About
Founded in 2021, Blue Ridge Dirt Skrrts is a 501(c)(3) organization in Western North Carolina with a simple goal—to get more women on mountain bikes. We strive to create a welcoming and non-intimidating environment for all women regardless of background or skill level. Our mission is to break barriers by empowering women to ride bikes together.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
Blue Ridge Dirt Skrrts embodies and welcomes women of diverse backgrounds to mountain bike together, where individuals who identify as women feel valued, welcomed, seen, heard and celebrated in their entirety. We value community and are committed to cultivating an inclusive and equitable environment. We are breaking down barriers and improving equity in the lives of women by: providing bikes, mechanical classes, skills instruction, tools, resources, and other opportunities to level the playing field for all women to ride bikes and have fun. Intolerant of prejudice, we collaborate with other like-minded groups to provide a sense of true belonging for participants. As women, we are on this journey together; continuing to grow a culture of empowerment, self-discovery, respect, safety and wellbeing on and off the bike.
Board of Directors
Danielle Cipriani
Executive Director Danielle Cipriani is a mom, dog lover, and outdoor enthusiast stepping into her new role as Executive Director. With 13 years of nonprofit experience building community for people living with chronic diseases, she's passionate about connection—both on and off the trail. Danielle looks forward to deepening her roots in Western North Carolina and sharing one of its greatest gems: mountain biking.
Board of Directors
Cat Austell
Board Secretary Cathrine “Cat” Austell [she/her] is an educator, mom, and lover of all things outdoors. She holds degrees in Outdoor Recreation & Leadership and History and spent 15 years working as a public school teacher. These days, she works part-time as a substitute teacher at her kids’ school, where she also helps coach the mountain bike team. Having spent much of her 20s and early 30s whitewater rafting and kayaking, Cat discovered mountain biking after becoming a parent and quickly fell in love with the sport’s supportive, empowering community. She’s passionate about helping more women feel strong and confident in what they can do—both on and off the bike—and to experience the connection and encouragement of this amazing community. While she still often feels intimidated by how much there is to learn about bike maintenance and mechanics (it’s like learning a new language!), her enthusiasm for adventure, connection, and growth is what keeps her pedaling.
Kristy Carter
Board Vice President Kristy Carter was motivated to join the board because she knows, first hand, the life changing power of riding bikes in the woods with a bunch of women. She wants to amplify Dirt Skrrts’ ability to empower more women through two wheels, community building, and a whole lot of fun. When she’s not riding bikes, she can be found at work where she builds better communities through bicycle and pedestrian projects, or pursuing her goal of biking in all 50 states—she’s completed 40 and has 10 more to go. Kristy lives in Asheville with her partner, two cats, and lots of bikes.
Ruth Cumberland
Ruth is a local to the Asheville area and has spent most of her career studying ecosystems of the eastern United States, including the mountains she calls home. She has a B.S. in Ecology from UNC Asheville and an M.S. from Clemson University, where she researched forest response to wildfire in the Southern Appalachians. She's now working on her doctoral degree, using data science and remote sensing to study Western North Carolina's forests in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
When she's not working, you can find her hiking, volunteering, or out on the trails near Asheville. She's enthusiastic about mountain biking and has raced the Fire Mountain Inferno, both the cross-country and enduro events, as well as the Swamp Fox gravel race near Charleston, SC. She's passionate about building confidence in women, particularly young women, a personal ethos shaped by her history.
Alyssa Enriquez
Alyssa Enriquez [she/her] discovered mountain biking in 2010 while attending college in South Florida, where she also became involved in competitive racing through Gone Riding. What started as an adventure quickly became a lifelong passion and introduced her to the incredible sense of community that surrounds mountain biking.
After spending time in Denver, Colorado, Alyssa moved to Asheville in 2017, a place she had dreamed of calling home since childhood and where her family has deep roots. A former accountant turned entrepreneur and massage therapist, she is now the owner of a local Asheville massage and wellness spa. Adventurous and curious by nature, Alyssa is happiest outside, whether mountain biking, hiking, skiing, fishing, or gardening.
She joined the Dirt Skrrts board to help grow the mountain biking community and empower more women to feel confident and connected on the trails. Alyssa believes that sport, nature, and adventure create a powerful recipe for friendship, especially as adults. Her hope is to help more women discover the same joy, freedom, and sense of belonging that mountain biking has brought to her life.
Becca Hoke
Board Treasurer Becca Hoke [she/her] is a former accountant who now spends her days homeschooling her 3 young kids while spending as much of her time outside as possible. After years of attempts by her husband to get her to join him mountain biking, she finally decided to give it a try a couple years ago and has been hooked ever since. She was delighted to find a welcoming community, new friendships and confidence through the Motion Makers women’s rides and Dirt Skrrts events she attended. She's enjoyed challenging herself with new trails and skills while meeting new friends along the way. She is excited to help other women find community, confidence and friendships through her involvement with Dirt Skrrts. When she isn't biking you can find her reading, baking sourdough and spending time with her family.
