What would you like to know?

[salsabike]

Then let me continue the rambling a little. I'm a moderately seriously recreational rider, 2000-3000 miles a year, started up about 4 years ago. Before that I hadn't been on a bike for a million years. I have other friends my age who shyly express interest but have no idea how to use a bike with gears, since when they were kids their bikes didn't have any. I've read notes from what I think was one of your Velogirls basic skills clinics and this would be the perfect thing to offer relatively new riders. In fact, I had to fight off for several days the urge to answer your question with, "I would like to know how we can convince you to move up here."

As far as I know, in this region, there is not much to make the beginning, as in haven't-ridden-since-childhood, female rider feel comfortable. I don't want to debate with anyone about whether they SHOULD feel OK in a mixed ride or clinic. Some of them don't and won't. There's a great untapped riding market here.

Loved the cigarette comment.

[velogirl]

Salsa, I bet if you poked around a little you could find a coach or a LAB Instructor who would be interested/willing in putting on a woman's clinic for you.

Beginners are definitely an untapped audience. Which reminds me (totally off topic) . One of missed opportunities at most bike shops is that they send brand new riders out for test rides all by themselves! Bike shops would do customers a great service and sell more bikes if they had a dedicated sales staff who would test ride with customers, teaching them how to brake and shift and giving them small tips about form and technique.

[vmax]

I am in complete agreement with Salsabike and GLC1968. I'm competitive but will probably not race (never say never), am a bit intimated by the large biking clubs in town as I know many of them race and so I ride on my own. On the other hand, I like long rides at a fast pace and my girlfriends think that 5 miles is a work out . . . so what's a girl to do? While I enjoy solo rides since I can go at my own pace, I'd enjoy riding with other similar-minded women.

I'd love to join a group that motivates, instructs, trains and works with women who are not just casual riders but don't race either. I hope that my comments make sense. I'm also 54, work out on a regular basis, am in decent shape but don't have the need (or desire) to compete.

General skills for biking, encourage (aka motivation) as well as bike maintenance, etc. would be wonderful. I did attend 2 maintenance classes at REI which were helpful but could certainly use more info.

Like others, I'd certainly be willing to help organize and support such a group. In my opinion, I think that there is an age group that could be "tapped" for such bike organizations. Being 54, I am absolutely the only person in my group of friends/siblings, who is so active with biking. If such organizations are put together in various locations/states, I hope that some of the marketing per se would also focus on women in their 50's+ and beyond. Biking is an activity that is good exercise and something that many of us did as kids so it isn't intimidating to resume as an adult. Yet, enouragement, education and a support mechanism would be helpful for many women to begin or resume regular exercise, such as biking. I used to work with a couple of men who are avid bikers and so I learned a lot from them about bikes, maintenance, riding, etc.

Whew, didn't mean to ramble so much but I hope that the information has been helpful. Best of Luck! Now I'll have to check back here more often for updates on this idea . . .

- Vivian

[velogirl]

Vivian! Thank you so much for your passionate response.

BTW, 54 is not old. On our very first race team, one of the racers (who had never raced before) was 52 years old. She is still racing 6 years later.

In our organization, I've found the demographic pretty representative of the women's demographic in the bike industry in general. There's a pretty distinct bell curve, with the critical mass falling in the 35-50 range with a smattering above and below. I think our youngest member this year is 10 and our oldest is 73.

[sundial]

I'd like to hear from the women who don't have a women's program available. What would you like to know about developing a woman's program?

OK, there just aren't many women in my area who are interested in cycling--particularly if they live in the small rural towns. Our state doesn't offer much for cyclists either because of lack of cyclist friendly parks or decent shoulders on the roads. We do have some clubs, but the majority of these members are competitive men. I would like to have an experienced gal to ride with, but they are few and far between and I end up in a testosterone pack.

I think before we can have a club in my area, we need a decent place to ride. I guess I don't really have any questions for you, just a vent.

[velogirl]

Sundial, vents are fine.

Do you think the safety issue/lack of good places to ride is more of an issue for the women than the men?

[sundial]

You know what? I'd like to attend a girls only workshop offered by a women's cyclist program. Maybe something that could tour the rural towns of Arkansas.

Little Rock is the hub of activity but is 2 1/2 hrs away. I've been in all but one bike shop and it essentially caters to men in terms of garments, gadgets, and bikes. I have heard fewer women shop the stores compared to men. If these bike shops hosted a girls only clinic, I wonder if that would help ladies feel empowered and ride more.

[sundial]

Sundial, vents are fine.

Do you think the safety issue/lack of good places to ride is more of an issue for the women than the men?

Yes. The shoulders that I have ridden on are sometimes a foot or less. I have to ride during low traffic periods and I ride defensively as well.

We have a great state park, Old Davidsonville, that won state park of the year. There is not one mtb trail in the whole park. I use the hiking trails to ride on.

Also, there are those idiots that might take advantage of grabbing a female cyclist and heading for the hills to do who knows what. It almost happened to a cyclist friend of mine--in front of her male cyclists.

[velogirl]

Absolutely! Women don't like bike shops (sweeping generalization). I've found that if I can bring a group of women into a shop for an hour or two (clinic, shopping party, etc), they become familiar with the shop and will feel more comfortable coming back. If all bike shops did something like that, they'd likely see an increase in their female customer base.

