Lack of women on most sportives...

rodgers73

I've done 4 this year and talk about thin on the ground! Has anyone done an event where more than a dozen turn up???

Ginjafro

Yes - Dartmoor Classic.

Cleat Eastwood

women being naturally inferior to men but having nicer asses like to stay at the back. just ride at a slower speed and let the lovlies overtake you and treat you 'girls in lycra' on tour.

rodgers73

Ha! Sounds like running events - the best is always at the back, about 10 mins slower than me over a 10k, but a nice sight for me to enjoy as I'm recovering at the finish

gilmour84

I have got my girlfriend doing the new forest sportive on Sunday. Even convinced her to do the epic. Now all I have to do is make sure I am faster than her.

rodgers73

Do you mind if I ride behind her? For moral support...

Krys

And this kind of talk is presumably why more women don't turn out... I must remember to be naturally inferior and remain respectfully behind you all

mrushton

Yet today my partner rode the Cycletta North, a womens only event in Cheshire. There were some 700+ entrants of all abilities for a 40km ride. Sportives are viewed poss. as a bloke thing altho' she has dome the Nove Colli, the White Rose Classic, The Tour of Lombardy plus more audaxes than you can imagine (RTYR a few times incl.twice in one year). It's also a time thing as many women are pressed for time re families etc so you often get women doing Tri or TTing as you can pack more in.

Good news is she was first back in 1.05

rodgers73

Events for women separate from men is surely a step backwards...

Hannah_24

You could view it like that but is also an opportunity to get more women cycling in the first place so they have an opportunity to increase in confidence before setting out in male dominated events, if that is a limiting factor. It would appear that that is a likely posibility based on the high turn outs for women only rides.

British Cycling are investing alot of money in to getting women cycing which is great. As a newbie cyclist myself the women only sportives are very attractive. I am goiing to sign up to Davinas Diva 100 in West sussex which is in May mostly because it is very local to me but just looks like a really friendly welcoming ride. Not sue about which other ones to choose for early next year but going to try and do another 3. Will be looking in Sussex/Surrey/Hampshire and surrounding counties.

rodgers73

I wonder why mainstream events are not seen as welcoming? I prefer to talk to women (for non-perv reasons!) on rides as they are more chatty than blokes anyway, but I've never really found the men unfriendly. Maybe different start times for men and women? So women set off in groups?

None of this seems to be an issue at running events, where women dont seem at all bothered by men being in the majority.

Muffintop

There were a few in Ullapool last weekend, more than we saw at the Etape Caledonia last year.

Lookyhere

Running is completely different, a 10k or 1/2 is 1 or 2 hrs of pain at most and women can compete with the men on a much more equal footing - so to speak.
Sportives are far longer and require at alot longer in terms of time to prepare for properly.
Also, most events seem to pride themselves on how hard/long they are - not on an enjoyable day out on the bike.
As was said early, the Dartmoor classic is an exception and gets loads of female cyclists, especially in the 100k distance.

Omar Little

I dont think proportionally there are many fewer women doing sportives than there are women who would be classed as roadies (i dont mean racers i mean more like regular cyclists and will go out and cycle 50 miles+ at the weekend). Its a pretty gender unbalanced sport at the non beginner level.

triathlon seems to attract more women proportionally but that doesn't seem to have much impact on how many i see out riding their bikes. Spin classes too - often about 80% female, and some of them would be pretty fast if they were to ride proper bikes, but for whatever reason they are not really doing so in big numbers.

mrushton

Road cycling just appeals to men more than women it would seem. A lot of women do track,mtb-ing and tri. Maybe the road thing is more male orientated. Time is a reason why a lot of women don't do all day stuff tho according to my partner. We now have a child so the idea of my partner doing a 300km ride is not feasible to her

Hannah_24

I don't think it is that sportives and cycling events appear unwelcoming but as a male dominated sport it may be viewed as such by some female cyclists. There are lots of factors that contribute towards women not riding as much as men including kids, self concious (in Lycra!!), cycling on their own for training...generally though the trend is seeing more women involved.

I have become involved in road cycling through my job and although not racked up many miles yet i am looking forward to the prospect of joining my local club for sunday rides.

