Mentorship is an extremely important part in helping develop young or new riders and racers. But it’s not always the most exciting thing to talk about. It usually only applies to a small number of selected riders. Haley Smith, Canadian Olympian and accomplished mountain bike and gravel racer, is launching her own mentorship plan for women and girls that refreshes the concept.
Smith is calling her new mentorship program Competere. That means “To strive, together.” She describes the program as “a home for women and girls interested in endurance sport, community, and dreaming big.”
What is Competere?
The “together” part of “Strive, together” is key, as Competere is as much about developing community as it is about the traditional mentorship model focused on developing individual athletes.
Competere brings together three levels of mentorship, with three degrees of involvement. There is the traditional 1:1 program, yes, but it’s is not exclusively focused on racing. Its for women 16 or over, whether experienced racers or setting a goal to finish a first big ride. “It doesn’t matter if you are just starting in cycling or have been riding or competing for years, you are welcome to apply”
There are also in-person event in 2026 as well as an online club. This is one of the exciting parts, in that offering these three levels significantly lowers the barriers (time, financial, commitment) to participation. It’s not just about developing a few chosen elite athletes. It’s about building community.
A different approach to mentorship
Smith says the idea of the three-tiered approach came from her academic research (she is working on a PhD in Sport Psychology on top of her professional racing commitments).
“I’ve become very interested in how we can attract more young women to sport; how we can make sport experiences more enticing to a wider range of people. Statistically, women and girls are more likely to value the social aspects of sport, as well as rely more heavily on social support and feedback,” Smith explains. “Mentorship and community relationships seem like a logical way to leverage these orientations, and so I started to build out Competere.”
Smith adds that the free 1:1 mentorship is the only tier that requires an application. The in-person events and online club components are open participation. Those different tiers satisfy different needs and help…
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