Daydreaming here...

[bluerider]

How does one become a pro road cyclist? I have a pipe and am dreaming today...

All kidding aside, does anyone know how cyclists get selected for pro teams?

Thanks!

[han-grrl]

i race mtb (not elite), but as a guess

you would have to race
you would have to do well at races
submit a race resume to the Team Manager.
you may have to give them a reason on why you think you would be a good team member and how you would promote the sponsors.

[swlsue]

be a man?

Seriously, you don't hear much about women's cycling. A shame.

[RoadRaven]

What Han said...
without a sponser, you have top prove yourself from the beginning
Join a club and try and get into the top grade, though being a woman, the second top grade is prolly where you'll be
Do well in Club Champs
Enter as many competitions as you can (my next step from Club Champs will be Nationals)
Do well in everything you enter, be noticed and get some winning history behind you
As you go, decide what event you like... a woman will never make to something like THE Tour - we just cant build the muscle... (here here Sue) but indoor track events? Individual TTs? Criterions?
Our own Sarah Ulmer brought home golds and a new track record - that was pretty sweet.

Set your goals and train for them and be prepared to endure a lot of pain - thats how the best become the best... they are prepared to hurt... alot

[bluerider]

Great insights, thanks! Sounds tough but fun!!!

Just wondering, what kind of speeds do pro women usually cycle at? Let's say in TTs? I know the boys at TdF are in the higher 50km/hr range Any idea on women's time?

[Lynne]

Great insights, thanks! Sounds tough but fun!!!

Just wondering, what kind of speeds do pro women usually cycle at? Let's say in TTs? I know the boys at TdF are in the higher 50km/hr range Any idea on women's time?

Met too! Me too! But that was the team TT, not sure what speeds they hit on the individual, I can't remember (and I'm NOT checking the website since I'd see today's results!).

Are time trials typically flat? And, are they usually as interesting a course as TdF or do you just go round and round in boring circles?

[CorsairMac]

As you go, decide what event you like... a woman will never make to something like THE Tour -

actually there are European Women Pro Races - I can't remember them all right now but there is a Womens version of the Giro and I believe there is a womens version of the Tour. The womens T-Mobile team races in them.

[Tess851]

yep, tour de femme etc as Corsairmac said.

Track time trial: 500m in 33.952 seconds won the gold medal for Meares last year at the Olympic games.

Road time trial: 24km in 0:31:11:53 was the wining time in the 2004 Olympics.

so average speed for road would be say 47-48km/hr, and track would be arond 54-55km/hr.

As for getting there, what han-grrl and RoadRaven said, and even then, there are no guarantees.

Are you on track to become a pro do you think?

[RoadRaven]

actually there are European Women Pro Races - I can't remember them all right now but there is a Womens version of the Giro and I believe there is a womens version of the Tour. The womens T-Mobile team races in them.

Yes... I know... but they are women's races... and I meant that for a woman to aspire to ride in something like the Tour de France with people like Armstrong, Ulrich or DaveZ is an unrealistic goal... you have to recognise the limitations of a female body to build effective muscle and enter races accordingly.

The top echelon of female cyclists are fantastic, and pound for pound may even be better atheletes than men - but they are not in the ball park of their elite male counterparts.

Just look at the results in Olympics, or compare Mens/Womens Giro or Mens Womens Tour... men and women will never compete together

I should have included some of the womens races in my little say. Apologies for being unclear

I was just trying to explain to Blue that any pro race goals she sets herself need to be gender realistic