Limitless MTB Festival Brings a Weekend of Women, Singletrack and Community to Alabama

Set for Sept. 18-20, 2026, at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama

For women who love mountain biking, the inaugural Limitless MTB Festival is shaping up to be more than a weekend on the trails. Set for Sept. 18-20, 2026, at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama, the three-day festival will bring women mountain bikers together for guided rides, skills clinics, educational sessions and plenty of time to connect off the bike.

Organized by Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers, with support from Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association chapters across the Southeast, Limitless was created around a simple idea: Women riding together can build confidence, community and a stronger connection to the sport.

The festival is designed for riders across a wide range of experience levels, from women who are just getting comfortable on singletrack to experienced riders looking to sharpen their technical skills.

A Weekend Built Around the Trail

The action begins Friday, Sept. 18, with registration at Oak Mountain State Park followed by guided group rides from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Riders can then head to TacoMac for an evening social featuring introductions and an educational Trailside Talk session.

Friday's featured clinic at Cahaba Cycles Pelham focuses on general bike maintenance and washing. The hands-on session will cover drivetrain cleaning, brake adjustments, proper bike washing techniques and pre-ride safety checks.

Saturday is the festival's busiest day, with clinics, guided rides, shuttles, educational sessions and social activities filling the schedule from morning through evening.

The skills clinics are designed to meet riders where they are. Offerings include MTB Fundamentals, Welcome to Singletrack, Wheels Off the Ground, Corner with Confidence and Slow Speed Skills. The sessions range from beginner-focused instruction to classes suitable for more experienced riders.

For newer mountain bikers, Welcome to Singletrack provides an opportunity to become more comfortable with the basics of trail riding. Riders looking to improve their technique can choose sessions such as Corner with Confidence, while Slow Speed Skills is open to all skill levels.

Guided group rides will also take riders onto Oak Mountain's trail system, with shuttles planned for Blood Rock and Lightning/Tails.

Learning Beyond the Bike

One of the festival's defining features is its Trailside Talk program, which goes beyond riding technique.

Saturday's sessions cover subjects including nutrition, the psychology of racing, suspension setup and tuning, saddle fit and comfort, bikepacking and basic mountain bike knowledge.

The lineup includes Kaysee Armstrong discussing the psychology of racing, Cane Creek's Dorene O'Malley on saddle fit and comfort, and sessions featuring Mish Moore, Audrey Tangye and Kristen Girts.

The educational component gives participants a chance to learn from experienced riders and industry professionals while addressing some of the practical challenges that come with spending more time on a mountain bike.

For riders interested in longer adventures, the bikepacking session offers another way to think about what is possible beyond a traditional day ride.

A Festival, Not Just a Ride

Limitless also puts a strong emphasis on the social side of mountain biking. Saturday's schedule includes an animal encounter at the Oak Mountain Interpretive Center, live music, a group photo, a pump track power hour, wine tasting and a catered dinner. A tie-dye station and photo booth will be available throughout the day.

The combination of riding, education and social activities is intentional. Organizers describe the festival as a place where women can step away from everyday responsibilities and spend a weekend focused on riding, learning and connecting with other women who share the sport.

That emphasis on community continues Sunday morning. The final day begins with Pilates before a final round of Trailside Talk sessions and a group ride. Discussions include returning to riding after an injury and building a mountain bike community.

The injury-recovery session, led by Erin McMahon, will address progressive training, realistic timelines and the mental side of returning to technical terrain. McMahon and Amber Draper will also lead a session focused on creating and sustaining supportive communities for women mountain bikers.

Oak Mountain Sets the Stage

Oak Mountain State Park provides a fitting setting for the festival. Located in Pelham, just south of Birmingham, the park is one of Alabama's major outdoor recreation destinations and offers an extensive network of trails and facilities.

For Limitless participants, the park provides the opportunity to experience a variety of terrain while learning new skills in a supportive group environment.

The festival's organizers say the goal is not simply to introduce women to mountain biking, but to help them become more confident and comfortable in the sport.

Whether that means learning how to navigate singletrack for the first time, becoming more confident through corners, learning how to tune a suspension system or simply finding a group of people to ride with, the weekend is built around making mountain biking feel more accessible.

Claiming Space on the Trails

At its core, Limitless is about creating an environment where women can ride without feeling like they have to prove themselves.

The festival's mission is to empower women mountain bikers of all skill levels through affordable training, shared trail experiences and community. The organizers hope the connections made during the weekend will continue well beyond the final group ride.

With its combination of gritty singletrack, professional instruction, guided rides and relaxed social events, the inaugural Limitless MTB Festival is positioning itself as a new gathering place for women who want to ride harder, learn more and meet the people who make the sport special.

The event runs Sept. 18-20 at Oak Mountain State Park. Registration is listed at $50, with registration available through the Limitless MTB Festival and BikeReg.

For women looking for a weekend centered on mountain biking, confidence and community, Limitless offers a chance to show up as a rider, leave with new skills and perhaps discover that the limits they thought they had were never really limits at all.

For more information, visit https://limitlessmtb.com/