Women cycling Archives -

10 things I hope we will do after COVID-19 leaves us

April 3, 2020 Nicola COVID-19, Women cycling, Women's health

This week I’m deviating a bit from my usual women’s cycling topics and sharing my list of things I hope we will do after COVID-19. Some of it can actually be applied to my favourite topic but sometimes you’ve just gotta write what works for you. Today this is what works for me, so please indulge me. It’s taken me a couple of weeks to ‘process’ what is going on in our world and to find some level of acceptance. One of the things that has really helped me deal with it is seeing the great things that are happening

A budget guide to indoor riding during COVID-19

March 27, 2020 Nicola Indoor trainers, Women cycling, Women's health

Like so many other devoted road cyclists around the world, I’m now focused on indoor riding during COVID-19, so I thought I’d share my tips on how to do this on a budget. 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. My preference is to ride outdoors but right now I’ve decided to stay home as much as possible to protect the community and to do my bit to stop the spread of COVID-19. One major benefit of indoor trainers is time

Don’t stop riding because of COVID-19 – ride your bike

March 19, 2020 Nicola Mental health, Women cycling, Women's health

I’m not here to repeat the advice of our authorities on COVID-19, on what the rules of road cycling should be during this crisis, but I am here to encourage all riders to keep riding their bikes during this time – Don’t stop riding because of COVID-19. We need to keep riding for our mental and physical health. I’d rather tell you how I feel about this situation rather than prescribe the rules. If you want some great advice and commentary I recommend you visit the Bicycling Australia website, and while you’re there, make sure you complete the survey. For

It’s fascinating to see how bicycles are used all over the world to change lives

March 13, 2020 Nicola Bicycle charity, Women cycling

As an obsessed cyclist, one of the things I love to do when I’m on holidays is to observe how bicycles are used all over the world, so when I visited Rwanda in Africa a few years ago I was intrigued to see how the local people used bikes mainly to carry cargo. It, of course, made me think back to a blog post I wrote about the great work of World Bicycle Relief (WBR) which is an amazing charity providing rugged bicycles to people in developing nations. For people like me, a bicycle is for recreation, for exercise and

I’d like to share an inspiring women’s cycling story

March 5, 2020 Nicola Cycle tours, Life purpose, Women cycling

I’m a member of a number of social media women’s cycling groups and I really love regularly reading inspiring women’s cycling stories like the one I read last week. After reading this post from Kerrie I contacted her and said I’d like to write a longer post about her story. Here’s her social post……. This is encouragement for anyone who thinks they are too old, too unfit, too fat…In 2013 I was a sad and lonely woman and at 54 had NEVER ridden a bike, my mate Gail 😘 kept nagging me to come riding, eventually I gave in and it changed my

How to deal with anxiety caused by a cycling accident

February 27, 2020 Nicola Cycling accident, Women cycling

A recent close call with a car driver has made me reflect on how to cope with anxiety caused by a cycling accident. A couple of weeks ago I was riding home and had a very close call with a driver in the roundabout just near my home. Thankfully I was completely unharmed but very shaken. In fact, I couldn’t stop shaking and that’s because three years earlier I was actually hit by a car under very similar circumstances and the anxiety I felt came rushing back. And since that occurrence, I’ve been feeling a low level of anxiety every

Why are some riders more athletic than others, and what can I do to keep up?

February 20, 2020 Nicola Professional cycling, Women cycling

If, like me, you’re not that fast on the bike, you may have pondered why some riders are just more athletic than others, seemingly without even trying. I guarantee you that every one of those amazing professional cyclists that you watch in the pro peloton is the athletic type so don’t feel intimidated. Do it your way. That’s what I decided when I took up road riding a bit over 11 years ago, and I observed this phenomenon. So why are some people able to ride so much faster, even when they are relatively new to cycling? After doing a

Get excited about the Wollongong 2022 UCI Road World Championships

February 14, 2020 Nicola Cycling advocacy, Professional cycling, Women cycling

Although the Wollongong 2022 UCI Road World Championships are more than two years away, there are lots of reasons all Aussie road cyclists should be excited. Not only will the event be exciting and very accessible for many of us, but it will also have some great legacies which have been detailed in a policy released a couple of weeks ago by Cycling Australia. The legacy plan provides a top-line description of quite a few key areas including sport, transport, policy, education, tourism, people, and partnerships. To find out more I had a chat with Kipp Kaufmann who is the

Idyllic location for a women’s race camp – the south of France

February 7, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle racing, Cycle tours, Cycling Club racing, Women cycling

I had the pleasure of speaking to US Masters rider Sarah Chubb Sauvayre via Skype from her hometown of New York last week about women’s cycling and a women’s race camp she’s hosting in France in July/August 2020. One of the things that really struck me during our conversation was that despite the geographic distance and her focus on racing, and mine on riding, we had lots in common. Particularly regarding our shared passion for getting more women on bikes. Diane Best who runs DBest Cycling tours in France who will be running the camp is also of the same

Support the 2020 High Country Women’s Cycling Festival – sign up today

January 30, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Bike travel, Women cycling

It certainly has been a horror bushfire season around Australia including the Victorian High Country and sadly it’s had a very negative effect on local tourism which will have a knock-on effect on events like the High Country Women’s Cycling Festival (HCWCF) to be held in March 2020. The good people of Bright where the HCWCF is held each year have a clear message – they are definitely open for business now the bushfire threat has been brought under control. This year’s HCWCF will be held from 20 to 22 March 2020 centred on the picturesque town of Bright. It’s