Ygduf

qft.

please, women, come out and race. Get your friends to race. Get your daughters on bikes. Start a women's racing thread. Start a forum. More people racing = more races = win/win.

rideaz

Word!

canuckbelle

Hah. There sort of is! It's called Lewis's Law.
Lewis' Law - Geek Feminism Wiki

I won't dignify the claim of reverse discrimination with a response. Thanks for jumping on that grenade.

Enthalpic

Apparently we haven't yet reached a stage where we can have an emotionless discussion on the topic of useless gender labeling. Sorry.

Ygduf

nice try, but rest assured you're still wrong. "reverse discrimination" is such a loaded and ignorant term, you're not going to be a part of any discussion about it as long as people remember that you wrote it.

Also, there's no such thing as an emotionless discussion about how uncomfortable people feel with creeps sexually commenting about their bodies in the middle of a peloton, especially when they're a 10-1 minority.

Like I said, anyone who says **** like that is part of the problem.

UmneyDurak

You know there is a difference between making statements to group of friends/acquittances that know you and your sens of humor and to strangest on the internet forum. Target audience, it's important.

spectastic

i like ice cream

Siu Blue Wind

Trolling is against the forum guidelines.

And the post was really uncalled for. I thought you would be above that, really.

canuckbelle

This is why we can't have nice things. Sincere thanks to those with helpful comments in the thread. It's really tricky trying to ride a race within a race, and to be safe at the end. But I think it'll be best for me to try to simply contest the main sprint and feel like I belong there.

Matt2.8NJ

You may be on the right track... But before you decide your game plan in advance /\ /\ , do a bunch more races and let experience be your guide. Having seasoned teammates (of any gender) can be a huge help in that regard.

canuckbelle

I'm still trying to work my way on a team. One gigantic problem is that the primary racing team around here is 98%+ men and they're WAY faster than me. I went on a training ride with them yesterday so we could get to know each other a little, and they were pulling sustained 300w as 'tempo' when my threshold is 210. I got shot out the back pretty quickly. And it's pretty unlikely anyone on that team would be actually in a race with me even with a mixed-gender field.

I have a local mentor and I do group rides with him once or twice a week. We talk a lot and work on things like my sprinting and following a lead out (which has been SUPER helpful). I think I may talk to him about working in some town sign sprints to get me used to sprinting in a pack. A couple weeks ago they seemed up for that as a bunch went racing by and he yelled at me to get on and join in.

carpediemracing 

Although I'm shorter than you I have a similar FTP, within, maybe +10w at best. The trick will be hiding as best as possible. People disparage wheel suckers but the reality is that there are people like me who actually need to hide from the wind.

I don't know FTPs for women, only some peak numbers, so can't comment of FTP level relative to other women.

canuckbelle

I've been doing a good job hiding in races, or when the speed picks up to a point where I can't work anymore, but even doing that would have had me holding 240-260w and that's still VO2 for me When I caught up at the re-group spot, I joked with some exasperation from the effort: "Your tempo is my VO2!"

topflightpro

OP. Check your messages. I sent you my wife's email address. She may know women in your area with whom you could ride.

And Fudgy's comment was on point.

rideaz

Keep showing up! When I started riding a few years ago, I would go to the local group ride and get dropped every week. Each week I held on a bit longer and I remember the happy day I finally did the complete route with the A group. I didn't have a power meter back then to know how much my numbers improved but I know it was by a lot. Racing with the guys will do the same for you, you will have an opportunity to push yourself every race. I pay to enter men's fields here for that experience! I'm extremely stubborn and I don't like to get dropped. I make the most improvements when I'm forced to hang on.
Hopefully you find a team that's a good fit. I joined a team last year and was the only female, this year I have 2 female teammates but we don't always race together as they are a different Cat. It's been a good experience!

canuckbelle

I think there's some rule where one can't respond to a PM until one has 50 posts, right? ...I responded awhile ago, but maybe it didn't go through for this reason? But I have her email, and maybe I should contact her

canuckbelle

Yeah. I plan to. It's hard working the Tuesday ride into my rotation since many of my races are Tues nights. But I think I can manage 1-2/month. My goal will just be to go farther each time before I get dropped, and then ride at threshold until I catch up at the half-way point.

valygrl

I got a lot of help here when I started racing, about what to do in certain race situations. Keep posting, there are a bunch of people here who want to help and know a lot.

Those big group rides where you get shot out the back are really good - you'll start hanging on longer and longer. If there aren't any teams with more women, I'd say you may as well join the big men's team. Also - since you were top 10-20 in your last race, I don't see why you think you won't be there with your new team mates, unless there aren't any 4's on that team.

Ask your mentor to do cornering and bumping drills with you, that will increase your skills and confidence in tight pack situtations. It's great you have someone to practice with!

I know some women coaches if you are looking for someone. One of them is in Charlotte NC - I know not exactly where you are, but close enough that she would probably know your races and you could see her in person occasionally. I live 45 minutes from my coach and we do group rides monthly, which is one of the best things about being coached.

caloso

If you like the riders on that team, I would suggest joining up. Don't worry about them being way faster. Riding with faster riders is a really great way to get faster yourself. Another benefit is going on team rides where you'll learn how to be comfortable in a group. On my team we are mostly men with a small women's team. Some of us male masters racers help out with racing drills and training rides for the women. And it's always useful to get hooked into a local network of racers even beyond that team.

canuckbelle

Well I didn't have much time to interact with them (since I was off the back so quickly). I had a nice little conversation with one person after the turnaround, until the speed got whipped up again. I'm more concerned about a team for next season than this one. Next season I'll do bigger races (and more of the bigger races) where having a team matters more (e.g., travel, support, etc.). Fortunately, I do about half my riding in groups already, so I'm quite comfortable riding in groups, even with a little bumping (I got bumped a few times during my first mass crit race and it was no problem).

canuckbelle

We'll see The composition of the group last night seemed more on the 'elite' side...but even decent cat 4 guys can put out a lot more power than me. BUT I'm working hard on upping that: that's where most of my focus is right now. I'll probably look into a coach for next year

shovelhd

I think that's a fine plan. Please practice your sprints on the group rides. I'm concerned with you racing for the win in mixed fields. This has nothing to do with your gender and everything to do with your admitted lack of power and getting in the way and ending up badly hurt.

canuckbelle

This spoke to me: Self-Deprecation and the Female Cyclist ? MACHINES FOR FREEDOM

canuckbelle

Wait, which "admitted lack of power"? I can push 1200w in a sprint without much trouble and my FTP seems pretty close to CDR's.

mattm

also it's not like there's a rule against going backward in a sprint.. if there was 90% of guys would be dq'd.