Getting women to group rides

[velo]

This is a pretty broad question. What do you think appeals to women to get them to come to weekly group (not one-time organized) rides? I know that the answer is ALL over the place, and maybe there isn't a good answer, so perhaps this will be a very short thread. But, if you were wanting to get the women local to your area to join together for riding, what are some key issues that would need to be addressed? Looking to hear from all types of riders and experience as well as those who attend group rides, won't attend group rides (why?) and those who lead group rides. I have some thoughts in mind, but don't want to say anything until I get varied opinions. This would be weekly evening rides, btw. I know it's open-ended and I'm trying to keep it that way to generate spontaneous discussion.

[Grits]

For me, it is assurance that it will not be above my ability level. I don't want to be left behind or struggling to keep up, so make it very clear what the expectations are for pace and distance. For a weekly ride, some social aspect helps too, like meeting afterwards for some kind of food/drink. My group enjoys having a facebook group page to chat about rides.

[luvmyguys]

For me, it is assurance that it will not be above my ability level. I don't want to be left behind or struggling to keep up, so make it very clear what the expectations are for pace and distance. For a weekly ride, some social aspect helps too, like meeting afterwards for some kind of food/drink. My group enjoys having a facebook group page to chat about rides.

This. There are plenty of "no drop" rides that are "no drop as long as you can keep up". And if you advertise a pace of 16-18 mph, for example, don't go zooming off at 20+.

There is a big box bike store around here that has a Sunday morning ride that is truly no-drop. There are a few people in the group that agree to hang back with the slowest person, no matter how slow they're going. I really respected that.

[azfiddle]

I'll be interested to follow this discussion. I joined a women's "team" last fall- not a race team. We are sponsored by several local businesses and last fall we received kits (we paid a portion of the cost) and had our entries paid for the big local event, El Tour de Tucson. But a lot of the gals who joined didn't stay committed after El Tour was over, and we have dropped from 25 down to 15 people (with a couple replacements). So even though we are specifically a group for women, we have had some growing pains in trying to structure the group. We tried to accommodate members by rotating the start locations and alternating Saturdays and Sundays, but it has mostly led to confusion and not to greater participation. On some rides the stronger riders took off and left others behind, which led to some hard feelings. We are currently planning team rides based around improving our skills and safe riding practices, and recommending that team members do their serious training on the other weekend day or during the week.

I feel we still need too develop cohesion as well as skills, and get familiar with each other as riders so that we can ride together safely. I find it frustrating when some of the group report don't show up for rides and later report doing non-team rides on facebook - so that commitment isn't really there yet. Eventually we want to help newer riders and do more community service, but we aren't stable enough for that yet.

So any ideas that help us reach out and keep our group going are of interest.

[Becky]

For me, one of the biggest barriers to group rides is people who are inconsiderate of others' time. It's very frustrating to hustle to get to a ride and be ready to roll at the prescribed time, only to have to wait for people who are running late. Late starts mean getting home to my family late, eating late, getting to bed late, etc. I do understand that things happen outside of our control (work, traffic, etc.), and it's happened to me on more than one occasion. However, having a ride leader who is willing to enforce, "if you're late, you're chasing!" is important to me. YMMV.

The pace issue is a common issue with groups of every ability and speed. It never hurts to contact the ride leader and ask if the published speed is "cruising speed" or if it's the rolling average speed. Around here, advertised speeds seem to be average speeds.

[Grits]

I find it frustrating when some of the group report don't show up for rides and later report doing non-team rides on facebook - so that commitment isn't really there yet. Eventually we want to help newer riders and do more community service, but we aren't stable enough for that yet.

Is it the faster riders that are dropping out or the slower ones - or a mix? If they are doing other rides it is probably because the rides are better suited to them for some reason: the location, distance, speed, or even the social/fun part of the ride.

There are two groups in my small town. One is more training oriented. The people in it tend to be getting ready for tri's and are very focused on speed. The other group is more recreational and does long rides, but almost always followed by gathering somewhere for food. The two groups really don't mix much. We have different goals.

It is natural to lose some of the initial people in the group as everyone finds out what they want out of a riding group and how yours fits their needs. It won't be the group for everyone, so don't take it personally. They might have friends in the other groups that they want to continue riding with sometimes and may not think that they need to make a commitment to riding with one particular group. Things will settle down, and as you get your ride schedule stabilized, more riders will give it a try.

[tealtreak]

I rearrange our lives to attend my 2X a month Luna Chix RLAG nights.....why?....there are always several pace/ability groups and instruction is constant. When I first started mountain biking I was frustrated by my lack of technical ability. I learn more on one RLAG than 30 hours solo.

