Former World mountainbike champion Juliana Furtado has joined forces with former Rock Shox employees Tom Eagleton and Frank Scurlock, along with Rich Novak, owner of NHS and a partner in Santa Cruz Bikes, to start Wilder Bikes. Wilder Bikes will develop and market a line of high-end bikes for female cyclists.

Speaking on the US Bicycle Retailer Website, Eagleton said “We identified a niche—the women’s specific cycling market. Women’s sports in general are growing and women 25 years old and up are spending a lot of money on bikes right now,” he said. “Around here retailers say the market has really been growing. Terry is the only player, but her stuff is kind of low-end. We’re going for the high-end where only Trek has been dabbling.”

Apparently the company is named for Wilder State Park, which is located near the company’s Santa Cruz offices. “We do a lot of riding and market research there. The number of women riders in Wilder has gone from 10 to 15 percent three years ago to 30 to 40 percent now. And the bikes they ride are high-end and full suspension. We see packs of women riding in the park,” Eagleton said.