Wow that's horrible to hear.

From the little bit I understand about Randonneuring (mostly from your/mattm's posts), it is not a competitive event.

That's really bad considering that I know/am a part of a couple "racing" clubs that are absoltely welcoming to female members.

However, as a woman, I'd like to hear your opinion on this: would you have issues dating a man whom you outperformed athletically? That's the main issue, or at least what I'm concerned about.

It is true, and unfortunate, that many women in this culture have a strong distaste for anything athletic enough to sweat. I wish we could do something about that, for a variety of reasons.

As a woman, I can tell you I'd have no problem with it at all. Unless he handled it like an idiot. But then the problem isn't with his athletic performance, it's with his attitude.

I think you've nailed it. I, personally, don't feel like anyone has been hostile to me and don't find it all that threatening or hostile here, but I can see how the overall environment would turn some women off to participating. I certainly wouldn't ever feel comfortable posting a photo of myself like some of you guys do!

I do find it interesting, however, that all of the dudes I've met and ridden with from here have been nothing but friendly, polite, encouraging, and all around nice people. I'd be willing to bet that the same would be true for the vast majority of the dudes here were you to meet them in real life. Something about the internet just seems to bring out the jackass in all of us...

PS While we're on the topic, how do I get access to this secret ladies forum I keep hearing about?

One of my issues with the immature/sexist postings is that they discourage women from starting threads dealing with women-specific issues. I recall a thread started a while ago about women's cycling skirts. The very first response was "She said panties." It then degenerated after that and even though other people tried to keep the thread on track, it was pretty much a goner from the beginning.

This is the primary reason why the women's forum exists. I know there are people who say it is not fair for women to have their own forum, but until women can feel free to post women-specific topics without having men derail them, there really isn't any other option. And for those who wonder, there are never any derogatory comments on female issues posted in the women's forum.

True, but this thread is discussing if RC is a hostile post environment, so I was using that to base how I was defining "hostile". And this forum fits. Other women, and men, have agreed with me.

Greater Internet U***wad Theory. Deubfuscate and google.

I believe you have to ask a mod. Not sure how they validate you're a woman, honestly. Maybe they think all the men here are too insecure to pretend to be women to see this secret place.

Ask my husband. He's the first to admit that I'm faster than he is on a bicycle. I'm grateful that he doesn't care, and finds me more attractive because of it.

I have always had a bigger issue when I dated men that were threatened by me. I remember one guy behaving rather poorly when I beat him at a game of tennis on our first (and only) date. Maybe I should have stroked his ego and let him win.

I also was in a serious relationship when I got accepted to graduate school at an Ivy League - he broke up with me because he couldn't handle his gf being "smarter" or "better educated" than he was. The odd thing was that I was the same person before and after getting my acceptance letter, so it was his perception of me, and his fear of other people's perception of him, that changed.

I didn't want to dumb myself down or pretend to be someone other than who I am just so men would date me. Luckily that is no longer an issue. I found a man who accepts me exactly for who I am, encourages me, and doesn't feel remotely threatened by me.

Of course, in many ways I'm not typical so I have no idea if other women would feel the same.

Now that's a signature.

Btw..Life is a pig race.

...crit or road?

<rant>

This whole thread is such a load of crap on so many levels.

IMHO the vast majority of posters here ignore several basic, vital points:

1) Men are genetically programmed to notice physical attributes in women. Period. Get over it. Get used to it. It ain't going away.
2) Women are genetically programmed to notice physical attributes in men. They are. Is that a revelation?
3) Women who deny #2 are full of ****.

I work as a network consultant. I have about 30 clients and visit 2-4 a day, 12-15 a week.

I see more Brad Pitt, Gerard Butler, George Clooney, etc. pictures displayed on the desks and cubicle walls of women than I do any pictures of similar beautiful women in, on, or around men's workspaces.

Why is that?

