The Cycletta

londonlivvy

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

DonDaddyD

I'd agree with you except for my experience two days ago (tuesday):

I get to Balham (by the Argos heading to Balham tube) and there she was, girl roadie, in full race kit, on a Specialised Dolce with carbon seat stays. And mark my words this girl was fit, so fit she didn't need a Bianchi. She was so fit I kinda didn't want to look at her, so fit she rivals the girly on the front suspension Mountain bike who has a Garmin Forerunner watch that rides from Wimbledon to City - I think she's either South African or Australian (tri-athlete) now she is so impossibly beautiful it's actually not fair....

Anyway. After the above realisation and thought process went through my head the lights went green. Now for reasons I cannot be bothered to go into this is where my interest in the girl stops - she's fit, I've acknowledged it so on with my commute. I hold my target speed of 20mph. It so happens fit girl rides at 21mph, promptly positions her bike infront of mine and the elastic effect has taken sway. Still, I drop back about a bikes length because I've had my fill of 'creep'

Now this is fine she's slowly pulling away, I'm riding my ride. It is all good, except the three other guys that were struggling up the little uphilly bit through Tooting all manage to find new legs and start chasing the girl. Things get so bad I get sandwiched between one guy who overtakes me on the right and another who unddertakes me on the left. This continues until I have had enough and drop them up Balham Hill.

But the point. Guys can be dicks around girls (and not in the Team America way) and when you're lacking confidence or just trying to enjoy yourself I suspect their the last thing you want or need around you.

clarkey cat

think I might go home via Balham tonight

greg66_tri_v2.0

clarkey cat wrote:

think I might go home via Balham tonight

Congrats, DDD. You've got yerself a stalker...

kelsen

Greg66 wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

think I might go home via Balham tonight

Congrats, DDD. You've got yerself a stalker...

You win the internet

attica

kelsen wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

think I might go home via Balham tonight

Congrats, DDD. You've got yerself a stalker...

You win the internet

Thanks Greg, made my day.

itboffin

bloody sexist if you ask me :roll:

leedsmjh

Quote from the site:

"Cycletta is a 40KM women only bike challenge along a carefully planned traffic-free course. The course is especially designed to provide a challenge especially if you are looking to achieve a particular time. As a regular cyclist, the 40km might take you from 1 hour to 1 hour 20mins."

Egad!

greg66_tri_v2.0

leedsmjh wrote:

Quote from the site:

"Cycletta is a 40KM women only bike challenge along a carefully planned traffic-free course. The course is especially designed to provide a challenge especially if you are looking to achieve a particular time. As a regular cyclist, the 40km might take you from 1 hour to 1 hour 20mins."

Egad!

Hmm. An hour for a 40k in a large group would be quite impressive for someone who'd rocked up to this event wanting to get into cycling a bit...

To return to Livvy's question, I could see my girls loving the opportunity to do something like this in the sort of environment that is described. I would imagine there wouldn't be too many road bikes on display at these things, or at least if there were, they be ridden by ladies who were at their first such event.

It looks like a less well publicised and supported biking version of the Race for Life, no?

leedsmjh

Greg66 wrote:

leedsmjh wrote:

Quote from the site:

"Cycletta is a 40KM women only bike challenge along a carefully planned traffic-free course. The course is especially designed to provide a challenge especially if you are looking to achieve a particular time. As a regular cyclist, the 40km might take you from 1 hour to 1 hour 20mins."

Egad!

Hmm. An hour for a 40k in a large group would be quite impressive for someone who'd rocked up to this event wanting to get into cycling a bit...

/quote]

to be fair that is under the "regular/sporty cyclist" category

dhope

leedsmjh wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

leedsmjh wrote:

Quote from the site:

"Cycletta is a 40KM women only bike challenge along a carefully planned traffic-free course. The course is especially designed to provide a challenge especially if you are looking to achieve a particular time. As a regular cyclist, the 40km might take you from 1 hour to 1 hour 20mins."

Egad!

Hmm. An hour for a 40k in a large group would be quite impressive for someone who'd rocked up to this event wanting to get into cycling a bit...

to be fair that is under the "regular/sporty cyclist" category

25mph maintained for an hour would be bleedin quick in my book! I hope I never meet you in a spot of casual SCR

SimonAH

Dear DDD,

I have had the pleasure of meeting Londonlivvy and I do hope that she takes no offense at this, but Londonlivvy is herself fit.

As fit as ten bears.

VERY attractive indeed.

That is all

DonDaddyD

SimonAH wrote:

Dear DDD,

I have had the pleasure of meeting Londonlivvy and I do hope that she takes no offense at this, but Londonlivvy is herself fit.

As fit as ten bears.

VERY attractive indeed.

That is all

Dear SimonAH

I have had the pleasure of meeting Londonlivvy and Lost_in_thought and Linsen and Cafewanda and pinkpedal and totalnewbie and Coriander.

Just saying.

I don't believe my first post implied that I think Londonlivvy is unattractive.

Just saying that as well.

That is all.

DonDaddyD

Basically my post was to point out that there are times where the inclusion of men can be counter productive albeit for 'base' reasons...

