A small side benefit of starting this blog (and letting a few people in the cycling industry know about it) is that I’ve so far received a few products to review so I want to disclose that up front. You might think that compels me to say great things about every product but luckily for me the Netti kit I was sent is really nice so it’s easy to say nice things without it being seen as biased. The Netti brand has been around for many years and most cyclists associate it with high viz clothing for commuters, and in
Read moreLatest posts
My 2011 Gong ride
I completed the Gong ride for the fourth time yesterday and thought it timely to tell you about my experience in the hope that it will encourage more female cyclists to participate in future events like this. Each state around Australia has these types of events that are run annually. Firstly, it was all good from my perspective so don’t be expecting to read some gruesome tale here. Beautiful conditions – warm and very little wind. I did the Gong ride for the first time in 2008 about five weeks after I’d started riding so you can imagine that three
Read moreFemale road cyclists – What should I wear?
When I first started riding I had just a few items of cycle clothing and I wasn’t too fussed about what they looked like or even how they performed. Now, three years on I’m much more focused on both the appearance and the function of my cycle wear. So I thought I’d share what I’ve learnt in the past three years about dressing for riding from head to toe. I’ll start at the toes and work upwards. Socks They may seem unimportant but if you’re going to spend many hours wearing them, they need to be comfortable and look good
Read moreWomen cyclists should give track a go
I had an opportunity to do a great two-day bike skills workshop earlier this year. The first day was on the Dunc Grey Velodrome at Bass Hill and while I hadn’t previously considered track, I thought it would be a great opportunity to improve my bike skills. My partner Phillip started riding track last year, firstly to compete in the winter track series called RAW at the velodrome and then the summer series at Lidcombe run by our bike club LACC. So I’ve watched him plenty of times but never really considered giving it a go myself. The bike skills
Read moreProduct review: Fizik Vesta Women’s Saddle
I plan to review relevant products from time-to-time so please feel free to send them through. Here’s my first attempt….. In the last couple of weeks I’ve been testing the Fizik Vesta Women’s Saddle which is going pretty well. It looks and feels good so far and is definitely one I would consider if you’re looking for a women-specific saddle for your road bike. I’m not an expert on saddles but from what I know women’s saddles are made differently to men’s to accommodate our anatomy. They often have more padding than men’s and are usually wider at the back
Read moreGreat idea for increasing races & exposure of women’s pro cycling
Once again Gerard Vroomen is on the money with his commentary on his blog. In his latest post he talks about the idea of including a professional women’s race as part of all the high profile professional men’s races. He also suggests that every men’s pro team should have a women’s team. A number of them already do including Australia’s new team Greenedge, but there’s always room for more. Read his whole post here. In this vein I was pleased to see that the men’s Herald Sun Tour currently running in Victoria has a women’s race running alongside it. Well done.
Read moreBike skills training for women
So you’ve got the shiny new bike. You sort of know how to ride it, because you rode a bike when you were a kid, and you seem to instinctively know how to keep your balance. However, you really feel a bit nervous and can’t imagine you’ll ever feel confident alongside all the other riders who appear to exude confidence. Sound familiar? It’s exactly how most women feel when they take up cycling in their adult years. You’ll be pleased to know that there are some passionate individuals out there who are helping to teach bike skills, and as a
Read moreShould female cyclists wear bib knicks?
Whether you wear bib knicks or non bib knicks is a personal decision. However there are two things that I think are non-negotiable if you want to be part of the crowd. One is that you should wear knicks, rather than shorts or gym pants, and secondly you shouldn’t wear any underwear underneath them. They are designed to be worn without undies and as long as they are not see-through it should be fine to do so without causing offence to your fellow riders. When I started riding three years ago I did what most people do and headed for
Read moreMaybe you should give club cycle racing a go
If I think back to my pre-cycling me I would have been amazed at my devotion to cycling and I would have thought it was extraordinary that I’d tried racing. I’ve spent my whole life being the ‘non-sporty’ type. I remember being reasonably involved in little athletics and other sport when I was at primary school but once I reached high school I tried my hardest to get out of any sporting endeavour and particularly any competitive one!!! At my school the sporty girls were encouraged to be involved but if you weren’t any good at sport like me you
Read moreProfessional women cyclists deserve a minimum wage
According to an article by Rupert Guinness on smh.com.au the average salary for professional female cyclists “is understood to be €20,000, and about 20 per cent race for free”. It’s a pity that the UCI President was so dismissive and unsupportive of the women’s sport. If you want to know more, read Rupert’s article here. Thanks again Rupert for covering women’s professional cycling.
Read more