Jen Colestock is First Non-Binary Rider to Finish the TNGA

Over 80 riders lined up for the 2024 Trans North Georgia Adventure (TNGA), which kicked off two weeks ago from Mountain Rest, South Carolina. The event follows a challenging 350-mile route through the mountains of northern Georgia on trails, forest roads, and paved roads. Approximately 72% of the route is unpaved, and there is a whole lot of climbing. Among the riders were four women and, for the first time, a single non-binary rider. Last Wednesday, Jen Colestock officially became the first non-binary rider to complete the TNGA, setting the inaugural non-binary FKT. Find a brief recap and a few photos from Jen below.

Words and photos by Jen Colestock

I went into the race without a lot of fitness but with enough stubbornness to make up for it. Besides riding through a four-hour thunderstorm the first day, the weather was as perfect as I’ve seen for mid-August in Georgia: low humidity and highs in the 80s.

After the Dennis Mill Trailhead near Dalton, I realized I’d pinched a nerve in my shoulder. It felt like a low buzz and like I couldn’t sit comfortably. Since the Snake and the ridges beyond are some of the more technical parts of the route, I ended up slowing down and hike-a-biking a lot to keep from crashing. I dubbed Tuesday “Shoegaze day” since I was staring at my feet so much and listened to a playlist consisting mostly of Tanukichan and Alvvays.

I don’t have a lot to say about being non-binary and riding in bikepacking races, especially as someone who gets read as feminine despite buzzed hair, a nose piercing, and androgynous kit. I can only speak to my own experience, but the bikepacking community is one of the most positive and encouraging places in sport that I’ve seen. We’re all just a bunch of feral cats out here, please join us!

Further Reading

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