SnF 2022 Women’s Podium: Lauren Brownlee, Carolyn Mason, and Irena Netik
The Idaho Smoke ‘n’ Fire saw a record number of women participants this year. This article covers the top three women and their impressions including Lauren Brownlee who was the first woman and second overall finisher!
Laura Heiner: Boise’s Bikepacking Powerhouse
There are a lot of theories on what inspires women to get into bikepacking. What Laura did was invite them, creating the Idaho Women’s Bikepacking group to provide a supportive pathway to racing the Idaho Smoke ‘n’ Fire for any level of rider. She answered countless questions, set up training rides, put together overnighters to check out the course, and created a strong sense of community. The IWBP group is a huge success story of getting more women into the sport, and the beauty of it is, it can be replicated pretty much anywhere. We had a chat with Laura about her history with the sport, why she felt the need to start the IWBP, and how she made it such a success.
Faces Behind the Dots⎼Smoke ‘n’ Fire 2022
The Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400 is an undisputed success story of increasing the number of women in a bikepacking race field. Steered by Laura Heiner, the Idaho Women’s Bikepacking group has led to what may be the largest women’s field in a bikepacking event. Get to know some of the faces behind the dots of this year’s race.