SimonAH

Of course! Not my thrust at all, in effect agreeing with you.

SimonAH

I will make it to the Morpeth one of these days!

dhope

SimonAH wrote:

I will make it to the Morpeth one of these days!

Probably before DDD

optimisticbiker

DonDaddyD wrote:

.... and there she was, girl roadie, in full race kit, on a Specialised Dolce with carbon seat stays. And mark my words this girl was fit, so fit she didn't need a Bianchi. She was so fit I kinda didn't want to look at her, so fit she rivals the girly on the front suspension Mountain bike who has a Garmin Forerunner watch that rides from Wimbledon to City - I think she's either South African or Australian (tri-athlete) now she is so impossibly beautiful it's actually not fair....

Sounds similar one of my colleagues, who is from Oz and a world-class triathlete, who either runs or bikes 11miles to work and then goes to the local gym for a 1500m swim, recently bought a £900 Spesh to commute because keeping her £3000 competition bike by her desk isnt possible any more (we needed the space). Her idea of a holiday recently was taking part in a ironman (ironwoman?) triathlon in Germany, followed by a couple of stages of the Tour de France for fun very fit.. in every sense of the word! :roll:

walkingbootweather

Yeah but I bet I could drink most of these fit girls under the table.

Probably.

lost_in_thought

londonlivvy wrote:

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

The bolded bit I agree with - women-only events/societies/etc are a real pet hate of mine. Funny enough it's kind of for semi-feminist-ish reasons - by segregating women in any way, for harm or good, you're pushing back genuine equality.

londonlivvy

Goodness. blushing re compliments.

But anyway, Greg, you're right, it is similar to the Race for Life. And I don't particularly like that either. As LiT explained, much better than I did, segregation isn't equality.

Yes, blokes can be c*cks around women, either eternally trying to overtake you back just because you dropped them, or patronising gits like the italian last night who asked if I needed a push up the hill in the park, but some women can be patronising or competitive too.

I think we need to encourage women to try cycling at normal events, rather than generate specific events for them. Evans sportives have a higher percentage of women and of beginner cyclists than sportives organised by road clubs, for example, partly because they strive to have courses at all levels and advertise to a wide section of the public. More of those kind of events, perhaps with the addition of some on traffic free roads, would attract all kinds of starting-out-cyclists, which I think is emphatically A Good Thing.

greg66_tri_v2.0

lost_in_thought wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

The bolded bit I agree with - women-only events/societies/etc are a real pet hate of mine. Funny enough it's kind of for semi-feminist-ish reasons - by segregating women in any way, for harm or good, you're pushing back genuine equality.

Feel free to use the gents next time you're at the Morpeth.

You'll find that genuine equality ain't all it is cracked up to be.

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

The bolded bit I agree with - women-only events/societies/etc are a real pet hate of mine. Funny enough it's kind of for semi-feminist-ish reasons - by segregating women in any way, for harm or good, you're pushing back genuine equality.

Feel free to use the gents next time you're at the Morpeth.

You'll find that genuine equality ain't all it is cracked up to be.

Just as soon as I can use the urinals... but that's going to be some crazy-ass evolution.

londonlivvy

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

The bolded bit I agree with - women-only events/societies/etc are a real pet hate of mine. Funny enough it's kind of for semi-feminist-ish reasons - by segregating women in any way, for harm or good, you're pushing back genuine equality.

Feel free to use the gents next time you're at the Morpeth.

You'll find that genuine equality ain't all it is cracked up to be.

Just as soon as I can use the urinals... but that's going to be some crazy-ass evolution.

You've heard of the She Wee, right?
http://www.shewee.com/newstore/

greg66_tri_v2.0

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

The bolded bit I agree with - women-only events/societies/etc are a real pet hate of mine. Funny enough it's kind of for semi-feminist-ish reasons - by segregating women in any way, for harm or good, you're pushing back genuine equality.

Feel free to use the gents next time you're at the Morpeth.

You'll find that genuine equality ain't all it is cracked up to be.

Just as soon as I can use the urinals... but that's going to be some crazy-ass evolution.

You couldn't possibly have a worse aim than the blokes who use them.

And wear waterproof shoes.

PBo

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I've just been emailed about the Cycletta events which are short, traffic free, female-only mini-sportives, designed to encourage women to cycle.
http://www.cycletta.co.uk/

Part of me thinks it's great - encouraging more people to take exercise is a good thing. And it's a safe, encouraging environment which might make people want to do it again. But similarly, I find all this girls-together stuff a bit patronising and annoying. We're just people. And I'm sure there are plenty of men who perhaps haven't cycled in a while who'd enjoy a challenge on safe roads. Or indeed families who'd like to do more than just cycle round the local park.

The bolded bit I agree with - women-only events/societies/etc are a real pet hate of mine. Funny enough it's kind of for semi-feminist-ish reasons - by segregating women in any way, for harm or good, you're pushing back genuine equality.

Feel free to use the gents next time you're at the Morpeth.

You'll find that genuine equality ain't all it is cracked up to be.

Just as soon as I can use the urinals... but that's going to be some crazy-ass evolution.

don't thinlk it's the ass that evolves....