In Support of 60-year old Women Everywhere

[Thorn]

Being a woman pushing toward the 60 mark, I take a little umbrage in the concept that bike planners use a 60-year old woman on a shopping trip as their target rider. Hey, I am not a fragile thing! Shouldn't they be thinking, a 40 year old pot-bellied male? Seems he would be more unlikely to be getting on a bike than a60 year old woman.

But, I digress. Justification that the analogy might be flawed hit the Milwaukee bike coordinator. During the wind storm when the die hard bikers were not to be found, but he snapped a shot of cyclist braving the wind and the cyclist was.....a 60 year old woman on a shopping run! Woohoo!

Excellent photo to be seen here (it is too large to bring into TE and, well, while I would be proud to be a role model cyclist, I don't feel right doing more than just pointing to the original)....

http://overthebarsinmilwaukee.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/rethinking-the-design-vehicle/

[maillotpois]

What a great picture! That woman is awesome!

[hebe]

Excellent! My cycling instructor is a 60something woman, and she rocks!

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm on the board of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. It's generally thought (by the BTA, local bike planners, etc.) that women are an indicator of the health and safety of the bike network. The more women you see out there, the better the conditions are thought to be perceived by the riding public in general.

[Bike Writer]

Bravo! Hooray! That woman is my hero :D

[AllezGirl]

That woman on a shopping run could be a cat 1 racer in her "alter ego"! I find it funny that they don't think we can be both!

The woman who has inspired and encouraged me from the first club ride I did to where I'm at today is 59 years young! She was there the first time I got stuck at an intersection because I wasn't strong enough to turn the gear I was in to get started, to leading me out for my first podium. Multiple time medalist in the Senior Games and current PA State TT Masters Champion, she continues to be my hero.

I'm turning 40 this year. It's the first birthday I've had trouble accepting. But I have several teammates over 40...and I look at their accomplishments and I realize that age is just a number! Heck...Laura Van Gilder is 46, she's #1 in the WORLD on the UCI CX calendar. And Jeannie Longo...well, nuff said!

My personal feeling is that whether commuter, recreational, tourist, racer or whatever type of cyclist we are...women are much more 'core than men!

[marni]

she is my hero as well. Reminds me of a lot of the riding I did while living in the Netherlands, only you would have to add two saddlebags and a child in a bike seat ( no nifty trailers at that point) and the usual amount of Dutch seasonal liquid sunshine. :)

On the last cross country ( Southern Tier) ride I did, our oldest rider was 72 years old and she probably could have outridden us all distance wise. My favorite photo of her is after one of the longer, hotter, dustier days in Arizona when she put on her swimsuit,clogs, helmet and gloves and rode around in the rain instead of swimming, and to get the dust and grit off her bike. Miss Bee was a pip.

[chicagogal]

I just wish the woman in the photo was wearing a helmet. It just irks me so to see people riding without them. . .

My mentor is in her mid-40s, racing as a cat 2 on the road and the track, and some of my best teammates are 50+ . . . and we all plan to continue racing together for a long time to come :-)

[Bike Chick]

I just wish the woman in the photo was wearing a helmet. It just irks me so to see people riding :-)

I agree. She's old enough to know better!!

I was 46 when I started riding a bike and have been riding for 6 years. I hadn't been on one since I was kid but riding a bike makes me feel like a kid again. Any wonder why 60 year old women enjoy riding???

[Thorn]

Glad others enjoyed the picture as well.....I've made it this week's background bitmap. In the Milwaukee area there are a couple of non-racing riding groups. All have significant numbers of female riders over 50. I really think that we have it easier getting into cycling than guys of the same generation. Sure, we can be just as competitive, but we are also willing to live with ourselves and just enjoy feeling like a kid again.

But, not to start a helmet war....I always wear one and I still cringe when I see someone without one, but I have to accept the argument made by the same blogger as to why he doesn't wear a helmet and why he can accept others who do not. I don't agree, but I make an effort to see his side of the argument:
http://overthebarsinmilwaukee.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/scardey-cats-and-supermodels-should-ride-bikes/

[Bike Writer]

But, not to start a helmet war....I always wear one and I still cringe when I see someone without one, but I have to accept the argument made by the same blogger as to why he doesn't wear a helmet and why he can accept others who do not. I don't agree, but I make an effort to see his side of the argument:
http://overthebarsinmilwaukee.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/scardey-cats-and-supermodels-should-ride-bikes/