At Ride Around London held on the 25th last month saw an OK turn out of female cyclists, hopefully more next year. The 1/2 route (approx 60 mile) was more popular with the ladies which isn't too supprising, that is compared to the option of 115miles!!

Krys

I do think sportives could cater better for women in that an awful lot of them don't have decent toilet facilities at food stops - and running off into the bushes ain't as easy for us as for you. Personally I'm not interested in women only events, it feels a bit patronising, but that could just be me. However the number of times on a long event that I've been told how well I'm doing by no doubt well meaning men, just because I'm a woman... Surely we're both doing well?!

I think it's just that the training takes up a lot of time that women of MAMIL age don't often have, thanks to family and work commitments. If there were more women doing it, more women would do it, if that makes any sense, but as it is, I think the idea of being in a minority surrounded by all those keen team kit wearing male cyclists is a bit intimidating.

heatonrider

women only events are just about giving women a bit of confidence to get started .. this year 100 of us joined together to ride the M/c 100 - that included women who had only ever ridden mountain bikes in a leisurely way moving to a road bike and completing training for the event. How do you join in if you do not know the way in? For many women it can feel daunting to get out there with a whole bunch of folk, mainly guys, who look like they know what they are doing ...... So i do not get it with what is peoples issue about women getting together, whether it be as a group or for one or two sportives out of a massive calendar of events.

notsoblue

Omar Little wrote:

Spin classes too - often about 80% female, and some of them would be pretty fast if they were to ride proper bikes, but for whatever reason they are not really doing so in big numbers.

Risk aversion? Less competitive?

Actually I notice quite a few women on the commute, definitely 25-40% of the riders on some days. But at sportives they aren't as numerous.

Philip Whiteman

heatonrider wrote:

.... For many women it can feel daunting to get out there with a whole bunch of folk, mainly guys, who look like they know what they are doing ...... So i do not get it with what is peoples issue about women getting together, whether it be as a group or for one or two sportives out of a massive calendar of events.

Interestingly, I know of two cycling clubs in the West Midlands that are both new and have a strong female presence. Stourbug is aimed at leisure cyclists and does not contain any machismo aspects - I guesstimate that 50% of their riders must be women. Maypole Ladies is specifically geared to women (obviously) and it is great to see them growing too.

For clubs such as mine, we are gearing up club runs that are less intimidating. So where clubs can gain more women riders, the prospect of more women seeking to join events such as sportives improves. But there is a long way to go.

rodgers73

I keep hearing the phrase "less intimidating". The first time I did a 100 mile sportive I found the prospect intimidating, but having done it that distance no longer worries me unduly. Don't women go through the same transition? If they do then they shouldn't find sportives any less worrying or off-putting than they are for me.

Or is that nonsense?

FransJacques

I live in the south and I see lots of women on rides, my GF is usually one of 60-70 ladies when the total riders are 300-500 level. That's not a bad representation. Many sportives in the south, where there are more people offer 4, yes 4, routes to widen appeal.

For the big guys, Evans and Wigle rides do tend to attract more chix. Maybe size does matter to women? Actually I think it's brand 'trust' (if you can ever have trust in the bike industry) that matters to them. The vertical integration from store to ride helps because the sales person can offer a free entry to a new bike purchaser. It's a good handshake.

Have you ever thought that you're too slow and all the women are ahead of you?

I'll go a step further and muse that I see very few blacks, indians, or chinese people biking, yet at work, they're at least 40% of my colleagues, so they easily have the income levels necessary to purchase a bike and ride. Discuss.

rodgers73

I'd be happy with them being *just* ahead of me :twisted:

But no, I'm talking about not seeing women on the route, at the start or at the finish. So, pretty sure the numbers are low regardless of my speed

Think your other point needs a separate thread.

Blonde Cyclist

As a woman I have done a few sportives and would say that in general the number of women I see on them reflects the numbers I see generally out riding (if not a slightly higher proportion!)... Perhaps we just need more women in the sport - and no matter what anyone says I found starting road riding in groups as a woman was initimidating (certainly joining organised groups) - even if I realised my fears were totally unfounded when I started!

velocestrapture

rodgers73 wrote:

I keep hearing the phrase "less intimidating". The first time I did a 100 mile sportive I found the prospect intimidating, but having done it that distance no longer worries me unduly. Don't women go through the same transition? If they do then they shouldn't find sportives any less worrying or off-putting than they are for me.