1) Women are just as attracted to handsome, chiseled men as men are to beautiful, curvaceous women.
2) If men display such stuff they are automatically branded pigs, chauvinists, whatever. Women aren't. For women it's just "cute". Men can't risk the branding.

A few sites for your viewing pleasure that illustrate the point:

http://www.gerardbutlergals.com
http://bradpittfan.com/
http://www.clooneyunlimited.com/

Do you think the women who run these sites would be doing so if all these guys looked like Marty Feldman? Hmmm...I couldn't find a slobbering-all-over-you Marty Feldman fan site anywhere.

So for all you women who try to be offended when one of the guys says "was she hot?"...get over yourselves. Behind closed doors the vast majority of you are as bad or worse.

</rant>

Bummer, guess I have to tell my girlfriend that I'm straight now, since all women are genetically programmed to be attracted to handsome, chiseled men...

....is she hawt?

Not so much on this forum, which is the topic at hand.

Cool John Slattery avatar by the way, Mad Men rocks

Huh? That avatar is me. (When I was 100 pounds heavier...)

Obviously, every rule usually has exceptions...I think you know what I was getting at though.

Of course!:thumb:

How come not being "straight" has to be an "exception"...huh?

You're totally missing the point; either that, or you haven't read a significant number of the posts.

Nobody is denying that people enjoy looking at photos of beautiful people. However, there is a HUGE difference between the types of comments posted here and the ones posted in the women's forum, or in Foo for example. The Road Cycling forum is a completely different atmosphere, and if you can't see that, then I guess we'll agree to disagree.

I'll quote some specific examples for you so you can read why women don't care for the road cycling forum:

It was an exception to the point I was making...

It's not about being attracted, or about focusing on physical attributes. It's about how that is expressed, and it goes over the line here more often that perhaps it should. I'm not offended by swimsuit calendars or even by all the Liz Hatch photos that get posted on this forum, but I am bothered by some of the attitudes (not all of them) that accompany (or lead to) those photos sometimes. A good example of the attitudes we're talking about can be found on another thread in the forum right now about how to bring more women into cycling ... it took very few posts before there was a crack about tampons and another about painting things pink. Those comments might have been meant as jokes, but they are poor ones that do nothing to make the female members of this forum feel welcome to add their voices to the discussion.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV...400_SS100_.jpghttp://www.bikeforums.net/image.php?...ine=1239994705

My mistake... the top half of your face very much resembles one of the greatest tv characters ever.

Yes.

Hmmm...John Slattery: http://images.broadwayworld.com/uplo...y_wm142951.jpg Crappy cell phone pic of me (sans glasses): http://home.comcast.net/%7Ekhatfull/.../IMAGE_040.jpg

Must be the prematurely gray hair... :roflmao2: :D :eek: :innocent:

Although I have to say I like his styling of it better I think :)

You want a hostile posting environment?
Try sailinganarchy.com. There are many equal opportunity offenders there.

Well, statistically...

FWIW, there's a ton of women who ride around here, especially of the "recreational cyclist" variety. I'd guess it's like 40-50% of the groups I see out on the road on any given weekend day. Lots of triathletes too, thank god. :love:

Sorry, I digress. But when it gets into road cyclists who are interested in going faster, the numbers drop off pretty significantly, to maybe 10-20% of the groups I see being women. Certainly true for the racers, too.

What I think isn't being said here is that while cycling isn't necessarily a male-dominated activity, internet discussion forums sure as shootin' are. Women just don't seem to be as interested in geeking about bikes on the internet as guys are, and it shows.

Frankly, I don't believe there's a whole lot of women who would WANT to be a part of BF.net's RC forum, even if it was all sweet and nice.

Plus, I doubt a "kinder and gentler" RC forum would be very interesting for many men. I mean, really, internet discussion forums like this one are a guy thing for the most part. I'd be curious if anyone could point me to a bicycle discussion forum that has a very active female presence, and that isn't boring and slow.

Or, for that matter, I'd love an example of ANY discussion forum that has a similar level of activity to BF.net, in which women play a major part in the discussion. Anyone?