Actually, Irulan, my fencing, skating, shooting, ect. clubs were great- My cycling club went to hell and I quit when the nasty power hungry little people running it refused to help me organize any clinics. Then I needed new knees and have been away, but I know of clubs in other towns that are big on structured teaching and being nice to people, so it works in cycling as well as every other sport. A lot of new riders have come to town, and a friend I saw in the grocery told me the club was fun again so I sent them a check. As soon as I'm fit again, I'm joining the racing club though, fewer women but more supportive of them.
But the point is, men and women both don't want to be *****ed at, intimidated, or made to feel stupid wich happens a lot in cycling. Most of what I know came from magazines or the nice guys at my LBS, and women at festivals have told me they had to learn the same way.
The great model for this is the legendary Jaquie Phelan and WOMBATS. Womens Mountain Biking And Tea Society. <<www.wombats.org>> A lot of the orgs purpose is for Jaquie to make a slender living teaching, but she has a national contact list and a "wear pearls to race in" attitude. She's trying to build a national womens MT biking network. Check it out.

missliz