Thorn, thanks for posting another perspective. While I wear a helmet when riding I understand his reasons for choosing not to.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

60 year old women going to the store on bicycles are a really common sight in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, the deliberate restructuring of roads, suburbs, and community/transportation layout after WWII in the U.S. crowned the automobile as supreme king and aggressively discouraged both bicycle and walking as means of transport. This resulted in the current situation where cycling is considered to be either a sport or recreation rather than simply a form of normal transportation.
The average civilian is afraid to ride a bicycle anywhere except on designated recreational 'paths'. Roads are not designed here to make bicycling safer, and aggressive drivers are not punished or educated to 'share the road'. Bicyclists get yelled and cursed at to 'get off the road' and to 'get off the sidewalk'.
Even small town or suburban kids and teens who used to typically ride their bikes to school are now driven to school even when it's 8 blocks away. America is 'car world', and sadly, any ordinary citizen using their bike to go to the store is typically considered an anomaly, whether they're 12 years old or 70.

Hopefully this will slowly change. Like it or not, the recession is creating a situation where roads are deteriorating, gas is more and more expensive, people are losing their health insurance and thus want to walk and bike to stay healthier, people are losing their jobs and looking for alternatives to going everywhere by car. This is both bad and good depending on how you look at it, but it will create a scenario where we are going to be seeing more average citizens riding their bikes to the store, and eventually such a sight won't be a cause of amazement.

[emily_in_nc]

But, not to start a helmet war....I always wear one and I still cringe when I see someone without one, but I have to accept the argument made by the same blogger as to why he doesn't wear a helmet and why he can accept others who do not. I don't agree, but I make an effort to see his side of the argument:
http://overthebarsinmilwaukee.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/scardey-cats-and-supermodels-should-ride-bikes/

As an avid helmet-wearer here in the US, I have to say that this article made a surprising amount of sense. In Belize, we ride on the beach and even in town without helmets. While there are many, many people on bikes (beach cruisers) there, you won't find anyone wearing lycra, gloves, using clipless pedals, or wearing a helmet. People ride there not for fitness but for transportation, and dressing up for it is just not a part of the culture. And because most folks there don't have a lot of money, it's not likely to be. It's also only recently that cars were even allowed on the island of Ambergris Caye, so bikes and golf carts were the only form of transportation. Now that there are some cars and small trucks, helmet usage would seem to be smart (when riding off the beach), but it's still not done. I doubt you can even purchase a helmet in the country.

[GLC1968]

I understand his point about not wearing a helmet, but I don't like it. I mean...why can't we just set a style that says a helmet would look GREAT with a suit? At least, that's how I'd do it if my commute wasn't 20+ miles necessitating 'fitness' type clothing. When I lived 1.5 miles from work, I often road my mixte wearing a dress and a helmet. Let's make THAT cool!

Or maybe that's step two...after we get everyone on bikes first?

I do question his statistics though...that biking is safer than driving. I'd like to know how those numbers were derived. If less than 1% of the population bikes to work yet a much higher % drives - how can you accurately compare accident rates? If bikes to cars were closer to 50% each - which would be safer then?

[Melalvai]

The more bicycling that occurs, the accident/injury rates actually go down. When gas prices rose and bicycling doubled or more in Missouri, the total number of accidents stayed the same. In other words, the accident RATE was cut in half.

My dad got a wetsuit for his 62nd birthday today. After the initial mental image of what my 62 yr old and not all that fit dad will look like in his wetsuit, I was jealous! He's retiring next month and maybe he plans to follow in my triathlon footsteps/ bicycle tracks/ wake. Nah, more likely he wants to bike & swim, his knees are no good.

Anyway, go 60 year olds!

[Roadtrip]

Humm.. I may be wrong, but it looks like she's riding a fixie too!!!

Gotta love spunk!

Shannon

[Crankin]

Honestly, I don't understand the reasoning for not wearing a helmet. I wouldn't mind at all if I was riding in "work" clothes or dress clothes and had my helmet on. It's a piece of safety equipment, and like GLC says, we need to get people to think it's "cool."
I know people don't wear helmets in other countries, but truthfully, when I rode a cruiser on the beach in Hilton Head a few years ago, DH had to convince me not to wear my helmet. We had brought them to go mountain biking. I didn't wear it, but I was worried the whole time I was going to crash and land on my head. I don't care if I was going 5 mph on sand; it's just that ingrained. Or maybe it's my Jewish mother neuroticism.

