Current state of women's pro cycling, great article

fixing the post link was bad

http://crankpunk.com/

go to second blog entry down,
Doing it for the love and one d**k too many

it took me a while to find the article as the link had "****" and I had to figure what that was. When you click on the Irulan's link, 404 pg not found pops up so do a search for "crankpunk women's pro cycling" and you will get there.

For the most part I agree with what they wrote but in other respect hmmm maybe not. Can't give a concrete example but I keep getting a feeling of "hmmm... more lip service?" you read an article about women cyclists and usually starts out with some cutsey pink flower kind of opening line. Then the article talks down to you. Maybe its just me. Then I see ads and other articles with eye candy women plastered.

Yes I know how to wrench and so do many others here. Not just replace a tube but true a wheel, replace broken spokes, adjust deraillure hangers, repack old fashioned bearing and check the races... Heck there was a member here who was a frame builder.

Well, the article did a pretty good job and pointing out the positives and the snails pace improvement in treatment of women's pro cycling.

Then there are the local races. It's still relegated to an afterthought.

When I used to ride and seriously train, I did it because I loved it. I didn't care to be in the limelight. And I wasn't good enough to be in for the money not that there were any when I used to ride. Women's pro?? har har ha must be smokin' something would have been appropriate when I was at my peak.

yes its nice that its improving!! I'm very happy for the younger riders who may have a chance!!

just want to add about your local bike shops.

Some are still in the stone age and others are enlightened. One shop I know reeked of testosterone and don't want you in there unless A. you are a macho kind of cyclists or B. pin-up girl...

Another shop where I used to go often treated me fairly. Even rode with their boys on their training... Pretty cool. Let me hang out in the shop area...

Yeah, if you are lucky to live in an area where women's cyclists are supported, please go to the shops that are supporting them. One of the shops in town is definitely more about male racers than the other and doesn't really have much support for ladies. The other shop is pretty awesome. Neither has a great selection of women's gear, though. Here in Ottawa now, gosh! I have so many possibilities. I can go to a large number of shops and actually SHOP. I wish this was the case everywhere.