The original Air Maiden, Lynne Armstrong. Photo credit: Ronia Nash

Hometown: Galashiels, Scotland

Current home: Pemberton BC

Years riding: 18

Sponsors: Myself and my hubbie.

Favourite trail/spot: Too many!! Loved Kelowna back in the day, still love Silver Star, the Bike Ranch, all in BC. Canada, Woburn Sands, and Descend Bike park in England, Dunked, Yair Forest, and Tweed Valley in Scotland and of course Whistler Bike park down the road!

How’d you get into biking? Bunch of boy pals on West Coast of Scotland got me into it after years of snowboarding and martial arts. Started on a GT Zasker and got hooked on the adrenaline pretty quickly.

Is this said elevator photo with Danny MacAskill, Stu Thompson from Cut media, and Kenny Fulton

You used to ride with the Clan which includes Danny MacAskill, any awesome adventure stories? Hmm yes, too many to mention and a bit too juicy to disclose. Lets just say they involved being removed from watering holes and nightclubs around the country, mainly because of Danny, I might add! Hotel rooms were often turned into trials courses and there was that one night we got stuck in an elevator at 3am and I thought we would have to call the firefighters to rescue us (my workplace at the time).

Air Maiden has huge turnouts! Thanks for starting this awesome event series, social rides, youth team, and enduro events.

You started Air Maiden in the UK? Tell us a little about it and what prompted you to start organizing it? Started it in 2008 after competing in the Gala at Crankworx. Wanting to encourage women to get into jumping in Scotland, it started as a coaching weekend with a fun competition for the more experienced riders. Rather ambitiously I had a wooden kicker made with a mulch landing, all blagged(Scottish for swiped) from the local foresters who kindly gave us hardcore(quarried stone) and their machines to build it, for a flat of beer! We tried stuff on it like Nothings and Backflips, but only a handful of us were hitting it as it was quite intimidating. Year after year more women joined in and started trying it. After that Air Maiden went from being an annual coaching/freeride event to a UK wide coaching outift with some really talented coaches. We ran the UK’s first womens only enduro race, added more coaching camps, started a girls mtb club, and started supporting youth racing. We prided ourselves on giving women the opportunity to learn skills and confidence from other women without watering it down and softening our approach.

Check out more on Air Maiden here.

Lynne’s stunt riding days!! She was doing it before most of us even started thinking it!

Were you rocking out to Iron Maiden back then, how did you come up with the name? I was rocking and raving back then (still do on occasion!) but credit has to go to my ex for the name.

Backflip back in the day. Photo credit: Mountain Bike photography.

You have your FMB (Freestyle Mountain Bike) judging license and have judged a few competitions now, do you think ladies freestyle has changed much? And what do you credit this too?

The main change for me is in the number of younger athletes coming through now, throwing down tricks and hitting bigger features with style and steeze. I remember competing in the Gala at Crankworx back in 2007 when top pros like Claire Buchar were killing it, (and still is!) and Casey Brown was just emerging. Most of us were either in our thirties or fast approaching it and we didn't have other women to aspire to or to look up to for that side of the sport. They for sure existed but in the tens around the world.

Now its crazy to see what people like Kat Sweet and Angi Weston are creating with the younger generation and the level of riding is incredible, 8 yr olds throwing whips and 13 yr olds pulling off the sweetest tuck no handers. Its so awesome to see. Grassroots events are hugely important in growing the next generation of talent.

High fives and good times at the Whistler dirt jumps. Photo credit: Ronia Nash

And I think the evolution of the sport, coupled with the largely unnoticed hard work and dedication of some amazing women over the years, has increased the number and the level of women's freeriding to the point that the bigger companies like Red Bull, Crankworx are starting to see the value of pushing this side of the sport.

