- Page 2 of 43 - Women Who Cycle - A blog and resource for women who love cycling

What are the seven types of female cyclist?

May 9, 2019 Nicola Children riding, Commuting by bike, Cycle groups, Cycling Club racing, Mountain bike riding, Track cycling, Women cycling

For a bit of fun (please don’t take it too seriously), I’ve identified seven types of female cyclist. I’ve deliberately used the word cyclist because that’s what I call myself, but I know that many of the groups I’ve identified wouldn’t use that term. With my arbitrary categories I also acknowledge that some women move from one group to another – An ‘Occasional rider’ could catch the bug and become an ‘Obsessed road cyclist’. And women can be more than one category at the same time – an ‘Obsessed road cyclist’ can also be a ‘Commuter’, a ‘Mountain biker’ and

You really should try riding in a bunch – you might even like it

May 3, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I must admit that when I first started riding I found the idea of riding in a bunch to be particularly intimidating. Over time my confidence increased on the bike and I took the plunge and joined a local bunch ride. It was then that I learnt the great benefits of riding in a bunch, like drafting, safety in numbers and the social aspects. So here’s a few tips from me on riding in a bunch: Communicate One of the great benefits of riding in a group is that you’ve got a collective of people all with two eyes keeping

Australian war hero Nancy Wake riding a bike across france in world war ii

April 25, 2019 Nicola Anzac Day, Bicycle history, Women cycling

Today is Anzac Day in Australia so I thought it fitting that I find a story about an Australian woman riding a bicycle during a war, and I found such a story with Australian war hero Nancy Wake riding a bike through France during World War II. Nancy Wake is relatively unknown by most Australians. So today I’d like to change that. Nancy was an extraordinary woman and was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II, playing a significant role in the Allied resistance to German occupation. Trained in hand-to-hand combat, espionage, sabotage, and able to drink

female cyclists doing amazing things – Monika sattler

April 18, 2019 Nicola Bike travel, Life purpose, Women cycling

I always enjoy reading about female cyclists doing amazing things, so the story of Monika Sattler who rode the entire three week Vuelta a España last year, just ahead of the pro peloton, caught my eye this week. That led me to find out more about this extraordinary woman who has a really interesting story so instead of rewriting it I’m sharing her story direct from her own website. Over to Monika…… The seemingly perfect career path Originally from Germany, after high school I moved to the US to play Volleyball for a university team. I graduated with a summa

Success at the National Junior Track Championships for Keira

April 11, 2019 Nicola Children riding, Cycling Club racing, Track cycling, Women cycling

One of the areas I really love to cover in my blogs is female professional cyclists and this week I’m profiling a young rider who just finished a very successful National Junior Track Championships and aspires to greater things. Her name is Keira Will and she’s just 13 years old, but to meet her you’d think she was older. At the recent Championships, where she competed in the Under 15 girls category she won five medals – three gold and two bronze. Plus she took home the coveted Champion of Champions jersey for being the Under 15 girl with the

let’s commemorate the first woman to ride from Sydney to Melbourne

April 4, 2019 Nicola Bicycle history, Cycling Club, Women cycling

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

Five reasons why you should try track cycling

March 25, 2019 Nicola Track cycling, Women cycling

A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a women’s track cycling camp that gave female riders a chance to try track cycling on the velodrome that was used for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Many of the riders were there to polish their skills, but there were three brand new trackies who hit the boards for the first time. Here’s five reasons why you should consider it: 1. You’ll get better at riding in a bunch If you’re a dedicated road rider like me, track riding can improve your bunch riding skills because track training forces you

You should try a bike riding tour in Bali

March 19, 2019 Nicola Bike travel, Mountain bike riding, Women cycling

Last week I was on holidays in Indonesia and couldn’t resist a bike riding tour in Bali. My week long holiday was focused on rest and relaxation, but like most of my holidays I found an excuse to ride a bike. I was travelling with a group of 11 people including a few who don’t ride regularly, so we wanted to find a tour that would suit all of us. We found Happy Bike Tours via an internet search and we couldn’t have been happier. We had a slight hiccup with our booking so I’d recommend that you reconfirm a

there’s far more to pedal technique on a road bike than you’d think

March 12, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Pedal stroke, Women cycling

When I first took up road cycling a bit over 10 years ago I thought that there wasn’t a great deal to learn about pedal technique on a road bike, but I was wrong. There are plenty of skills to learn and central amongst them is the art of pedalling. I’m no authority on this subject so I’ve borrowed some expert words that appear below. The key principle behind the technique is to pedal in nice smooth circles. Sounds easy, but there’s a little more to it. This article was originally published on the now defunct women’s cycling website Women’s

Cycling gives my life meaning – what gives you a sense of purpose?

March 5, 2019 Nicola Life purpose, Women cycling

Whenever I hear stories of people who’ve lost their way in life I wonder if it’s because they don’t know their purpose – for me cycling gives my life meaning. But I’m not so one-eyed that I believe cycling is the purpose for everyone. I didn’t actually set out to find meaning or purpose when I took up road cycling. In fact I wasn’t consciously looking for my higher purpose. I was a relatively happy person who was fairly content in most of my aspects of my life. It wasn’t until I found cycling that I realised that something had