Women’s Okanagan Tour: 5-Week Advanced Mountain Bike Series in Kelowna

On weekday evenings from early June, the Women’s Okanagan Tour transforms Kelowna’s mixed terrain into a mobile skills lab for advanced women mountain bikers. This five-week series meets at five distinct trailheads across the Okanagan Valley — Myra-Bellevue (Crawford), Lake Country Bike Park, Smith Creek, Gillard, and Predator Ridge — and focuses on technical progression in real trail conditions. Coaches run focused sessions from 5:30 to 7:30 PM that strip away parking-lot drills and put riders onto the features that define this region: high-speed chunder, granite slabs, steep tech, bermed jumps, and alpine flow. Each week targets a different skillset. The Calibration at Myra-Bellevue sets a baseline with rock slab technique and speed control; Lake Country refines jump and drop progression in a bike-park setting; Smith Creek hones fast cornering through tight, steep switchbacks; Gillard drills advanced braking and line choice on sustained steep pitches; the finale at Predator Ridge assembles those skills on fast granite and scenic, technical runs. This program caters to intermediate and advanced riders who already pedal competent lines and want a structured, trail-forward method to raise confidence and performance. Group sizes remain small — roughly six riders per session — which keeps instruction personalized and trail scouting efficient. Expect coaching on suspension loading, line selection, braking modulation, and how to read local micro-features that decide a line’s success or failure. The Okanagan’s geology plays a prominent role: granitic outcrops and compacted glacial till produce slabby exposures and hardpack chunder that reward precise weight placement and predictable tire choices. Vegetation shifts from ponderosa and Douglas-fir lower slopes to sage and alpine grasses near Predator Ridge, offering changing traction and exposure as you move through the series. Riders should arrive with a well-maintained full-suspension bike and hydraulic brakes; knee protection and a full-face helmet are recommended for higher-consequence sections. Beyond skill-building, the series doubles as trail reconnaissance: coaches point out local lines and preferred descents, making the tour a fast-pass to the Okanagan’s best features. The program runs rain-or-shine except in unsafe conditions and asks participants to respect trail etiquette and local land-use rules. For women looking to push limits in an energetic, supportive group while sampling the valley’s most challenging terrain, the Women’s Okanagan Tour is both a fine-tuned training program and a five-evening reconnaissance across some of British Columbia’s most engaging mountain-bike trails. Sessions start at Myra-Bellevue (Crawford) for the opening evening; exact meeting locations are emailed weekly. Riders must be 16 or older and able to handle intermediate-to-advanced lines. A signed waiver and the program minimum enrollment are required; if minimum numbers aren’t met you’ll receive a refund or alternate date. Plan on two hours of focused coaching and on-trail practice each session and skill-building drills