Mountain Biking dream for Nepalese woman

Hi, my name is Marlene. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and avid cyclist. For the past several years, I have worked at BC Bike Race I've made some amazing friends, been inspired by so many racers, and experienced such fulfillment that I want to pay it forward.

I've travelled the world but the one place on this planet that stays with me is my travels and experiences in Nepal. On one of my visits, I was lucky to meet a young woman by the name of Laxmi Magar. Laxmi is a 7 time national mountain biking champion and is affectionately known in Nepal as Queen of the Mountain. Laxmi is passionate about what she does and inspires young girls in Nepal to pursue their mountain biking dreams and to someday also race. For these young women, financial resources are a huge challenge. Culturally in Nepal, women are expected to stay home and take care of the household. Women who strive for more by leaving the home to get a career are frowned upon and looked at as breaking the rules of the norm. Laxmi wants to represent that small percentage of women to make a difference despite the odds.

My hope is to bring Laxmi to race BC Bike Race 2022. I would like to share this passion project to bring a young Nepalese woman mountain biker to experience all that the British Columbia biking community has to offer and to experience the "best week on a bike" at BC Bike Race.

One of the biggest challenges, however, will be the expenses of getting her here. To that end, I have put together this campaign and am hoping to get your help.

I want Laxmi to be able to come to British Columbia and experience a dream of a lifetime of racing in BC Bike Race and of experiencing the incredible mountain biking that we are so lucky to take for granted. I want Laxmi to take these experiences back to Nepal and to continue to inspire the next mountain bikers in her country.