From a "woman's persepctive" . . .

[Antaresia]

I never knew I was a second-class citizen in the cycling world until I started reading this forum. Granted, I don't cycle with groups, so there's a lot I don't know.

it isn't just limited to the cycling world, it's everything. Just the other day I was looking at the hairy legs on the biker dude in front of me, and wistfully wondered what it would be like to live in a world where I wasn't expected to shave my legs & be pretty every day. I just get so tired of it sometimes, you know? What it would be like to get up, and just not give a ****, not wear make up or shave or do my hair and still be taken as seriously. Sigh.
(I do have a few friends who don't shave, and I've heard comments about them behind their backs and the comments they tell me people say to their face. Ugh, I am not that brave)

We are all very different. You can write from a woman's perspective, because you are one. But you can't write for all women, I wonder if that's what they expect? If I was feeling trollish, I'd just write a normal article as myself, and send it in a pink font.

[channlluv]

Limewave, I thought your first post was funny. The spokes in your menstrual cycle? Ha!

I posted recently about a race motorescort rider who had gotten off his motorcycle to direct an oncoming women's peleton of about a dozen riders around a male rider from the other ongoing race who had crashed. He was talking to another one of the race people - a medical assistant - about how you never see the women riders force each other into the barriers, and that "Men want to race against their friends. Women want to race with their friends. It's a totally different dynamic." And true to the form he'd just set out, the women came rolling up at a reduced speed in honor of the fallen rider, all smiles and friendly chatting together through the crash zone.

At the crit in Redlands the next day, one of the men who had narrowly escaped a six-bike pile-up commented on the riders ahead of him that they'd ridden away at top speed, "Contador-style," meaning they'd taken advantage of the crash to breakaway from the field.

In another race, our local announcer was criticizing a men's race (I forget which Cat, but I'm guessing a group of 3's based on his comment) for not organizing and working as teams to breakaway, that it "looks like a Women's 4!" It was an insult.

He's said other stuff, too, like when they combined a women's race group with a men's 45+ because not enough women entered to warrant their own race time, that the men should do whatever they could to pull away from the girls, and that he couldn't believe the girls were hanging with the guys, that the guys must not be trying very hard....yeah, really. He couldn't "tell the men from the women. Ordinarily I'd just look for the ponytails, but there's a guy out there with a ponytail (my husband) and he's right in the middle of the pack..." and so were the women riders. They were basically kicking a$$. (The winner of that race was Thurlow Rogers, former Olympic champion.)

And yet, in DH's bike club, we have two women's state champions (Juniors Cyclocross and I think Women's Time Trial for whatever age group includes older women - she's in her 60s; and the Junior Women's National Road Race and Track champion). We had at least one other women's state top ten finisher, but she recently defected along with the rest of the elite racing team to a club with better sponsors.

So, yeah, the women's perspective...

What are the stereotypes about women riders?

Roxy

[lph]

If I was feeling trollish, I'd just write a normal article as myself, and send it in a pink font.

Bwaaa-haaa-haaa

Re stereotypes about women, riders or not. I live in one of the countries lucky enough to be furthest on the road to full equality between the sexes. Still, I would like to be able to be good at wrenching my bike without guys being gobsmacked that I know how to change my own chain. I would like bike shop owners to assume that I know what I'm talking about without my having to wear full lycra, be muddy and assertive and talk about intricate details to "deserve their respect". I would like to tell people how much fun I had that morning chasing other commuters and catching up to them, without them viewing me like this super-aggressive racer who can't possibly ever relax and enjoy the ride. Basically I do things that male riders do all the time, and get a sort of "wow, she's an obsessive nutcase"-reaction from people. Which is sometimes cute, sometimes flattering, but mostly just annoying.

For that matter, I would like to come to work with messy hair or go to the pool without shaving my legs, and not be thought of as being butch or macho or stating some kind of point. Please folks, I'm just lazy every now and then.

Pardon the rant. This is small stuff, I know.

[smilingcat]

Bwaaa-haaa-haaa

Re stereotypes about women, riders or not. I live in one of the countries lucky enough to be furthest on the road to full equality between the sexes. Still, I would like to be able to be good at wrenching my bike without guys being gobsmacked that I know how to change my own chain. I would like bike shop owners to assume that I know what I'm talking about without my having to wear full lycra, be muddy and assertive and talk about intricate details to "deserve their respect". I would like to tell people how much fun I had that morning chasing other commuters and catching up to them, without them viewing me like this super-aggressive racer who can't possibly ever relax and enjoy the ride. Basically I do things that male riders do all the time, and get a sort of "wow, she's an obsessive nutcase"-reaction from people. Which is sometimes cute, sometimes flattering, but mostly just annoying.

For that matter, I would like to come to work with messy hair or go to the pool without shaving my legs, and not be thought of as being butch or macho or stating some kind of point. Please folks, I'm just lazy every now and then.

Pardon the rant. This is small stuff, I know.

Just say Thank you very much and smile!! I think some men have lot of appreciation and lust for women who are capable.

We all march to our own drummer. so stop fretting about fitting in.
I've learned that when others are going boing---- boing---- boing---- I'm going bamBAM BAM!!! If they scowl at me then I just return Huh? what's up doc look.

[lph]

Just say Thank you very much and smile!! I think some men have lot of appreciation and lust for women who are capable.

We all march to our own drummer. so stop fretting about fitting in.

Heh, thanks smilingcat. I rarely fret about fitting in. I just do what I do. But every now and then it grates on me how very narrow a squeeze "fitting in" is.

[lph]

16 page advertising supplement in the paper today, from a large sports chain. Bikes, bikes, bikes. Illustrated by one rider shot, on the page with the highest-end bikes, a photo of a muddy, concentrating trail rider, with well-worn clothing, probably competing. It was a woman

Not shaking out long blonde hair in front of a pretty view, not holiday riding with her dh, not city riding, not towing kids - just illustrating cycling in general, and performance trail riding in particular.

In a small way, that made me very very happy.

[limewave]

16 page advertising supplement in the paper today, from a large sports chain. Bikes, bikes, bikes. Illustrated by one rider shot, on the page with the highest-end bikes, a photo of a muddy, concentrating trail rider, with well-worn clothing, probably competing. It was a woman

Not shaking out long blonde hair in front of a pretty view, not holiday riding with her dh, not city riding, not towing kids - just illustrating cycling in general, and performance trail riding in particular.

In a small way, that made me very very happy.

That's awesome! I wish I had seen that.

[lph]

That's awesome! I wish I had seen that.

Here ya go

(I was a bit wrong, it wasn't on the high-end page, it was on the 29'er page. But it's still the only close-up portrait of any rider, and it's not wsd! Made my day.)

[Becky]

Here ya go

(I was a bit wrong, it wasn't on the high-end page, it was on the 29'er page. But it's still the only close-up portrait of any rider, and it's not wsd! Made my day.)

*likes this too*

[limewave]

Ummm, so I just published my first post from a women's persepctive. I'm feeling a bit exposed. . . .
http://wmcoastriders.org/so-you-want...yclist-part-1/

[OakLeaf]

Very nice! Informative, sympathetic, a little humor. I like.

[zoom-zoom]

That's great...honest, practical, encouraging.

[lph]

Very nice indeed, limewave! You sound like the friend every woman should have when she wants to take up cycling.

[Melalvai]

That's great, I like it! Good job.

[limewave]

Thanks Everyone! I have to give credit to everyone on TE because I would have very little knowledge without the wealth of information shared here.