Words by Jessie Curell
The Shore Sirens Race Team is now several months into the 2026 race season, and it's been exciting to see what our 11 athletes have accomplished both on and off the bike.
This year, our team includes riders with a range of racing experience—from newer racers lining up for their first enduro events, to seasoned racers looking to push themselves further. While strong race results are always in our sights, one of our team's biggest goals is creating opportunities for women and gender-diverse riders to develop skills, gain experience, and support one another throughout the season.
One of the first milestones this year was receiving our custom team jerseys, designed by artist and rider Cathleen Whitty. The funds needed for the printing and design were raised thanks to a successful Clothing Swap Fundraiser hosted by Liv Cycling Canada which raised $504 - thank you bike community for stepping up to support our athletes!
We're also incredibly grateful to Steed for their continued support with gear discounts & Adidas/Five Ten, who helped outfit our riders with jerseys and shoes for the season.
Supplement King has kept us stocked with electrolytes for long training days and hot race weekends. Oxygen Yoga & Fitness and Do Well Lonsdale have helped us prioritize recovery, mobility, and strength away from the bike.
These partnerships make a real difference, helping reduce barriers to participation while supporting athlete development throughout the season.
Our first race of the season was the Squamish Enduro (Classics Course), where our athletes beat the heat to finish strong. Hanna placed 2nd and Gaby placed 3rd in their respective age category, while Jessie placed 2nd in hers.
More recently on May 30, almost our entire team took on the Loam Hustler, currently one of the biggest women's enduro in BC, in both the Black and Blue courses. Everyone raced really well, with Jessie placing 3rd in her age category, and Sydney taking home the most epic trophy ever, for fastest racer down HP Sauce!
Aside from pre-race and race weekends, our team has also been working on skill development. This spring, we participated in coaching sessions with Kelli Sherbinin and Elladee Brown of Endless Biking. The workshops focused on cornering, braking, and body positioning—hard-to-master skills that make a huge difference for your race time.
The 3 sessions gave us a chance to slow things down, analyze technique, and make small adjustments for serious improvements on race day. Having access to experienced coaches and structured practice opportunities has been one of the highlights of the season so far.
Next up for some of us is the Smithers Heavy Pedal June 13, the NSMBA Women's Enduro on June 20, the Gravity Women’s Enduro July 11th at SilverStar Mountain, and the WORCA Witsend September 19. We’re jazzed to keep pushing our skills and limits to the next level, while putting months of training and coaching into practice, connecting with the women mtb community, and continuing to build momentum throughout the summer.
We're so proud of what our team has accomplished so far, we couldn’t do it without our sponsors and family of supporters, and we’re stoked to see y'all at the next start line!
Meet the Team
EMILY LUNDSTORM
Photo credit: Tandem Photography
It is Emelie's first season on the Shore Sirens race team. She first started mountain biking in 2022 after borrowing a friend's bike and sending it down Pennzoil. She is super grateful to have discovered the Shore Sirens group last year and getting to ride with so many rad women. She is excited to take her riding to the next level alongside her race team teammates.
Emelie's goal for the 2026 season is to be a bit more intentional with her riding, rather than relying purely on vibes. She is looking forward to learning from her teammates and to becoming a more well rounded rider.
GABY JONES
Photo credit: Ryan Nicholson
Gaby has been mountain biking since 2020 and discovered fun-duro racing a few years later. After acting as the Shore Sirens race team manager the past two years, she has stepped back from that role this season. Gaby's goal is to have a fun, relaxed race season by participating in local Fivers, womens+ enduro events, and also going for gravel rides and Whistler Bike Park trips. Outside of biking, Gaby studies rocks as a geology PhD student at Simon Fraser University.
HANNA GIRNDT
Hanna has been riding mountain bikes for as long she can remember, and began racing enduros during the Shore Sirens inaugural Race Team season. In 2026, Hanna is stoked to be racing alongside so many rad women, both teammates and competitors. She is excited to race the Loam Hustler, Whistler Witsend and some Crankworx events. When Hanna isn’t training for enduro, you can find her on her gravel bike or in the bike park.
JESSIE CURELL
Photo Credit: Vanessa Lebrun
Jessie is mega jazzed to race for the third season on the Shore Sirens Race Team, this year as the new Race Team Manager. Riding bikes is fun, racing bikes is even more fun, and racing bikes with your sweet team is truly the best version of it all…
This year she will be racing the PORCA Spudcrusher, Loam Hustler, the NSMBA Women’s Enduro, the Bosch eBike Challenge at Crankworkx, and the WORCA Witsend. She is very thankful for the support she gets from her team members and our team sponsors.
JULS SEADON
Julia has been riding bikes for over 20 years, with mountain biking as her main focus for the past decade, navigating a few health-related detours along the way. Nothing makes Julia’s heart happier than being out on the trails with her house-horse-sized dog, Cooper, running alongside her. Most often found exploring the North Shore and Sea to Sky trails, Julia rides to challenge herself, enjoy good trail snacks, and soak up the strong sense of community that mountain biking brings.
Having dabbled in a few races, she’s thrilled to be joining the Shore Sirens this season—eager to grow as a rider while being supported, inspired, and pushed by a team of incredible women.
MARISA MYRAH
Marisa has been riding bikes for 15 + years and the passion continues. She has been in many races over the years including enduro, XC and some road racing as well. She loves the destinations mountain biking has taken her to and all the people she has met along the way. This is her 2nd year racing with the Shore Sirens. Her plans are the Squamish Enduro, Loam Crusher, NSMBA Fivers and the Women’s Enduro and other races tbd. She’s looking forward to training/racing with the other race team members and wants to pass on gratitude to our sponsors.
MEGAN RITCHIE
MIA SHIPPEY
Photo credit: Ryan Nicholson
Mia first started riding bikes in 2014 on a humble hardtail in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Since then, she moved to BC in 2022 with a longing for further exploration and adventure, joined the Shore Sirens and the women+ MTB community.
This year, Mia is back for her second year on the Sirens Race Team, with goals to strengthen her technical skills and push for more speed. Ride hard, play hard!
NIKKI WEIS
Born and raised in beautiful BC, Nikki fell in love with mountain biking in 2014 and has competed in a few local races over the years. She’s looking forward to being a part of the Shore Sirens race team for 2026 and pushing her skills on the bike alongside some other badass women! Some goals for this year are to work on her confidence in corners as well as sending it higher on big jumps!
SAMANTHA HART
Samantha got her start in mountain biking in 2020, borrowing friends’ bikes and quickly realizing she was all in. By 2021 she had her own bike and was fully hooked, chasing progression on the North Shore, in Squamish, and wherever else the trail led.
After racing for the first time last season, she’s stepping into her first year on the Shore Sirens Race Team excited to keep building confidence, pushing her limits, and seeing what she’s capable of.
Her goal this season is simple: push herself, keep progressing, and try not to completely obliterate herself in the process.
SYDNEY BALLHAUSEN
Photo credit: Tandem Photography
Sydney grew up riding and racing downhill in Pemberton and the Whistler Bike Park. She likes riding new trails and trying the "fun" lines. Aside from riding mountain bikes, she also races BMX, trail runs, and can usually be found with her pup, Millie.
Sydney's goals for 2026 are to push her limits while having as much fun as possible, and looks forward to supporting her teammates in crushing their own goals this season.
Check out the Shore Sirens Website to learn more: https://www.shoresirens.com/