It's too bad Little Rock is so far away. Are there any shops a bit closer to you?

[RoadRaven]

I think part of a womens programme could include some clear explaination/teaching around how women's metabolisms are so different to men;
- how the muscle/fat ratio affects us and our power output
- how more muscle means it is easier to burn fat (which is why men find it easier to drop weight than women)
- how women will never develop the same/equivilent muscle mass to men and therefore will never to the same times/speeds at the top level as men

I think from discussions with women, these basic facts about how our bodies respond to exercise are oftne unknown or misunderstood.

I also want to agree with the others - specific training for women
- developing confidence in bike handling
- skills in riding with others (my partner says some of the men he rides with prefer not to ride with women in training rides or racing because they are unpredicatble and cant hold their lines)
- women's only training rides (I will never ride with my partner on his Sunday morning training ride because the guys there just go too fast - 35kph is a moderate pace for them - for me its race pace... I just wouldn't go the distance)

Excellent thing to be asked to do VeloGirl
All the best

[sundial]

It's too bad Little Rock is so far away. Are there any shops a bit closer to you?

Yes, one is an hour away. They do all my work on my bike and I'm tinkering more on my own. Hey, maybe you could create a women's guide to bike mechanic series--with lots of pictures. Maybe a video too!

[bonniekate]

I would talk about some of the basics, like why a women's group can be so beneficial to women riders (versus coed programs). From my experiences, and there is not a women-specific program here, most women in my area start cycling with their husbands or boyfriends and will either begin riding in coed groups or will only ride with the person they started with. It is hard to get the ladies confident to want to move forward with their riding. And without riding with a group they don't want to ride alone and therefore do not ride as often as they would like. So how do you get the ladies involved and wanting to get out there into a program? I would love to see a women's group here, but don't have the motivation to start one myself. Even some of the spouses and girlfriends of the guys I ride with won't come out on our group rides and we don't drop ANYBODY!

You have to know where you're coming from to know where you're going!
good luck, it's a great topic!

bk

[Geonz]

My favorite bike shop has had several women's nights but it's hard to get the word out.

What age group is being targeted?

I *do* think that there's a HUGE audience of beginners who want fitness, love endorphins but aren't into the guy racing culture and maybe not racing at all.

THen there are those of us doing the whole 'bicycling lifestyle' thing...

[vmax]

One more thought on this subject and I'll try to be brief, promise

I've gone to bike clinics on my own, single, no boyfriend or anyone else that could come along. While the classes were helpful there is one missing piece, esp for women . . . the social aspect. Why not have beverages, snacks, a way to learn and socialize at the same time. Being that I am single, going to a class is a good way to meet other women who bike. However, many people head straight for the exit as soon as the class ends . . thus eliminating a way to meet other people. I'm not suggesting that it become a "happy hour" yet there has to be a better format for this idea. How about a bike mentor group? Food for thought . . .

Perhaps a follow-up class with the same group or a series of classes for whatever the topic: bike maintenance, motivation, a non-threatening way to work on your own bike as a learning process. I'm stumbling around here for ideas but I do believe that, in order to get more women (of all ages) interested in biking one needs to include the social piece as well.

Again,

- Vivian, MN

[shootingstar]

I seem to hardly talk about my cycling...I get off topic.

But part of my past that has been silent until now:

Am just a lifestyle cyclist, with no car in my life for past 1/2 century. Average about 3000-7000 kms. annually in past 14 years after returning to cycling at 31.

I was part of a core group of organizers for a women's cycling group, Women on Wheels, for the Greater Toronto Area...for 5 years. In addition to my partner who is a rabid cycling advocate and heavy cyclist himself, this women's group did shoot up my passion for cycling.

We did organized rides, organized conferences ever 2 years and had workshops about 5-8 running simultaneously...on bike maintenance, touring, nutrition, etc. We did attract newbies, racers and bike couriers...all women. We did have some veterans...ie. the lst Canadian woman who raced competively. She was a distant "mother", role model to us all...

It was a heady 5 years. But with heavy hearts, we had to fold our group, because we couldn't find other fresh new volunteers to carry on the torch faithfully. Our non-profit organization had enough money in bank to run the organization.

So these are my thoughts:

* how to cultivate cooperative leadership among seasoned female cyclists to run low-budget cycling organization...that blends both competent cycling skills plus ...long term lifestyle approach to cycling.

*outreach to young girls and teenage girls exposing them to cycling (and boosting their self-confidence and having fun)....this was always in the back of our minds but all of us had fulltime daytime jobs

*outreach to women who do not fit the majority, mainstream of regular cyclists but who could benefit from the independence of cheap travel

*options for regular cycling mentorship or developing partnerships with other related cycling groups...ie. a group that is working on/advocating for new cycling routes.... I suspect alot of newbies are just afraid of cycling...because they don't know good, reasonably safe routes and are afraid stuck unprepared near the highway interchange or similar.

I agree abit of socializing at the end or during a rest stop, is helpful to keep the vibe dynamic of women's cycling group running.

It would be kind of neat ...one day...if there was a mega cycling convergence ride..you know several women's cycling group rides converging from several cities to 1 meeting point. Such a display of cycling power...