Women are smart! If you haven't noticed. If you know that your competition will not jump a lot; then why would you waste your energy jumping a lot? You will just wear yourself out and then lose in the end.

Women tend to be more conservative in racing - even at the local level; cause they are used to other women being conservative also.

It can be very frustrating in a pack to have it slow down, more and more, as ladies don't want to take pulls or do the work; but whether for good or bad, that is women's road racing in a nutshell.