The word ‘roam’ is a verb meaning to move or travel unsystematically, or without fixed purpose, but it is also related to the Old English word araeman, meaning arise, or lift up. Both convey perfectly the concept behind Ro4m Free, a new all-women’s team dedicated not to racing and winning (although all of its members do both, often), but to sharing and promoting a love of mountain biking in all its forms, and at all its levels.
Ro4m Free is the brainchild of teacher Melissa Newell, AKA Mops, well-known in the Wanaka/Queenstown area as much for her infectious enthusiasm as for her mad skills on a bike. Originally from Invercargill, she’s only been riding for about seven years, but has excelled in that short time.
Mops came to mountain biking…