[marni]

I understand the philosophy and rationale of not wearing a helmet. I also understand the rationale of wearing a helmet, especially since I have hit my head in the two accidents I have had and each time I am convinced that the helmet saved me from a serious concussion and or major subdural hematoma / brain injury.

I think the most graphic example I can offer is the biking safety instructor who likened your brain to a raw egg and then had each of us drop an egg from eye level to the sidewalk.

It is a matter of choice and I try not to judge one way or the other.

[chicagogal]

I don't really think that wearing a helmet should be "a matter of choice". Consider the road hazards: pothole, squirrel, pedestrian, wet leaves, wet manhole cover, other cyclists, railroad tracks, etc. All of these could cause a cyclist to hit the pavement, but would not be much of a problem for the driver of a motor vehicle whose only real risk comes from other drivers.

Nonetheless, driving around the city at 25-30mph, drivers of cars consistently wear seat belts (and could be fined for not wearing one), yet cyclists traveling at 15-25mph consistently choose not to wear a helmet. Drivers wear seatbelts not because it looks cool or is the most comfortable, but because of a massive public safety campaign in which people were educated about the risks of not wearing one, and in the aftermath, car companies were required to install more and more safety devises (air bags, anti lock breaks, etc).

We need the same kind of public safety campaign for cyclists such that nobody would even think to get on their bikes without fastening their helmet, just like they don't think to drive their car without fastening their seat belt.

[Crankin]

Chicago Gal, you put that in a way that makes it easy to understand. But, until we have the cycling infrastructure to mount such a safety campaign, it's not going to happen.
And yes, I am judgmental about this issue.

[Melalvai]

We need the same kind of public safety campaign for cyclists such that nobody would even think to get on their bikes without fastening their helmet, just like they don't think to drive their car without fastening their seat belt.
More importantly we need public safety campaigns so cyclists will not run red lights & stop signs, ride the wrong way, fail to yield, ride on the sidewalk. These all have more potential for preventing the wreck in the first place. Not having the wreck prevents more than head injury, while head injury is the only thing helmets can prevent.

I think this thread has been thoroughly hijacked now! :D

[colorisnt]

I agree with all of the "go everyone!" posts. I love to see old and young people alike on bikes because it IS something everyone can do. It's a great way to get to and from places, a great way to stay healthy, and is a natural antidepressant! I can't see why you wouldn't bike *kicks little sister who is the only one in our family who won't*.

And with Melalvai, I agree that cyclists need education on bike safety. We need to be ambassadors for it. Which is why I love pednet and getabout here in Columbia. They are teaching kids how to ride properly and to be safe and aware of drivers. My parents taught me this stuff when I was a kid and I am so thankful, but I know a couple of my friends who had NO IDEA what they were doing and had no clue how to stay safe when I was a kid.

I think we should be teaching kids this from the start. The easiest way for them to learn is to ride with mom and/or dad or moms or dads to get some idea of how to stay safe. I was on the back of my Dad's bike when I was a kid all the time in a child seat. I learned to ride early and learned all the rules of the road.

[chicagogal]

More importantly we need public safety campaigns so cyclists will not run red lights & stop signs, ride the wrong way, fail to yield, ride on the sidewalk. These all have more potential for preventing the wreck in the first place. Not having the wreck prevents more than head injury, while head injury is the only thing helmets can prevent.



I completely agree! It is not just about helmets, but safety in general (but wearing a helmet is the easiest thing to do to improve our safety!).

Maybe a massive safety campaign with government involvement requires a critical mass of cyclists, but safety starts with us - people who ride bikes. It is up to us to educate the community, and to set an example. That is what bothers me so much about that community leader (sorry, I forgot his name) who doesn't wear a helmet. In my opinion, that is just setting a bad example.

What do we need to do? Talk to teammates, club members, folks at our respective shops, other people you ride with, and make sure that they understand the rules of the road and how to ride safely.

I always ride with my team jersey as a reminder to myself that when I am using the roads, I am representing not just myself but my club. However, we all need to remember that, in team kit or not, we are ALL representing ALL cyclists on the road whenever we are out there.

Obey the rules, be courteous, wear a helmet, PASS YOUR KNOWLEDGE FORWARD, and our roads will be safer for everyone.

