WOW! Happy Birthday Women Who Cycle – celebrating 10 years of blogging
When I started Women Who Cycle on a whim back in 2011, I never imagined that I’d be celebrating 10 years of blogging. I’m really hopeless at singing my own praises but today I’ve decided to set that aside and give myself a huge pat on the back. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved with my little blog.
I also hate using clichés, but today I’ve unleashed my secret inner cliché lover.
My very first post on 13 August 2011 was entitled The low profile of women’s professional cycling. In it, I said that “one of the things I’d like to achieve with this blog is to firstly educate myself about the professional women’s peloton and in my small way pass on that knowledge to others”. I’d like to give myself a big tick on that goal. I’ve learnt so much about the women’s professional road cycling scene. I’ve interviewed many of the Aussie women. I’ve watched their races live and on TV (on the odd occasion it was shown) or social media. I’ve followed their careers via media and social media and I’ve loved every minute of it.
My favourite blog posts from the past 10 years
To celebrate my 10-year achievement I’d like to share a list of my favourite posts. They are not necessarily the most popular posts, rather they are the ones I enjoyed researching and writing the most. It’s a little self-indulgent but as I told you earlier, this is my blog and my celebration.
I tried to create a list of my 10 favourite blog posts but failed miserably and after much culling, I came up with a list of 21 favourite blog posts.
- Cycling changed my life
- My JDRF ride – reaching the next level
- Top tips for following the Tour de France
- The frame is the most important part of a road bike
- Meet Tina McCarthy – encouraging women to ride just for fun
- Help – How do I get my cycling mojo back?
- Great news – Cycling improves your brain health
- Help… How do I find friends to ride my bike with?
- Good news for women who cycle – anti-ageing and cycling are closely linked
- Why can’t I ride any faster on my bike?
- Female cyclists: do you suffer from FONKU?
- Great movie scenes with women riding bikes
- Women gain equal prize money for Women’s Tour Down Under
- The magic powers of the bicycle
- Why riding my bike makes me happy?
- I loved riding the Shimanami Kaido
- Cycling gives my life meaning – what gives you a sense of purpose?
- Doctors should be prescribing cycling for mental wellbeing
- What are the seven types of female cyclist?
- Pay It Forward and Cycling are a perfect match
- Fit and fabulous at 50 – Why not take up cycling?
What the future holds for women’s cycling and blogging
Of course, I think the future is bright for both.
Over the 10 years, I believe that women’s cycling has grown in profile and stature. The recent announcement that there will be a women’s Tour de France race from 2022 is a testament to that, as well as races like the Tour of Britain and Paris Roubaix for women. But there’s also lots more women riding road bikes recreationally which makes my heart sing.
As for blogging, it continues to gain popularity, as does Women Who Cycle. My current Facebook page following is at 3,901 and growing. For some, this might sound like a small number but for a niche audience, I think it’s pretty impressive. I’m not planning to hang up my blogging shingle any time soon.