Nicola, Author at

If you can see it, you can be it, and other great lessons from the Women’s Sport Summit

August 16, 2019 Nicola women in sport, Women's health

I was lucky enough to attend a Women’s Sport Summit last week, hearing a whole host of great speakers and meeting lots of people who work in women’s sport. The Summit covered so many sports and so many interesting issues but rather than try and outline the whole event I’ve picked up a few themes that really resonated with me as a keen supporter of women’s sport and physical activity. The focus of the Women in Sport Summit 2019 run very professionally by Konnect Learning was obviously on sport rather than physical activity per se, but there were still plenty

Happy 8th birthday to women who cycle

August 13, 2019 Nicola Blogging, Women cycling

Today marks eight years since I started this blog – Women Who Cycle. What an extraordinary journey I’ve been on in those years. It all began on a bit of a whim when I decided that I wanted to share my love of road cycling with other women around the world. I could never have imagined that I would sustain it for eight years. During those years I’ve posted nearly every week which means I’ve now amassed over 400 posts! And while I do repeat some topics and reuse my own material, the majority of my posts are new subjects.

Women riding the Tour de France route for equality – a huge feat

August 7, 2019 Nicola Bike travel, Cycle tours, Professional cycling, Women cycling

I’m totally in awe of a group of female cyclists who just finished the most amazing undertaking by riding the Tour de France route a day ahead of the men’s professional race. There were two groups of these amazing women – the Donnons des Elles au Velo (a group of French women who I wrote about last year) who were tackling the route for the fifth time, and a new group call the InternationElles. This InternationElles group of ten women and their French sisters undertook the ride to highlight the lack of equality in men’s and women’s cycling. Riding each

Yes there is a correct way to wear a bicycle helmet

August 2, 2019 Nicola Bicycle helmet, Bike retail, Women cycling

I live in a country where it is compulsory to wear a bike helmet, but I’m not here to debate whether that’s good or not, however if you do wear one it’s important to know the correct way to wear a bicycle helmet. I often see other riders who wear their helmets back off their forehead and hope that they never have an accident because it really isn’t protecting their precious head. Make sure it fits The first step in wearing a bike helmet correctly is to make sure you have the right size and fit for you. Don’t buy

Meet the tenacious aussie pro cyclist sarah roy

July 25, 2019 Nicola Children riding, Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling, women in sport

For those who follow this blog you’ll know that I really enjoy interviewing female Australian pro cyclists, and this time it’s my absolute pleasure to profile Aussie pro, Sarah Roy. Sarah’s busy schedule and the time difference between Europe and Australia where Sarah is based, meant that the interview took place via email rather than face-to-face or over the phone. Although I was lucky enough to speak with Sarah face-to-face at this year’s Tour Down Under. Q: I’ve read that you were rejected many times from the AIS. What kept you going back until you succeeded? A: I’ve always been quite

Budget guide to indoor trainer setup – you don’t have to spend thousands

July 18, 2019 Nicola Bike retail, Indoor trainers, Interval training, Women cycling

Indoor trainers have evolved in the last few years to become very sophisticated with price tags to match, but you don’t have to fork out thousands, so here’s my budget guide to indoor trainer setup. My preference is to ride outdoors and I’m lucky enough to live in a temperate climate where this is quite feasible, but it’s good to have a back-up to keep you bike fit. One major benefit of indoor trainers is time efficiency – one hour spent on a trainer is the equivalent of two hours on the road because there’s no coasting so you’re constantly

Pay IT Forward and Cycling are a perfect match

July 11, 2019 Nicola Blogging, Life purpose, Women cycling

The wonderful concept of ‘paying it forward’ has got me thinking about how Pay It Forward and cycling go nicely together. The idea of paying it forward is a concept that’s been around forever but was popularised by the movie Pay It Forward, which had a lasting impact on me. In the movie and the book on which it is based, the idea is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in response to a good deed that one receives. The good deeds should accomplish things that the other person can’t accomplish on their own. The

Join me at the Women In Sport Summit 2019 in Melbourne in august

July 4, 2019 Nicola International Women's Day, women in sport

This week I’m going to deviate a little from my usual single-mindedness on women’s road cycling and broaden my focus to women in sport. I must admit that I’ve never been a huge sports fan because it was always about men, but my love for women’s cycling has brought a newfound appreciation of women’s sport and I’m loving all the wonderful things currently happening in the sporting sphere in Australia. My focus is also on women’s sport in general because I’m attending the Women in Sport Summit 2019 in Melbourne next month. Three sports that I think are doing an

I’m very disappointed with ASO’s La Course by Le Tour De France

June 27, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

I’m very disappointed with the Tour de France organisers ASO for their lacklustre efforts with the women’s race La Course by Le Tour de France. The race was established five years ago by ASO and was applauded by the women’s pro peloton and cycling fans as a great step forward for women’s cycling, but in those five years, they seem to have been going backwards with the race. I emphasise that I write this post as a cycling fan rather than an expert on women’s pro cycling, but I’m assuming that the female pro riders as equally disappointed. And while

Should you ride your bike when you’re sick?

June 19, 2019 Nicola Illness, Women cycling, Women's health

This is a question that I’ve often pondered over the decade I’ve been riding a road bike – should you ride your bike when you’re sick? I think I’m fairly good at listening to my body and usually rest when I’m sick which includes abstaining from bike riding, but I’ve always wondered. Fortunately, thanks to my regular exercise (and a bit of luck and hand-washing) I can’t even recall the last time I was sick enough to refrain from riding. I read a great article published by the ABC a couple of weeks ago which helped satisfy my curiosity on