Keeping up with the blokes

Anne S.

Hi
As a female cyclist I am interested to know what all you guys out there think about the ladies joining you on club runs. I am not particularly fast but would like to try riding in a group rather than on my lonesome. Equally I don't particularly want to hinder the group or make someone feel obliged to keep me company at my slower pace.


Honest answers please -this could make the difference between me having a go at a club run or not bothering!

Oh, and my local club does not have a 'ladies group' - it has been tried but stopped due to lack of interest.
Anne S

synchronicity

I'd give it a go. Roadies in groups are notoriously snobby...

:idea: Consider getting a jersey that reads "I'm taken" on the back panel... that might stop half the blokes from trying to pick you up. Just see how it goes.

geoff_ss

You might find a local CTC group is more likely to be tolerant of a slower rider than a club more attuned to racing or fast rides.

My wife goes out regularly with a Wednesday group of older riders and often covers over 50 miles at a steady pace. She's 67 so not as fast as she was and she was never all that quick.

Geoff

Bronzie

Very much depends on your abilities and what sort of club runs your local club does. Some can be pretty quick to offer training for racers, others more of a social ride. My club (CC Luton) has a steady Saturday ride (60 miles 16-17mph which is not that quick for a group ride) and a faster ride on Sundays. Also depends on who turns up as to how fast things get sometimes.

Contact a few club secretaries local to you and find out if their club runs will be suitable and then try the club that sounds the best fit. If things don't work out, try another or as Geoff suggests local CTC groups may offer a slower alternative.

saif

Hi Anne

What you have described is an issue most new cyclist face , and is not limited to females. I being a male cyclist have come across similar issue when I was trying to get to a decent speed & mileage so that I could be considered fit enough to join a club. Riding solo was OK but I I realised that as a solo rider I was pushing a lot harder and not relaxing and enjoying enough. Although riding solo did give me a bit of a confidence so that I could manage 30-35 Miles at an avg. speed of 12-13 miles/hr. Then I tried to go out with a club for the Saturday club ride and I loved the company and the safety of riding together in the group. But then few rides with the club , I realised that sometimes this group increased there pace and I was not having a good ride with them anymore. I started doing my solo again. Till I found a club that had several groups that fits in all kind of riders with different avg speed and includes famale riders too, and another good point about this club is that It start the weekend rides early ( 8 ish ) , hence gives me a lot more time later in the day to catch up with family. I am sure you can find a club that suits your need.

Anne S.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really do want to be able to ride faster and improve my fitness so the CTC rides are not really what I'm looking for. I'm just going to have to get out there and give it a go/
Anne S.

Adamskii

Most clubs have two rides on a Sunday. A social ride at an easy pace and a training ride at a moderate / fast pace. Try the social rides first until you've increased you fitness. After that there's no problem in joining the training rides even if you get dropped in the first 10 miles but at least then you'll know the level you need to be at.

It's a shame you don't live up north because my partner is looking for a training partner.

redvee

Do as a female jockey did years ago......

She wore white silks on her legs with red underwear underneath. Apparently she had quite a few wins when wearing this :roll:

on the road

As has been mentioned, a lot of clubs have social rides, they ride at the pace of the slowest rider and regroup on top of hills (because some riders can't get up hills as fast as others).

lowe

I am female and joined my local club last May. When I began I was just about fit enough to keep up, although occasionally struggled but everyone was extremely encouraging and I enjoyed it immensely. Since then I have made huge progress (just done my first open TT) and really got involved with the club (I put together the club website) and have even lead some of the rides. What I have since realised is that most people, independent of gender, find their first few club runs hard, but with help and encouragement still have a great ride. I am often the only female out but have never found this an issue and have made some fantastic friends.

John C.

Do you mean there is a woman out there slower than me
Go for it girl, enjoy your riding, believe me your sex won't make any difference, they'll drop you just as fast as they drop me. those who have a go aren't worth bothering with, invite Blonde along she'll put them in their place.

Anne S.

well, I've e-mailed the local club, now awaiting a reply. Thanks for your thoughts.
Anne S