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

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

Every woman’s guide to perfecting an uphill start on a road bike

June 13, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

One of the skills I’ve never fully mastered is the uphill start on a road bike. I get it right some of the time, but I find when I have other riders who aren’t so skilful around me, I tend to stuff it up. I was on an organised ride on the weekend and we had to stop a couple of times at traffic lights on an uphill slope. This meant that when the light went green we all had to start riding on an incline and most people in the group handled it poorly, including me. So here’s a

Here’s 12 reasons why you should take up road cycling

June 6, 2019 Nicola Brain health, Mental health, Women cycling, Women's health

I’m sure I could come up with a dozen more, but here’s my top 12 reasons why you should take up road cycling. I honestly believe that every woman could benefit from riding a bike, whether it be road, trail, transport, commuting or any other reason. You really have no excuse….. Fitness If you do enough kilometres (or miles) on your bike, no matter how fast or slow, you will improve your fitness. As a result of cycling I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. Friendship I have met literally hundreds of great people through cycling and many

How to Dress for road cycling in cold weather

May 30, 2019 Nicola Bike retail, Lycra cycle clothing, Women cycling

In my home town of Sydney, the weather has turned from an ‘Indian Summer’ straight to winter in a the last few days, so I thought I’d share my tips on how to dress for road cycling in cold weather. In short it’s all about the layers. I’m lucky enough to live in the lovely city of Sydney, where our weather is fairly temperate all year round, but it does get a little cold in the middle of winter. That means I’m a big fan of layers for colder temperatures, and I vary my layers depending on just how cold

cycling advocacy is the job of all cyclists

May 23, 2019 Nicola Cycling advocacy, Women cycling

I’ve always thought of cycling advocacy as the job of people employed by advocacy groups and those keen riders who constantly push for new riding infrastructure and road safety. But in recent times it occurred to me that bicycle advocacy is actually the role that all riders play, just by being riders. What I mean, is that it’s every rider’s responsibility to improve road safety and push for improved infrastructure. My role in advocacy is to write blog posts like this and my past posts to help educate drivers. But we can all do our bit just by being out

Doctors should be prescribing cycling for mental wellbeing

May 16, 2019 Nicola Brain health, Mental health, Women cycling, Women's health

One of the many reasons I ride a bike is for my mind health because cycling for mental wellbeing is so great. So why don’t more doctors send their patients away with a bike hire voucher instead of a prescription? That’s exactly what’s happening in Wales right now. The pilot program, the first such initiative in Britain, according to the health board that is leading it, reflects an effort by medical professionals around the world to give patients alternatives to drugs, in order to avoid side effects and improve cost efficiency. Patients at two medical centres in Cardiff are offered

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