Woman competing in Tour de France

[ny biker]

Another vote for poor taste. And a useful demonstration of Trek's attitudes to women.

There must be something wrong with me because I've read it 3 times now and I don't see how it says anything about their attitude toward women.

[MartianDestiny]

There must be something wrong with me because I've read it 3 times now and I don't see how it says anything about their attitude toward women.

Not just you, I don't get the issue.

If anything it's complimenting her abilities in my mind. April fools "jokes" are supposed to be BELIEVABLE enough that you have to do a double take or read through to the last lines (where normally April 1st or similar is mentioned). If they were demeaning women athletes then this wouldn't have been much of an April Fools stunt (it wouldn't have been "believable" in their minds).

I don't find it particularly amusing but that's probably more from a poor execution standpoint (now Fatty's this morning was pretty good, at least from a funny writing perspective), I'm not offended by it though.

[lunacycles]

There must be something wrong with me because I've read it 3 times now and I don't see how it says anything about their attitude toward women.

Er, they are implying it is a joke to think that women can compete with men.

I am not overthinking this. Or dwelling. Just observing.

[ny biker]

Er, they are implying it is a joke to think that women can compete with men.

I am not overthinking this. Or dwelling. Just observing.

No, I saw it as pretending that a non-professional would be so very very fast that she would miraculously be chosen as an alternate for Johan Bruyneel's TdF team. Which is ridiculous regardless of whether the non-pro is a man or a woman. For so many reasons that have nothing to do with how fast said non-pro can ride.

But maybe I just have been following Bruyneel's teams too closely over the years, up to and including this one.

Not to mention, the joke involved the president of Trek Travel. If Trek Travel was run by a man, I'm sure it would have been about a man.

Anyway. I really hate April fools crap. Waste of my time.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Also, I don't think it's impossible for a woman to do the stages of the Tour de France... I'm sure some of the best women pro cyclists are more than qualified to do it, if they wanted to and trained for it, they're just not allowed to currently, which is the real tragedy (at least as I understand it, but I'll be honest, I don't pay attention to all the ins and outs of it). It would be nice to see women compete in races like this, and I would hope it's not out of the realm of possibility for the future.

[andtckrtoo]

I'm usually not offended by such jokes, but this one does rub me the wrong way. I don't care how they meant it, it does come off as "Ha ha, silly people, thinking a mere woman could POSSIBLY be in the Tour de France - oh get real." If they wanted to make a point about an unknown riding getting a spot on the team - use a man. I don't think this kind of sexism has a place in any US company.

I think the joke was in very poor taste and I'm glad to support Cannondale and Surly over Trek now.

[MartianDestiny]

I'm usually not offended by such jokes, but this one does rub me the wrong way. I don't care how they meant it, it does come off as "Ha ha, silly people, thinking a mere woman could POSSIBLY be in the Tour de France - oh get real." If they wanted to make a point about an unknown riding getting a spot on the team - use a man. I don't think this kind of sexism has a place in any US company.

I think the joke was in very poor taste and I'm glad to support Cannondale and Surly over Trek now.

But that's just as sexist "use a man". Seriously, this stuff does go both ways. They chose to use the PRESIDENT of Trek Travel; it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that she's overseeing an entire branch of the company and is clearly highly respected and valued to be offered such a position (and incidentally in charge of the branch that happened to publish this) and probably had something to do with it (or at the very least approved it). Nope, gotta be because she's a girl and that makes it somehow more absurd

99.9% of guys aren't physically capable of riding in the Tour, 99.9% of girls aren't either. Really lacking to see the distinction in why one is more absurd than the other if you take the WHOLE of recreational/no-pro cyclists (or population) into account (and not just the pros, which, you will realize, they DIDN'T use a PRO women cyclist...)

[Tuckervill]

There must be something wrong with me because I've read it 3 times now and I don't see how it says anything about their attitude toward women.

I'm with you.

If a woman was invited to ride in the TdF I would be really really surprised. I wouldn't doubt her ability because if someone knows something about it, and who can compete in it, it's the teams who do. I really doubt it is going to happen any time soon, if ever, so if it is such an unprecedented thing, they're not really poking fun at inability of women to compete in it. It's just too far out of the realm of possibility and that's why it's humorous.

Karen