When slopestyle was in its infancy the public were able to hit some of the features in the Boneyard and in fact when 'The Gala' at Womensworx was held in 2007, we had the option of being judged on the same course as the guys. Features like the ladder drop, the wall ride, and fun box (or staff accommodation as it was known back then!) were totally doable for the women. Jumps and features are so huge now, and while a few might be able to clear some of the features, most women aren’t tricking them! This was evident at 2019 Speed and Style which proved to be a challenging course for most. It’s great that Crankworx included a women’s category, it’s a move in the right direction.

Lynne coaching some of the advanced riders for WFMBike events last summer. Photo credit: Ronia Nash

Where should we go? are we headed in the right direction? In an ideal world it’d be great to have a purpose built slopestyle course with drops, wall rides, step ups and step downs that were customised to showcase women's skill and power level. We need courses that allow women to show what we can do, with the right arena and you will see plenty of style and tricks. Progressing the sport, plus they inspire a whole new generation fo riders too! Vision line is a perfect example of that, its challenging enough, designed by a woman, it showcases her talent on a bike and has the added bonus that its super fun for everyone!! Katie Holden had the right idea with choosing specific women for the Formation event in Utah as they were all great, experienced riders who had the right attitudes and a sense of camaraderie.

We now have some freeride personalities to help create a buzz like Veronique Sandler, Casey Brown, its an exciting time to be a young ripper! Now if we could get some more media/video coverage of the events to help inspire the next generation, then maybe my girls will want to try their hands at it.

X-up while travelling around Scotland showing kids how cool biking is. #dreamjob

On ladies only events? We have to remember that not all women want to ride in women's only events. Fifteen years ago when I was pushing myself, I rode around with my male friends and none made me feel like a spare prick for riding with them. Before too long I was showing them how to hit the bigger features! There are plenty of women who are just riders but may have a competitive side that they want to challenge, but aren’t into women’s only events. We are all just riding bikes at the end of the day, enjoying being outside, escaping the reality of everyday working life, and having fun.

Saturday social rides with the Air Maiden crew.Can you find Lynne rocking out as usual? Photo credit: Aneela McKenna

What do you think about where ladies biking is now, compared to say ten years ago? Theres shit loads more women now, and the level of riding is unreal! Women’s events, rides, coaching, retreats, workshops, gear, happening all over the place which makes the sport more accessible. There’s a great squad of women in Pemberton and Innerleithen Scotland, who are organising bike fun, many of them are mums who love getting out riding with their mates, and the apres bike traditions which are an inherent part of those events!

Halloween with her own Clan. A classic, what a cool family!! Photo credit: some stranger in the hallway they let live so he could take the pic.

You have twin girls and a boy, do they like biking? Mini biker gang?

They are getting into it but I’ve been reluctant to push my bike obsession on them as I’d like them to figure out what they are into by themselves. Ziggy is really into jumping and likes to ride the flowy trails, but he's less keen on climbing, so he's just like his momma. Charlie and Lainie are getting into it now but I’m in not in any rush to throw them at the bike park. Apart from anything else, I can’t afford it! I'm already facing the sad reality that I wont be able to buy myself another bike again. But yeah we do go on rides together and I love being on the trails with them.

A family that bikes together has a good times together. Photo credit: Their momma, Lynne.

Whistler, Pemberton, or Squamish, who does it better? Thats tough because they are all incredible places to ride. But you can’t beat just walking out your front door with your bike and heading straight to the trails so I’m going to have to say Pemby baby!!

Favourite Scottish expression or joke? 'Away and boil yer heid and make daft soup'

Any shoutouts? Shoutouts to the women of freeride who’ve been tirelessly pushing the sport for over a decade now, Kat, Cortney, Lisa, Tammy, Steph, Meg, Carolyn, …

And to my favourite riding buddies who I've just had the best laughs on a bike with....Joey Gough, Jess Stone, Polly Harrison, Hayls MacCallum, Dawn Cashen, Christina Chappetta, the hilarious women of Pemby Bike Club, my hubby Brennan, Evolution Bike Shop and of course The Scottish Fanny Collective.

Hands up for Lynne Armstrong!! Photo credit: Jayne Wright

Who Dat? Lynne Armstrong