This is a very interesting observation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
It depends on the region maybe?
I actually grew up in Italy, in Tuscany - where a whole lot of people ride their bikes. When we were young with my sister we used to go out with big groups of cyclists, most of them were on amateur racing teams, and about half of them were women. Some of those people have turned pro over the years.
Of course there was no 'women-specific' anything in the bike shops at that time, just the team mechanic that would fit you on a bike according to your measurements and riding goals, regardless whether you were a man or a woman. Maybe this is in part due to the roads - some regions have more bike-friendly roads than others. Tuscany, Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria and others have great bike routes, to name a few. And drivers are more used to see bicycles everywhere, so they tend to be a tad bit more friendly.
But I too have noticed that in some other regions of Italy you don't see many women cyclists - for example traveling in the southern regions I remember seeing women commuters but very few women training or racing. I recall thinking that it seemed weird, especially considering that soccer and cyclism are a national sport in Italy. I mean it's a Country where people close their business to drive somewhere and see a stage of the Giro, public places turn on their TV's for everyone to gather and watch the race, it's like being in France during the Tour. A whole lot of fun, really :)
But that was of course years and years ago, so I'm not sure if it's the same now...