[buffybike]

[QUOTE=BleeckerSt_Girl;542476]This resulted in the current situation where cycling is considered to be either a sport or recreation rather than simply a form of normal transportation.
The average civilian is afraid to ride a bicycle anywhere except on designated recreational 'paths'. Roads are not designed here to make bicycling safer, and aggressive drivers are not punished or educated to 'share the road'. Bicyclists get yelled and cursed at to 'get off the road' and to 'get off the sidewalk'.
Even small town or suburban kids and teens who used to typically ride their bikes to school are now driven to school even when it's 8 blocks away.

Hear, hear!! I know my neighbors think of me as "eclectic" for riding my bike with Wald baskets to the grocery store. People have even asked me if I'm riding my bike because I lost my license to drive! I ride on roads--even busy ones--just to make the point that it's do-able and drivers are just going to have to get used to me being there. The more of us they see out there, the more "normal" we'll become to them.

[PamNY]

Being a woman pushing toward the 60 mark, I take a little umbrage in the concept that bike planners use a 60-year old woman on a shopping trip as their target rider. Hey, I am not a fragile thing! Shouldn't they be thinking, a 40 year old pot-bellied male?

Thorn, I agree. The pot belly tells me a lot more about the rider than age or gender. But, I guess we have to get used to being perceived as old.

I do wonder about the author saying riding in such wind was "super fun." True, it can be, but in a storm of historic proportions, biking could be dangerous.

Still, it's a cool photo and I'm glad you posted it.

[Thorn]

Just reviving the thread to say, that "part II" of the blog posting features our own SusanO! Much to my surprise, yesterday morning's Milwaukee Bike blog sent me over to....Team Estrogen. Cool!

http://overthebarsinmilwaukee.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/design-vehicle-woman-in-her-very-high-70s/

[Biciclista]

That lady isn't 60. I'm going to be 60 in November... I don't look like that!

[shootingstar]

She looks determined on that bike.

I'm a little tired of this helmet issue when some of those who don't wear helmets are particularily vociferous about the law, etc.

I haven't highlighted this yet but there was some criticism levelled at the marketing of Velo-city 2012 that in our video footage it was dominated by people wearing helmets (and cycling wear).

I'm not convinced we need to adapt cycling culture/habits in Europe , etc. that don't require helmet wear.

What is not highlighted is other parts of Europe that don't have Netherlands/Copenhagen-like cycling-safe environments and massive cycling mode share.

[Biciclista]

I think a lot of people in those places after coming HERE and seeing what we are up against would take to wearing helmets!

[TrekTheKaty]

I was going to ask how they knew she was 60. My sis is 65 and doesn't look like that.

I started wearing a helmet after reading a story about someone's chain locking up and throwing them over the handlebars at slow speed. I also believe in karma--if I'm not wearing my helmet or gloves, I'll fall for sure. I also don't trust OTHER PEOPLE to not wreck me.

What Bleeker said.

[goride]

That lady isn't 60. I'm going to be 60 in November... I don't look like that!

That was my exact first thought - she's not 60, I'm 60 and I don't look like that.

[boulderbee]

I joined a couple of weeks ago, and have looked around a bit. I'm very much a newbie (my only other bike, a Motobecane, I got in the mid 70s, I've moved so many times I can't remember what happened to it, and I haven't ridden in decades) and as this thread addresses 60 year old women it struck me that it might be time to dip my nearly 60 yr old toe in.

I recently acquired my lovely new bicycle (seen in the avatar) to replace my departed dead car. Yes, I am sans car now, have been commuting 8 miles a day on my Public bike, schlepping groceries and feeling pretty good as a result of all this. When the car died I thought my life couldn't get much worse, but it turned out to be a timely and much needed metamorphosis.

Boulder is rife with bikers, mostly lycra clad and whizzing past me on spidery racing bikes - the city has miles of bike lanes, fun to explore. I'm so glad to have been forced by circumstance into a new world. I'm happy to have found this little enclave and look forward to learning from what is clearly a treasure trove of hard-earned and valuable experience.

I gotta say though - I too look nothing like the woman in that picture. Give me another 20 years and I might come close.

[OakLeaf]

Kudos to her for riding in that wind - and to the blogger for noticing.

I'm curious about the ones who think she "doesn't look 60." She could be a good-looking 70 or 75, for sure, but she'd be in darn good shape for that age, I would think. To me, the last nine years have been exceptionally stressful and it's possible I've aged more rapidly than I ought, but if I age as much in the next nine years as I did in the past nine, I'll look quite a bit like her ...