Meet Dirtastic Founder, Kalyn Benaroya!

Exciting news!!! This year, we’ve got three coaches from the Dirtastic team coming out to our flagship event to teach ladies some crucial off-road skills. We can’t wait to host these gals, including Dirtastic founder, Kalyn Benaroya! We know their sessions are going to be a game changer for so many of our OAO attendees!

Get to know Kalyn Benaroya of Dirtastic in our latest #fastfriends interview!

How did you get started riding?

My now husband Pat asked if I wanted to watch him race when we first starting dating 13 years ago. I said “Why the (bleep) would I want to do that?!” He talked me into watching a WORCS race, where we sat right at the endurocross section. He had a plan. That following winter we started watching Supercross which was the final straw, making me realize how cool dirt bikes are!

What type of riding do you like to do the most?

Woods and hard enduro are my preference, although motocross sure is fun! In the summer a typical day on a dirt bike for me is 6+ hrs on technical backcountry single track with a fresh water swim or hot springs soak to recover at the end of the day!

Tell us about Dirtastic!

Dirtastic began as a thought, a way to meet other women who ride. After a knee injury in 2015 I had parked my dirt bike for a while and started mountain biking. In Hood River, Oregon where I live there are a ton of women who mtb and a community built on riding. It felt great to ride with other women, make like minded friends and friends who liked to get after it! With my competitive nature I started racing enduro races, which ultimately led me back to riding and racing dirt bikes.

During my "break" I was asked to coach at an all women's dirt bike campout, The Essence of Dirt, where I was able to finally meet and hang out with the women I had been racing with and against prior to my knee injury. It was the first time I got that feeling... That Dirtastic feeling! The promoter of the Essence of Dirt moved away, giving the space for Dirtastic to come alive. I had started Dirtastic in 2017 with a meet up at a private track where we had 65 women come out to ride. A couple events later we had an official coaching team and a few events. This side hustle has now evolved into a full time job hosting 15 events through the US with our 12 all female USMCA Certified Coaches! In addition to training events Dirtastic hosts the Main Event, a women's dirt bike campout in Oregon along with several international riding tours in Mexico, Costa Rica and Thailand!

What made you want to become a certified trainer?

Our first Dirtastic events made it evident that there was a need for coaching in the community. A lot of women jump on bikes and just figure it out, which generally doesn't end well! Injury or becoming scared is a huge reason why people tend to stop riding and it doesn't have to be this way. I recognized the need so becoming a USMCA (United States Motorcycle Coaching Association) was the natural progression into coaching!

Who are some of the other coaches who work with you?

Through Dirtastic I work with the most incredible team of women! There aren’t enough words to decide their awesomeness!

Bailey Lerwill, Cassie Slawson, Connie Hamilton-Matson, Cortney Carpenter, Dayne Toney, Dawn Stob, Jamey Parks, Julie Johnson, Kylee Sweeten, Kat Fitzpatrick and Kari Erickson are the 2022 Dirtastic Coaches.

What were some of your own biggest challenges in learning to ride, or becoming a better rider, and how did you overcome them?

Fear of getting hurt and fear of not being good enough both have held me back the most. Making sure to stay strong enough to manage my dirt bike has been a huge part of my riding progression. Lifting weights is also a must! Motocross practice has certainly helped my riding and bike handling which I'd recommend to all riders.

This biggest gains have been in the recent few years, riding with other badass women! These friendships have ultimately helped me become a better rider and human! Not only do I have more confidence on the bike, but my confidence off the bike has elevated which I strongly believe is from having a solid #girlgang!

What do you like best about training other women?

The best part about training other women is seeing their stoke and belief in themselves. There is so much more involved than just riding! The friendships and memories made are incomparable!

We’re excited to have you joining us out East for Over And Out! What can ladies expect from these Dirtastic sessions?

What sets Dirtastic apart from other training opportunities is that we are the premier all women's coaching team in the United States! Being coached by other women is a unique and special experience, because we get it. We get the challenges that are faced by riding dirt bikes from the size and weight of the bikes, to our muscle mass and need to have good technique rather than muscling through a ride. During our Sessions at OAO we will work on skills to help each rider gain confidence riding off-road and on single track. We will also be hosting Party Tricks Sessions where riders will learn how to wheelie, pivot turn, static balance and possibly even a stoppie! All of these skills are great for getting the IG "shot" but also provide real life benefits in trail riding!

We’ll also be seeing you at the East Coast rounds of the US Hard Enduro! Tell us about the special benefits your helping to deliver to female riders through the Hard Enduro program!

Yes! Dirtastic will be at the remaining two east coast rounds of the US Hard Enduro Series! I have recently taken on the role of the US Hard Enduro Women's Race Director with the goal to increase racer numbers in the women's amateur and Pro classes along with creating a women's race fund that had been created to support female hard enduro racers in the future.

At each round Dirtastic will host a meet up for the female racers, creating connection before the race. We hope to have a course walk at each round and if we are lucky, an opportunity to have a shake down ride for any registered female racers.

Any riding plans you’re looking forward to or dreaming about?

Personally, I completed the R'Idaho Grit #3 with three other incredible women last year. I am still stoked on this accomplishment and haven't made any concrete plans for anything big in the near future. That being said, racing the Tecate Enduro had been on my list of to-do's. I would also like to ride through Baja, but the single track version rather than the desert Baja 1000 style riding. There is a hard enduro in Mainland Mexico that is enticing. I can be convinced to go just about anywhere to ride and explore!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for bringing Dirtastic to OAO in September! We look forward to riding the NE terrain, coaching and meeting a bunch of new #fastfriends!