There are a few good reasons to have a man along on a mountain bike ride. For one thing, most men seem to know instinctively how to change a flat tire. They're also usually good with a chain tool. And if they're gentlemanly, they'll check your tires for air and make sure your components are in working order before you hit the trail and ride off into the sunset together.

But then the trail gets rocky and steep and that wonderful guy's words of encouragement offered to you from the top of the hill make you want to wrap your handlebars around his neck and consider ripping the large sprocket off the bike and throwing it like a Shuriken into his big mouth.

"Just go ahead without me," you yell at your probably well-intentioned guy while heaving your bike off the nearest big rock, nevermind that he's the only one carrying extra tubes, a pump and a tool kit. "I hate this and I hate you for bringing me on this god-forsaken trail."

OK, so enough about me. Things probably don't get that ugly on every coed mountain biking tryst. But similar, though less-dramatic, stories were as common as Camelbaks at the first ever Women's MTB Clinic in Helena on Saturday.

"I cried the first four times I rode a mountain bike," said clinic instructor Greta Elston, who after drying her eyes went on to become a nationally ranked downhill racer.

Fifty-five women, mostly from Helena, but with fair representation from places like Billings, Bozeman, Missoula and Great Falls, learned the skills necessary to make males optional on their next fat-tire adventure.

"Women do want to learn these things," said event organizer Karen Thompson, of the Helena Bicycle Club. "They have a tendency to ride with men and usually their male counterpart is better. I think the women want to work on being better but they don't want to hinder whoever their riding with."

Karen started mountain biking five years ago with her husband, David, who was one of the instructors who volunteered their time on Saturday. Not surprisingly, Karen was not part of the group that David taught.

"David was a very strong rider," Karen said. "I was challenged by both the aerobic and technical aspects of it. When you first start, I think you have a hard time figuring out what the fun part is. You have a hard time just keeping up. And I learn by watching people -- so I was frustrated riding with him. It's hard to watch when they're a mile ahead of you."

After attending a couple of out-of-state mountain biking camps for women, Karen decided she wanted to provide a similar experience for women in Helena. She joined forces with Great Divide Cyclery's Gwen Sensenig, who had noticed an influx of women customers curious about bike maintenance and repair and places to ride.

"Initially we were going to just advertise locally on a couple list-servs and see if we could get about 15 women interested," Sensenig said. "But as we got into it, we discovered more interest than we anticipated."

Before the deadline, Karen and Sensenig cut the registration off at 55 participants. And with the interest outweighing the local expertise, Sensenig and Karen searched outside the Helena area for additional instructors. Folks like Zoe Smith, a professional mountain bike racer from Billings, jumped on board and joined the team of 13 instructors.

Sensenig worked with the instructors beforehand outlining a curriculum for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders, while Karen gathered sponsorships from local businesses.

"It was great Helena hometown hospitality," Sensenig said. "And the Helena City Parks people were awesome."

By 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Women's Park was buzzing with women rewarding their morning skills workshops with fat burritos from Taco del Sol. In the afternoon the gals hit the trails to test those same skills. The promise of Blackfoot River Brewing microbrews and brats at the end of the day provided extra motivation -- though motivation was not in short supply.

"Don't overthink things," Smith kept reminding her group of advanced riders. "You know you can do it."

Jody Inbody, 23, whose apparent fearlessness belies the fact that she's only been mountain biking barely four weeks, could scarcely contain her enthusiasm as she cleared a tricky, rocky drop on the Contour Trail on Mount Helena. Only minutes before her clean ride through the obstacles, Inbody ended her first attempt flying over her handlebars and into the perfectly placed arms of spotter/instructor David. From that point on, Inbody referred to David as her guardian angel.

"My boyfriend is a crazy mountain biker," Inbody said. "When I ride with him I feel a lot of pressure and I don't want to do some things. That's why I'm drawn to riding with other women. It's not about accomplishment. I have no interest in seeing if I'm better than anyone else."

And that's what Saturday's clinic was all about -- giving women the chance to prove to themselves, more than anyone else, that they can fix a flat, survive a scary switchback and make it up a hill without crying.

Jeri Lynn Rea, 39, recently re-entered the sport of mountain biking after taking a break to raise her children.

"It's painful," she said. "I'm frustrated with my endurance, but when I'm with other women, I can push myself as hard as I can. I don't have to prove anything to anyone but myself."

And you can bet, I'll be packing my own Camelbak with a tube, pump and tool kit. Y chromosome not needed for assembly, but nice to have along sometimes.