When I took up road cycling some 12 years ago I was really nervous about the idea of riding in a bunch but when I spoke to other riders and got some really good bunch riding tips.
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Category: Cycling Club
Tips for new female road cyclists – take my challenge and give it a go
One of the upsides of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the increase in the number of people – women, men, and children taking up or returning to cycling but many need a bit of advice so here are my tips for new female road cyclists. If you’re a woman and you’ve been enjoying riding your kids or partner during this pandemic then I guarantee that you’ll like it even better if you ditch the kids and partner, take up road cycling and find some female (or male) companions. Many of my road riding pals are actually men but they have
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You should commit to some 2020 Cycling New Year’s resolutions
Happy New Year to all the wonderful female cyclists who read my blog regularly, this post is all about committing to 2020 cycling New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions are often criticised for being a waste of time because they are hard to achieve, but I’m a keen supporter of goal setting and to me, it’s just an annual way to test your self-discipline. My own 2019 New Year’s resolution was to ride more than 5,000 km in total which I achieved, with a total of 5,481 km, so for 2020, I’m aiming for 6,000 km. Some of you might
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Women: Do you need some help to get started in road cycling?
When you’re considering taking a new hobby it can often be a bit daunting but it is really easy to get started in road cycling for both women and men. Obviously, the most important thing to get into road cycling is a bike, but there are also a few other items that will enhance the experience for any budding roadie. A road bike You can spend anywhere from about $800 to $20,000 on a road bike, even cheaper if you opt for a second hand or low-quality one. However, like all manufactured items in our modern world, you do tend
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let’s commemorate the first woman to ride from Sydney to Melbourne
When Sarah Maddock searched the Internet for her name back in the early 2000s, she had no idea that nearly 20 years later she’d be commemorating a ride from Sydney to Melbourne by her namesake Sarah Maddock 125 years earlier. A woman named Sarah Maddock was a trailblazer of women’s cycling and rode with her husband from Sydney to Melbourne in 1894, the first woman to complete such a feat. The ride was planned as a cure for her husband’s ill health and Sarah who apparently was quite shy about her achievement, was surprised when many people along the way
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FEMALE ROADIES – YOU SHOULD TRY CYCLOCROSS IN AUSTRALIA
The sport of Cyclocross in Australia is relatively new to the local cycling scene. I first wrote about it in 2014 and have my interest reinvigorated by my friend Niki (who I met on a cycling tour in Japan last year) because she’s very enthusiastic about cyclocross and its potential to grow in Sydney and Australia. So what is cyclocross, I hear you ask. Some describe it as a combination of mountain biking, road cycling and criterium racing into one challenging event. Most races last for 30 minutes to an hour on a closed, twisty circuit of 2.5 to 3.5
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The final word on the women’s tour down under – an interview with race director Kimberley Conte
If you’ve read my last few blog posts you’ll know how enthusiastically I embraced the Women’s Tour Down Under earlier this month and you’ll also know that I’ve been trying to catch up with the Race Director Kimberley Conte. The good news is that I spoke with her late last week and got some insights into the future of the race and the exciting plans ahead. By speaking with Kimberley I could tell how passionate she is about the race and women’s cycle racing in general. She revealed that lots and lots of planning went into the race. She and
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You should ride the annual Gong ride
I completed my eighth Gong Ride on Sunday after a three year absence, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The first time I rode it was only about a month after I’d started riding, and I thought it was really, really hard even though I did the 50 km course. Well I’m pleased to report that it gets easier and after ten constant years of road riding I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier the hills felt. For those who aren’t Sydney riders, the Gong ride is an annual mass participation ride held on the first Sunday in November. It
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Get out of your comfort zone using your magic bicycle
I believe you should regularly get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. I’m not always great at practising what I preach, but I’m happy to report that I completed my first road cycling team time trial over the weekend. For a lot of riders that would have been well within their comfort zone but for me it was a stretch. Not a huge one, but still a stretch. Apparently there’s some science behind the concept. The ‘comfort zone’ is described as the behavioural space where your activities and behaviours fit a routine and pattern that minimises stress and
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Read the latest research into women’s cycling participation from Cycling Victoria
I’m always interested in research into women’s cycling participation so I was intrigued to see a piece of research from Cycling Victoria last month. I’m a member of the Women’s Commission of Cycling NSW (the neighbouring state and key rival for those who aren’t Australian), and within my role I often look to Cycling Victoria for their leadership on the topic of women’s participation. This piece of research conducted by a University collaboration for Cycling Victoria has some interesting conclusions. I was particularly interested in their methodology in which they used desk research, interviews of only 11 people and observation.
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