Glenn1234

(as the question indicates)

coasting 

enjoying riding. funny because since i started riding and none of my friends ride, guys who don't ride have no interest in what i do but women say things like "i really liked riding when i was a kid. i wish i could ride a bike some time." women actually enjoy riding a bike. it must be stuff surrounding the sport that's the problem.

patentcad

You would think with all the Gray Fox Hunks like me the Cougars would be all over this stupid sport.

coasting 

pcad is no hunk. he is a prissy pretty boy.

patentcad

You're no judge.

gsteinb

OP: Hard time getting dates?

gkelley

they're just smart enough to see it's a giant money pit...

W Cole

I've tried to get my girlfriend into cycling several times, taking her on rides, renting a tandem, etc. Maybe if Louis Vuitton made a pink bike with their monogram on the side she would go for it??

But seriously, with my gf at least, I think shes afraid of the competition aspect of it. That others (including myself) will judge her for not performing adequately or make fun of her. Its the same reason shes afraid to go to the gym with me. I really don't understand it.. everyone who sees me probably thinks I'm a slow Fred..

bdcheung

Who says that women are any less involved in cyclng than they are in other competitive sports? It is highly unlkely you will achieve anything close to an even ratio betweeen male and female participants in a competitive sport.

EventServices

I think the OP is just trying to get more women on bikes, not necessarily racing.
I'm not sure what the secret is. The women cyclists that I know LOVE to ride usually more than I do. How do you get that message to the other women?

My stock answer is "promote, invite, and encourage".
What have you done in that area?

Farby

free tampons and 15% off coupon to victoria secret at the end of every group ride.

starla

You're an idiot.

10 Wheels

Women are much smarter then us boys.

garysol1 

As Starla said above....you ARE an idiot and I feel ashamed and embarrassed for you. From now and forever your stupid response will be forever saved in this thread for anyone and everyone to see. Good Job

Matt2.8NJ

My wife is a triathlete, and as much as I try to get her out more to cycle, she is turned off by several aspects of cycling.

Mostly, it's the d-bags we encounter on group rides. She is also turned off by the hyper-macho attitude that a bunch of skinny guys in spandex with shaved legs display.

She also thinks that the sport tends to attract some anti-social weirdos - which should surprise no one on bikeforums.

Matt2.8NJ

Preserved for eternity. FTW

cshell

coasting 

cycling is not a sport that inherently requires a male body in terms of strength. no reason why the activity should not appeal to both sexes.

racing or club riding may be affected by social behaviour, but most cycling is done solo isn't it?

loopybunny

For me, it was a bit of an early onset midlife crisis. Really, if Lance (who has a few years on me) can still ride, why can't I?

I think I reached a point this year when I realized that I can't keep missing out on the fun because I'm too lazy or too afraid of getting hurt. Now I'm back on the bike and loving it more than ever. I'm also in the best shape I've been in for over 10 years.

That being said, people at work are always surprised when I tell them I ride. The most frequent comment is that they never see women out riding. I wouldn't go so far as saying never, but I can ride 25 miles and see 7 other cyclists out. If I'm lucky, one of them will be another women. Unfortunately, we're almost always riding solo.

hurley.girl

I know women avoid racing because they are scared of crashing. Go to triathlons and you see a lot more women participating.

But there lots of women who ride bikes. It's not equal to the number of men, but based on the number of "women only" rides I know, it's probably a higher percentage than you might think.

But why don't more women ride? Some don't want to wear spandex - women are very critical of their bodies and don't want to be that exposed. I've found that even thin, fit women often look in the mirror and see nothing but flaws.

Others may want to ride, but their SOs pushed them into it rather than letting them discover the sport on their own. I work with two whose husbands bought them road bikes when they really wanted a cruiser or hybrid. Of course they don't ride those bikes. Put them on the right bike and they might ride a lot more often.

Others simply don't want to do anything that makes them sweat. Sadly, these are often the ones who need the workout.

Others are afraid of traffic, and would be happy if they could find a trail or path.

And, honestly, others are too busy caring for the house and children. I want to smack the men who lament that their wife never rides and yet they never offer to help her find time to ride.

valygrl

Cue the polish cycling team in 3...2...1....

But seriously - is the ratio any different than any other sport? Maybe Boulder is different, but there are lots of us cycling chicas here. When I lived in the bay area, my club was about 20/80 women. It *was* a club though, not a racing team.

Compared to my other sport (rock climbing) the ratio is pretty high.

StanSeven

Running races usually have 40% women

GirlAnachronism

I don't know the answer to this in terms of getting more women started, but support and encouragement from other women cyclists is what's gotten me interested in starting to race next season. I used to ride mostly alone, or with a few guy friends, but now that I've met some more serious roadie/racer chicks who have been nothing but awesome it's really helped with my self-confidence in a way that's somehow different from being told by men that I'm a strong rider (I've met lots of great and supportive men too, but it's just different).

I think more women mentoring and encouraging other women would be a good place to start...

big john

Our road club is 300 men and 150 women, or so. A lot of the women enjoy the slower rides but some will do the fast rides. I have become friends with several of them and I'm disapointed when they don't show up.

When I met my ex-wife, she cruised the bike path on a 33 pound mtb. When she started riding a road bike, she was skeptical. Once she realized she could keep up, and then even drop people, she was hooked.

gsteinb

You should check out the track. There's a good women's turnout there, and it's a really good scene. Granted we did closing ceremonies last night, but still, it's a good example of boys and girls playing nice together.