Bike Minded People – Mia Serratore

Words and photos by: Mathew Wanbon

"I actually hated mountain biking growing up. I tried it, and I was like, this is the hardest sport ever. I was on my mom's fully rigid bike that was too big. And I was like, this sucks. Just give me a flat road. I don't want to ride over these roots. I can't get over them,” said Mia. While mountain biking wasn’t love at first sight, Mia was always athletic. She spent her childhood cross-country ski racing in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with a brief two-year hiatus spent in the military after high school. She then returned to cross-country skiing, and eventually landed in the National Team Development Centre. As part of the National Team Development Centre Mia spent her summers between Thunder Bay and Canmore and winters travelling internationally for races. In that time, she competed in a World Cup event, but racing at an elite level isn’t all the glamour it’s made out to be. “It's hard to call it a pro team because it's not paid. It's very much you're paying to be a part of this team and this sport,” said Mia. In order to pay for her cross-country ski racing, Mia worked at Rebound Cycle in Canmore. This hustle of balancing work and training had two main impacts on Mia. First, it led her to burn out and eventually quit competitive cross-country skiing, and secondly, it got her back on a mountain bike. “The shop had rentals that you could demo. So, after work, we'd go ride these fancy mountain bikes, and I got really into it.”

Anyone who has committed their life to achieving a high level of performance in any sport knows that it is tough if and when life leads you in another direction. “I quit racing and was like, what the heck am I doing with my life? When I introduced myself, I was like, I'm Mia, and I'm a cross-country ski racer. And now I'm like, I'm just Mia. Which is good, but it's scary,” said Mia. In that time of feeling a bit lost on her direction, biking was what kept her cup full. “I think it helped me get through that time because I was like, okay, I just don't know who I am, but at least I have this thing that's so exciting that's getting me out.”

As Mia was reflecting on who she was and where she wanted to go in her life, she gained awareness of another aspect of herself. Over the past several years, Mia has noticed symptoms that could be associated with ADHD and is in the process of deciding whether or not she tries to get diagnosed. “My mind is running 100 miles a minute. The number of thoughts I have in such a short amount of time is insane. I can't even finish a sentence sometimes because I've already had another thought. I also daydream a lot, I zone out and enter into a full story or adventure in my brain. Biking has been the time where my brain actually is quiet which I think is the big reason why I dove right into biking.” Reflecting on why biking was such a quick connection for her Mia said, “while biking, if I'm not focused on the trail, I'm literally going to crash. And so, it's the time when my mind's quiet. I'm not thinking about anything. I'm getting that adrenaline rush, and my mind is quiet. I love that. It's the most amazing feeling. I think I always needed a sport with a little more adrenaline in it.” On top of the adrenaline, Mia loves the feelings of gratification that come from the progression she experiences on her bike. “Every time I'm out there, I'm getting better. There are days where it doesn't feel like that, but every time I'll maybe ride one berm better, or I'll jump this little thing better, I'll get more air, or I'll go faster.”

Shortly after leaving competitive cross-country racing and falling head over heels for mountain biking, Mia embarked on a month-long BC road trip living out of her Subaru, stopping in Revelstoke, Kelowna, Vancouver, Squamish, and Vancouver Island, riding her bike as much as she could along the way! While on this road trip, Mia went to a Maggie Rogers concert in Vancouver and ran into some old friends from Thunder Bay who were living in Kelowna. Not long after this visit, Mia found herself back living in Thunder Bay as the Covid pandemic began and her friends reached out to her suggesting she move into their spare room in Kelowna. So, in the summer of 2020, Mia packed her Subaru and made the migration West to settle into a new home.

While in Kelowna, Mia got a job at a local bike shop called Fresh Air and stayed there for three years. “It was super fun to meet people that were also into biking. We would basically ride every day after work, said Mia.” But after three years at the shop, Mia was looking for a change. “I was riding with Perianna Jones, who, in the Nordic ski world, was someone I had looked up to growing up.” Perianna Jones worked for an organization called Spirit North, which supports Indigenous youth in accessing land-based activities and outdoor recreation. “I was just telling her I was looking for something more after doing so many years in retail and she was like, ‘you should come work at Spirit North.’”

Early on in her time with Spirit North, another opportunity presented itself to Mia. Mia remembers watching Pink Bike Academy when she first got into mountain biking and decided to apply to be on the show in its third season. Mia made an appearance on Pink Bike academy, and made it to the finals where, despite being a fan favourite, was not selected as the winner. Despite not winning, Mia said that she “made some good friends on that show and it opened the door for other opportunities. I got to meet some really cool people in the industry, and that's what I'm most grateful for from that experience.” While there were many highs related to the appearance on Pink Bike Academy, Mia also reflected on some of the lows that come from the vulnerability of reality TV. “Putting yourself out there on a show that a lot of people like and a lot of people speak badly of is mentally tough, too. I definitely went through a slump after.”

After Pink Bike Academy, Mia channeled her energy into her work with Sprit North where she launched bike and ski programs for the Indigenous Youth she was working with. “I really wanted to bike more seriously. But then this opportunity came with Spirit North, which was something I just couldn't pass up,” said Mia. For Mia working within syilx Okanagan communities was life changing. In that role, Mia learned a ton and gained a new perspective on the world that we're living in. “We're so disconnected from the land and the things around us,” said Mia. While in the role she was “able to learn about the plants from the territory, the history of the people, and the impacts of colonization. Doing that learning has been life-changing,” said Mia. These learnings have shaped the way Mia feels when riding her bike. “When I'm biking on the trails, I have a much deeper appreciation for the land that I'm riding on now. And when I'm riding in other places, too, I always try and take a moment to appreciate where I am.”

While Mia was working with Indigenous youth, she was also engaging in her own process of learning and growing as a member of a marginalized community. “I feel like I knew I was gay from five years old. I just knew. I dressed like a boy. I always, watching movies, liked the female characters and had crushes on them. And then society really messes that up for you. Growing up I didn't see gay people anywhere. I didn't even know that was a thing,” said Mia. This source of confusion throughout her teenage years started to become clearer in her early 20’s as she started seeing others who she could relate to. “Actually, when I was ski racing, I had met another queer person, and I was like, whoa, why are you so cool? Someone who's out and confident in themselves. And I was like, wow, this is the first time I've ever met another gay person,” said Mia. From there Mia started a multi-year journey of coming out to friends and family. While Mia calls herself fortunate that friends and family were all accepting, that is not always the case. “Sometimes you see people's reaction. I'll say ‘girlfriend’, and you can see someone's face change. It sucks. Coming out is a never-ending journey.” While Mia reflects on there being some improvements in terms of acceptance for LGBTQ people in her lifetime, she also noted that this can be dependent on the community you find yourself in. “Mountain biking is a space that I actually don't feel 100 % comfortable with my queer identity. And I feel sad saying this.” Despite not feeling entirely safe, Mia wants to be more vocal about queer identities. “I very much just want the sport to be accessible for everyone, and I want it to be welcoming for everyone. And no matter what level you are at. You don't have to be good. Mountain biking is for everyone. I think that's where I really want the message to get across.”

That drive to promote accessibility is a through line through the last several years of Mia’s life, and now, four years after starting at Spirit North, her and her partner are moving to Whistler to start a new chapter in Life. Mia will be coaching cross-country skiing fulltime in the winter and part time in the summer, enabling her time to focus more on biking in the summer months. “All I know is I want to bike more. I love it so much, and I want to be able to bike every day.” Mia’s hope is that this move to Whistler will put her in a better position to find her place in the mountain bike industry. “I'm just going to leave the doors open and see what comes to me.”