basically shut down. Not the best for someone preaching about the love of bikes. The venue change we made nearly broke us, but it also forced us to make changes. I cut down evening work. I eased off riding in the run up. Limitlass brought in more help. Everything felt more manageable.

Your wellbeing (and your team’s) is non-negotiable. Take care of each other!
You can’t run an empowering community event while quietly falling apart.

7. Mistakes will happen. Try not to repeat the same ones.

Event organising is a thousand tiny tasks that no-one notices, unless they go wrong. And things will go wrong.

Example: Year one, we forgot that in Scotland… it gets dark. Imagine our film night slowly fading out while we all looked around thinking, “Hmm. Yes. Night-time. Classic mistake.” Cue my partner sprinting to Tesco for emergency lights.

We’ve dealt with gates locked during shuttle runs, gazebos flying away, not enough toilets, wasp nests (10/10 do not recommend), shuttle companies double booking themselves, caterers forgetting vegan food. You name it.

What matters is learning, asking for help, adapting, and calmly firefighting. (And making sure at least two of us aren’t coaching during the event anymore so we can play firefighters.)

9. Ask for Feedback. Then Pretend the One Negative Comment Didn’t Hurt Your Soul.

Even when 99% of your feedback is glowing, that one slightly grumpy comment will lodge in your brain for a decade.

But feedback is essential. Write it down. Action it. Learn from it. Don’t hide from it.

I loved how Hope WMN honestly explained their decision-making in their enduro blog. Sometimes people simply don’t know the full picture, like how Limitlass can’t justify multiple food vendors, or how showers would push ticket prices way up, or how “just do it indoors” doesn’t quite work for a mountain bike festival.

Feedback isn’t failure. It’s fuel.

10. Align Yourself With People and Brands Who Share Your Values

Having an incredible team alongside you, a supportive community, and sponsors who genuinely believe in what you’re doing is absolutely key to an event’s success. It can be hard to walk away from funding or offers of help, but if they don’t align with your purpose, they’ll hold you back in the long run. For us, suggestions like “Just hire male coaches so the event can be bigger” were big red flags flapping aggressively in the wind, because that simply isn’t what Limitlass stands for.

We’ve been incredibly lucky to partner with brands like Hope Technology and their Hope WMN initiative, who don’t just understand our mission but actively champion it. Surrounding your event with people and organisations that share your values doesn’t just make the work easier, it makes the impact deeper.

Final Thoughts

Event organising is hard. Beautiful. Exhausting. Energising. Chaotic. Rewarding.
Often all at once.

If you have an idea tugging at you, a community or event you wish existed, lean into it. Outdoor communities grow because people are slightly silly enough to try.

Leap into it, start small, stay resilient and learn as you go. Because trust me: it’s worth it and maybe, just maybe, you’ll end up creating something extraordinary.

Words & Pictures: Katie May