Quote Originally Posted by shootingstar View Post
To reach teenage girls, the focus should not be on competition nor racing for the majority of girls at that stage. Instead more focus on cycling competency, endurance and confidence to take on long routes, busy traffic ...while also having fun. When there is clear evidence that many teenage girls (to me) look heavier than teenage girls were 30 years ago, cycling certainly can become sellable option as healthy fun thing to do ...if the girl doesn't feel safe or too exposed to be jogging solo. At that age, I would tend to build in some social time for teenage girls during a ride/workshop(s).

I was an awkward, brainy nerd in high school and for certain, suggestions of racing/competition would have intimidated me from cycling. thank god at that time, I was still cycling in cemeteries where I felt safe from roaring traffic But then I was wierd and abit of a loner who did my own thing.
I don't necessarily agree with this. While not every girl wants to be on a competitive sporting team I think that girls should absolutely be encouraged to get involved in competitive cycling. I would never have dreamed of trying to join the basketball team or the volleyball team when I was in high school. I definitely was about as opposite as possible from being a high school jock, I was a pretty poor swimmer and too small to be useful at any ball sports, but I was an avid cyclist and I probably would have jumped at the chance to join a cycling team. Unlike ball sports its something that is easy to continue into adult hood, competitively or not.

I was a pretty akward brainy nerd too - but I felt very much at home out on the road and used to do 70 mile solo rides when I was 14 (which probably only served to mark me more out....). I can respect that competition isn't for everyone, but I also think that it's not a reason to not encourage girls to do it. There are track and cross country teams and that doesn't discourage girls from jogging for fitness.