What would you like to know?

[guruchic]

Velogirl,

Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. This Spring will be my second season in the saddle. I truly love the sport and completed my first century ride after three months training. I am now training in the off season but found it really hard to find a good training routine. I must have visited over 30 sites online only to find they were all so different.

I am riding (indoor) and lifting which has really helped. I was doing the base training and now am progressing into higher intensity work outs. I finally found a program but it took me forever and if it weren't for my search skills on the computer, I might never have found anything.

I do not race but am a very intense non competitive rider. I have given this much thought and would love a program that included guidelines on nutrition, yoga(for stretching and mental strength), weights and cycling periodization for the serious non-competitive woman. Good luck with your presentation.

[Cyclesome]

This is a great thread! I truly enjoyed reading all of the responses.
I especially agreed with Vmax and Salsabike and feel I can readily relate to their ideas. I recently returned back into cycling two years ago and ride on both the trail and roads, last year about 1400 miles.

I would love knowledge of how create a recreational bike club in my county, including organized rides on the trail. This year our trail will connect Pitt to Washington DC. Many opportunities for riding w/o traffic.

I also think there is a great need for bike handling skill clinics.

Thanks for allowing me to respond.

[shootingstar]

You have an outline, velogirl where you could write a book. You need to offer an all-day session based on your outline. Or 3 days.

Or organize a conference and get some of us to do the workshops.

One thing about this split mentality in the cycling world of racing/competitive vs. non-racing/non-competitive.....it seems that anything non-competitive is deemed 'recreational'. Tell that to a randonneur (which I'm not) where alot of them aren't really competing against anyone...except against their own time.

which is no different than some of us who ride non-competitively, but do set general /vague goals to improve during the cycling season. Then there are functional /commuter cyclists who do have to cycle regularily, for transporation because they don't have a car. I know alot of people who just don't have cars. But some of so seasoned under trying weather conditions that they have become strong riders.

The audience to your presentation should be seriously challenged/questioned that this split thinking is way too narrow to get more women on bikes and get them to stay on the bikes for many years to come.

[velogirl]

Hey, ShootingStar, let me preface this by saying that I am "all of the above." I'm a racer, a tourist, a commuter, I ride for errands -- you name it and I've done it on the bike. I don't think these categories are mutually exclusive.

I also don't think using the term "recreational" rather than non-competitive implies any negative connotations. And in keeping with your definition of certain types of recreational riding also being competitive, I would think folks would prefer that term (recreational) over non-competitive.

Those who know me will tell you that I consider every single cyclist on this forum an "athlete," whether or not she races. If you set goals, have structure in your riding, etc, you are an athlete.

Now, keep in mind that the conference at which I'm speaking is sponsored by USA Cycling -- the governing body of racing in the US. Then look @ my outline again and you'll see that I'll spend a good amount of time talking about the "non-racer" in my discussion of how to develop women cyclists.

Obviously, if I thought the world revolved around racers only (which I don't think), I wouldn't be on a forum like this where the majority of women don't race nor do they aspire to. I also wouldn't run a cycling club where 1,400+ women are non-racers and only a couple dozen race.

The split mentality you refer to certainly isn't coming from me.