Roll Models Part 2: A Year Later

Photos by Cat Giovannetti

Early in 2025 Roll Models was launched, a mentorship scheme helping women and gender minorities to ride adventurously. Its founders Athlyn Cathcart-Keays and Cordelia Huges knew some of the things they wanted to achieve with the programme, but like all good projects starting out, they didn’t know exactly how things might unfold. Now, a year on, with their first year’s cohort having competed the program, Athlyn reflects on their first year as Roll Models sharing what worked, what didn’t, what surprises they faced and how they plan on doing things in 2026.

This time last year, Roll Models existed only as an idea and an Instagram account. We didn’t have funding, a business plan, or a perfectly mapped route — just a clear goal: to empower women and marginalised genders to ride adventurously, independently, and on their own terms. Our plan was simple: to pair people who were curious about bikepacking but lacked confidence, with more experienced riders who were keen to share their knowledge, without financial barriers to participation.

Mentorship often happens informally in the outdoor world, but we wanted to create a space for it to happen with intention: a safe, trusting environment for learning, growth, and representation. Drawing inspiration from Mountain Mentors in Canada, Athlyn (founder) brought the idea to Bristol, and together with Cordelia (co-pilot), launched applications for the first cohort in January 2025. The response blew our expectations out of the water — over 70 applications for a programme that was still very much a pilot. We eventually paired 34 riders, and from our first drop-in session in January to our campout in September, the cohort helped shape Roll Models into a community rooted in generosity, empowerment, curiosity, and trust.

Roll Models 2025 was always a pilot, and when launching, we were unsure if we’d have impact or if we’d run it another year. But one year on, and we can confidently say that we’re seeing the impact in action—Roll Models should roll again in 2026. So here’s what we learned, and where we plan to go next.

More than mentorship

One of our biggest learnings is that mentorship works best when held by community. Like any relationship, a successful bikepacking mentorship often comes down to the strength of the bond between two people. Long hours planning, riding, and camping together can build something special — but only if the chemistry is right. When it isn’t, things can naturally fizzle out. That’s why the ‘cohort’ model — where we bring all of the pairs together — has been so essential to Roll Models, underpinning the 1–2–1 mentorship. While many pairs bonded through regular rides and adventures, others didn’t. And that’s OK! What mattered most was that mentors and mentees still felt part of a wider, welcoming community.

To make sure everyone felt connected, we built in lots of chances to come together both in person and online. A full-day launch event laid the groundwork, and our monthly meet ups kept the energy alive. We met to test out different tents and sleeping pads, shared stories over a campfire, rode out for picnics, compared stove set ups, and gathered at the pub to swap trip ideas.

It was clear that this was what folks benefitted from most — building community was the thread that tied the programme together.

Confidence unlocked

What stood out most was how quickly confidence grew among participants. We met for the first time in March 2025, and by the next month’s pub social, people were already planning solo rides — some even mapping out their first-ever bikepacking adventures.

Building confidence is at the heart of Roll Models’ mission, and it was the question we were most eager to explore. There are so many stories to be told here. Hannah took an off-road skills clinic we’d organised with Pedal Progression and soon signed up for a self-supported overnight event — her fifth off-road ride ever and her first solo campout. Jules and Liv each headed off on solo trips across the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Max planned her first Bristol ride within weeks of joining, and Steph, once nervous about group rides, joined a gravel ride to our end-of-year campout and spent the whole time saying, “I’m having so much fun!”

We asked the cohort to rate how they gained confidence through the programme, from zero (not at all) to five (completely). The majority responded with a four or five: 70% of all participants, 76% of mentees, and 60% of mentors.

These stories reflect a core pattern that we could see across the cohort: people went from feeling unsure in the early days, to planning and completing adventures far sooner and far bigger than expected.

When they first applied, so many mentors spoke of ‘imposter syndrome’, and feeling like they didn’t know enough to be in that role. The idea that everyone has something to learn, and everyone has something to share is part of the Roll Models ethos. Mentorship is reciprocal, and we were pleased to see that confidence grew for mentors too.

Reducing barriers to bikepacking was a key goal for us, and access to kit was one of the biggest barriers highlighted in initial applications — over 60% of participants had no bike bags, and more than 70% had no camping gear. Shortly after launching, we were lucky to receive generous donations of bikepacking bags from Tailfin and Restrap, which allowed us to build a growing gear library. Huge thanks also to mentor Judith, who created our online lending system and saved us mountains of admin.

Nearly 70% of the cohort used the library, and it’s become a powerful way to shift riders toward shared, circular use of high-quality equipment. By giving people access to durable, repairable kit from brands committed to longevity, we’re lowering barriers to entry, reducing waste, and modelling a more sustainable, collective approach to outdoor adventure.

What’s next for 2026?

After a hugely rewarding first year, we’re thrilled that Roll Models will be rolling again in 2026. We have learnt so much about what works, what inspires confidence, and how through our model we can support women and gender minorities to thrive on bikes. We’ve seen first time riders gain skills and courage to embark on journeys far bigger than they’d anticipated, mentors discover the joy of supporting that journey, and the entire cohort grow closer through shared experience.

Building on all of this, we’re taking these learnings to evolve the programme while staying true to our mission to empower women and gender minorities to ride adventurously, independently, and on their own terms. From tweaking our mentorship model to expanding ways for past and new participants to stay involved, we’re so excited to see what the 2026 cohort brings.

A new model of mentorship

We’re shifting from one-to-one matches to small groups — around three mentors with five mentees — to foster stronger connections, more peer learning, and a better chance of finding people you naturally gel with. This structure should also spark more meet-ups and activities across the wider cohort.

A multi-layered community

With a new cohort coming in, where does this leave the Roll Models 2025 alumni? Encouragingly, 60% of 2025 mentors and 38% of mentees said they’d ‘definitely’ like to return as mentors in a future cohort. We’re also thinking through a two-layered model whereby alumni stay involved through community rides, gear access, discounter workshops and trips, while we also programme specific workshops and gatherings for the new cohort. By creating opportunities for connection between the new and existing cohorts, we aim to build a welcoming, self-organising, and sustainable community.

Trips and events

The end-of-season campout was a highlight, and there has been a strong interest in more bikepacking trips and experiences. We’re excited to explore these opportunities, including potential collaborations with organisations and brands to make them happen.

Expand the gear library

We have an abundance of excellent luggage from Tailfin and Restrap, and we’re excited to grow our gear library even further in 2026, giving more riders access to high-quality camping kit. And we’re always grateful for donations!

Steering group

Cordelia (Athlyn’s co-pilot in 2025) has moved out of Bristol and while she will still be supporting from afar, we are looking to convene a broader steering group to guide Roll Models as we grow and move forward. We are interested in hearing from proactive folks with the following skills, who would like to support our growth: Fundraising and partnerships; Programme design and evaluation; Community building and DEI; Communications and storytelling; Operations and governance.

Thank you!

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make our pilot year possible. A huge thank you to Mountain Mentors for inspiring our model and approach; to Tailfin their ongoing support and encouragement for what we do, as well as donations to the gear library and hosting our events at their beautiful space in Bristol; Restrap for generously contributing to the gear library; Alpkit Foundation for their micro grant to support our launch event; and so many more who have reached out to support us in many ways. Most of all, thank you to all our mentors and mentees for trusting the process, showing up, and shaping Roll Models into the empowering community it is today.