Quote Originally Posted by RoadRaven

Bounce - you use golf and formula 1 as examples
With all due respect, neither of these sports fall into the category of being limited by muscles - golf relies hugely on physics and maths - formula 1 is about reaction times...
Well, they're the examples with which I'm familiar. But iirc these both happened in the last year, maybe two?


Quote Originally Posted by RoadRaven
I teach gender issues, I am a post-structuralist feminist, I desperately want us to be equal not equivalent, but biological facts are facts - unless we either tamper with them or until we evolve
Maybe so, but I think the jury's still out, and may never be in, on how much physical gender differences are based on early socialization. I realized recently that my mom and I have totally different views on how supportive she was of me growing up. I know she meant to be, but in some ways, it just didn't turn out that way. Anyway, we still have moms and dads who, even if they support their daughters being active in sports, assume that the daughters won't perform as well. As you teach gender issues, I'm sure you know all about expectations and resulting performance.

We simply don't know how much is nature and how much is nurture.

Yes, as I've gotten older, I've begun to say the same thing -- that it's harder for me than it is for the guys I've met. But I can't just accept that. And in cycling, as with many sports, I have to wonder if the issue of fit and availability plays in. So many women have trouble finding a good fit on a bike, or finding high-performance equipment that fits them. In a three-week race, I wonder how much a poor fit would cost you?

And don't discount the boys' club aspect. If you yourself insist that a woman can't compete in the Tour (or whatever sport), how much harder would it be for a man to overcome his reservations and put a woman on the team?

Maybe the most elite male athletes are going to do better than the most elite female athletes. Maybe. But even if that's a given, I don't fit in that category, and neither do most of the people in the world. If someone is the type of person who likes to push herself hard (and I definitely do), setting "unrealistic" goals can be a huge motivator. I'm not looking to join the Tour (I don't even have a road bike!), but I don't see why it would hurt to have that as an eventual goal. Of course, depending on one's current ability level, it might not be a bad idea to set some intermediate goals, too.