Eliya Hanna
Eliya [she/her] learned to mountain bike in Marin County, CA, and has spent the last three years falling in love with Asheville’s local trails. She is excited to step onto the Board of Directors to support the organization that has given her such a great sense of local community and female empowerment! As a Dirt Skrrts ride leader and rider, she believes in the values of this special organization and cannot wait to be a part of its growing impact. Eliya enjoys spending her free time in the big outdoors—whether she's on bike wheels, skis, horseback, or a hiking trail with her pups. Off the trail, she channels her passion for community as an elementary educator. She looks forward to helping Dirt Skrrts continue making a lasting, empowering impact across the region.
Whitney Houck
Board President Whitney Houck [she/her] is an outdoor adventurer, avid mountain biker, and PMBIA mountain bike skills instructor and coach. She started mountain biking in 2006, and since then, it has been one of the central themes that helped her find community and friendships wherever she lived. She moved to Brevard in 2021 for the outdoors and biking culture after retiring from the Coast Guard where she worked in the training field and served 8 years on ships throughout the Atlantic and Pacific. She and her husband Steve, an avid nature photographer, can be found out in the woods most days. She is a Cognative MTB Ambassador. Whitney’s mission is to help others build confidence in life, a reason to yell “Woohoo” and a love of nature through riding.
Martha Johnson
Martha Johnson, a native of eastern North Carolina, has been drawn to the mountains of Western North Carolina since childhood. Family camping trips, backpacking adventures that began as a teenager, and countless days spent mountain and road biking among the trails and peaks have only deepened her love for the outdoors.
After recently making Asheville her permanent home, Martha became an active member of Dirt Skrrts, where she has found an incredible community of women who bring her endless fun, inspiration, and DELIGHT! Martha’s love of the outdoors is matched by her passion for giving back. Whether she’s helping build and improve trails, connecting like-minded people, or building meaningful relationships, Martha strives to bring encouragement, positivity, and a sense of fun to everything she does.
Martha holds a degree in Recreation Administration from UNC, and began her career leading special events, with a particular focus on race directing. For the past 20 years, she has worked in Strategic Planning within the IT field, bringing her organizational skills, creativity, and people-focused approach to a very different kind of adventure.
When she isn’t on her bike, you’ll likely find Martha walking her neighborhood listening to an audiobook, hiking, camping, or simply enjoying time outdoors with her partner, Margaret, their dog Bailey, and, of course, her favorite mountain biker, daughter Emily.
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters (Bern) [she/her] first fell in love with the trails of Western North Carolina while vacationing here, and in 2010, she made the move permanent to be closer to the mountains she loves.
A passionate community builder, Bern serves as the Economic Development Director for the Town of Sylva. In this role, she leads the Main Street non-profit, working closely with its board of directors, three active committees, and the Town Board of Commissioners. Her work supports small business owners, connects property owners with tenants, and promotes tourism to help Sylva thrive.
While she serves on several boards through her professional work, Bern is excited to join the Dirt Skrrts board to combine her love of the outdoors with her commitment to community engagement. She’s especially passionate about helping others get plugged into what they love—whether that’s gathering with friends to explore the outdoors or helping them discover mountain biking for the first time.
Laurie Tewksbury
Laurie Tewksbury [she/her] recently traded Boulder’s mountains for Pisgah’s roots and rocks, ready for a new adventure and year-round mountain biking. A brand and marketing nerd by day, she’s spent her career helping brands find their voice. Off the clock, she’s usually on her bike, deep in a jigsaw puzzle, or seeking out Asheville’s best food. Laurie has found strength and empowerment through time outside and volunteering with Outdoor Women’s Alliance. She’s excited to bring that energy to Dirt Skrrts to help more women build community, confidence, and joy on bikes.
Becky Walter
Becky has spent much of her adult career focused on the empowerment of women through sport. She spent more than 13 years at Nike in Oregon as a women’s apparel designer. While working at Nike, she raced road, MTB, and cyclocross at the elite level and helped grow women’s race fields and advocate for equal racing payouts, contributing to the evolution of women’s cycling.
Becky has two sons whom she raised to love the sport as well. The three of them have spent years racing, riding, and traveling together. “Keep the fun factor high and wear them out” has been her parenting motto—and she tries to bring that same energy to both Dirt Skrrts and NICA.
Becky has been involved in cycling for more than three decades and loves the way the sport has evolved and deepened for her over the years. What began as a somewhat self-centered pursuit of racing has grown into a way to connect with others, give back to the sport on a much deeper level and to support the next generation of women. She especially loves seeing how much the sport has changed for women—even within her own lifetime.
Becky is a Level 2 NICA coach and is CPR and First Aid certified.