Or is that nonsense?

I think it is somewhat a self-perpetuating problem - because not many women cycle, it is hard to compare your capabilities against other people. There may well be several women cyclists who are good enough to take part in sportives, but who don't have the confidence to try.

I only took up cycling at the beginning of this year, and although I have enjoyed doing several charity cycle rides, I didn't feel confident enough this summer that I was fit/good enough to do a timed event.

Even doing laps of RP at the weekend is not a good gauge of fitness and speed, as I have no idea whether I am getting passed by guys because my fitness and speed are still not very good, or whether I am just getting passed because they are guys and naturally stronger. On the odd occasion I come across another female cyclist, we usually end up in a battle to overtake each other. :twisted:

I was only after doing the women only Cycletta South and coming in with a decent time and placing, that I feel confident to have a shot at an open sportive, without worrying too much that I will be last one home.

My plan for the winter is to keep up my 24 mile commute by bike a couple of times a week, and when my fitness is just a little better, to join my local club, and then start with some sportives in the spring.

rodgers73

The women only events seem a good idea if they provide a springboard into mixed events (ie by building confidence) but it would be a bit rubbish if we ended up with a segregated sport

climbingpixie

Although not a sportive, I rode in the Cat & Fiddle Challenge last weekend and the lack of women was noticeable - not representative of the amount of women I see out and about commuting by bike but probably representative of the amount of women I see out riding for leisure at the weekends.

Personally I like the idea of doing a sportive but I'm not very fast and find the idea of being passed by 95% of the field a little depressing. As such, although I've contemplated it a few times I haven't gotten round to signing up to doing one. That will change next year though - I'm going to make more of an effort and try to do more events. For me, the idea of doing a women's only event seems quite appealing rather than patronising - I know a lot of women out there would still be faster than me but I'd be riding in a more equal field.

wander wheels

Krys - Can't agree with you more about the toilets at the food stops. The cyclists that do sportives whether male or female tend to do them to test themselves and try to get a good time. Looking out for a suitable spot for a toilet break does not help a female gain a good time. I tend to concentrate on the sportives which do offer these facilities and this is where you will see more females riding. As a female rider I'm not fussed what proportion are female or male. I've also noticed that the sportives that offer shorter distances tend to have more females doing the shorter routes before progressing to the longer routes.

msmancunia

This sounds a bit daft, but I didn't know they even existed until recently. I commute 125 miles a week on a tank-like hybrid so can do decent mileage - went to my LBS to get a roadie (comes next week!). Female owner suggested sportives - so I had a google. Turns out that the Tour of the Pennines set off from about a mile from me a couple of weeks ago, and I had no idea!

So, I guess really there should be more publicity about the different kinds of events that girls can take part in - lots of us have heard of/watch the TdF and the track cycling stuff, but don't really know much else. Some bike shops (Harry Hall, Manchester, I'm looking at you) can also be quite elitist and dare I say it, sexist - they wouldn't think of suggesting a girl actually cycle for sport. So yes, I'm starting to read up on it all.....

mrushton

Unfortunately, bike shops are often staffed entirely by men and that's who their customers are. Bike Doctor in Rusholme is good and Edinburgh Bike have some female staff I think. Audax are good but you do often need to be self-sufficient. My partner cut her cycling teeth on these and got v.good at them. She actually enjoys riding with men but then she can match most of them in ability. Sportives are just a sexed-up less arduous more expensive audax.

Salford Quays? All that money and not the most bike friendly place I've come across.

DaveMoss

I'm old enough to remember when Beryll Burton held the absolute 24 hour time trial record, i.e she covered more miles than antone else, man or women.

thing is women in general have a more efficient matabolism than men . (which is why they tend to get fat if they eat the same as men). The main upside of this is that they are more likly to survive in a famine and then have more babies, men don't have babies therfore are dispensable when food is short. Another upside, more relevent to this topic, is that they actually have an advantage over men in an endurance event, which makes up for any disadvantage they may have in terms of maximum power output. So the longer the distance, the better it should be for women if they do a bit of training.

So long sportives should be really good for women, we should do our best to identify and dismantle the barriers that stop them.