The team has many of the components mentioned before: social beyond riding, clear pace groups and welcoming attitude. In addition they have the support of Luna Co plus the expertise for occasional clinics from Luna pros like Georgia Gould and Danelle Kaboush.

[thekarens]

As a newbie it was finding a group that was a similar skill level. I hate being the one that holds back others.

[jyyanks]

Ditto what everyone said above.

For me, it's also a time commitment thing. It's hard for me to give up 3 hours of the day since I work full time and weekends are spent with family. I'd love if a group offered shorter rides for those that are time challenged so I can join more often.

[Penny4]

I agree with knowing there is a group at my level. There are few beginner/C level rides out there and I won't join a B ride knowing I will hold them back. (And I'm sure there are plenty of ladies looking for super fast paced rides.)
Provide clear definitions of each group's pace.
Time of day is also important to me, but you'll never be able to accommodate everyone. I can't ride until after work (5pm ish)
Short clinics associated with the group would also be nice (rules of the road/group rides, basic mechanics, nutrition, building speed, climbing hills, etc).

[thekarens]

This. There are plenty of "no drop" rides that are "no drop as long as you can keep up". And if you advertise a pace of 16-18 mph, for example, don't go zooming off at 20+.

There is a big box bike store around here that has a Sunday morning ride that is truly no-drop. There are a few people in the group that agree to hang back with the slowest person, no matter how slow they're going. I really respected that.

You hit the nail on the head. I went on my first "no drop" ride that was supposed to be 12-14. Well, at the time I knew I could do 12.5, but that group zipped of at the 15-16 range. I didn't come back for a couple months when I knew for sure I could do 14. It was really discouraging.

[indysteel]

You hit the nail on the head. I went on my first "no drop" ride that was supposed to be 12-14. Well, at the time I knew I could do 12.5, but that group zipped of at the 15-16 range. I didn't come back for a couple months when I knew for sure I could do 14. It was really discouraging.

That raises an issue that I think happens a lot for group rides: The rider leader should make clear whether the posted speed for a group is the average or the "rolling" speed. That can make a big difference in someone's ability/expectation to keep up. If a group averages, say, 15 mph for a ride, then attendees will have to be able to maintain speeds higher than that to keep up.

[7rider]

That raises an issue that I think happens a lot for group rides: The rider leader should make clear whether the posted speed for a group is the average or the "rolling" speed. That can make a big difference in someone's ability/expectation to keep up. If a group averages, say, 15 mph for a ride, then attendees will have to be able to maintain speeds higher than that to keep up.

Rolling vs. average speeds is a big part of it, I think.
I do group rides (well - have done, I'm woefully out of shape right now for rides with ANYone, never mind my usual group) where I will average 16 mph, but most of the time, we're cruising flats at 20 mph or more. I think pacing is a big reason women don't ride groups more. Where I am, there are plenty of women riders - and plenty of women racers. Personally, I'm usually stuck in "no man's" land - faster than the slow group, slower than the fast group. So I frequently ride "group rides" alone and just catch them at the rest stops or re-gatheriing spots or hope for red lights. Frankly, that gets a little old after a while.

[Skippyak]

I only do a shop led women's group ride and most of the time it is all good, there have been times when people tuned up with old MTBs or cruisers, so I think no drop needs to be be clarified if it really is for road bikers. I am at the older end and not the slowest. I don't want to be on a slow cruiser ride, I want to be pushed. I really appreciate the effort put in to organize these rides and many of the riders are real athletes that are always encouraging to the rest of us. I find it hard to read speed as a guide as it depends on how much climbing there is. I would love to have more options really, to join group rides.

[indysteel]

I've done a lot of mixed-gender training rides over the years and definitely have developed some likes/dislikes. I prefer groups that offer different subgroups to cater to faster/slower speeds and experience levels. I'd suggest having a no-drop policy, but I'd add that all of the group rides I've done have had marked routes, which is helpful for those (like me) who don't necessarily need a no-drop policy but do want to know how to get back to my car. If I were putting a ride together, I'd try to find a route with low traffic, decent road surfaces, good sight lines and no loose dogs.

Most of my frustration during training rides had to do with lax etiquette and safety issues. I think it would be helpful to offer some instruction on how to safely and politely ride in a group/paceline. I also think it's important to establish and enforce some safety rules and expectations, not just so that no one in the group gets hurt, but also to maintan a positive relationship with vehicular traffic. Some of our local training rides have really gotten crosswise with the community because they don't respect the rules of the road. I would repeatedly make it clear that stop signs will be respected and that the group will only ride two-abreast when conditions allow.