Originally Posted by
sarals
There is a women's cycling forum. Racing is not discussed there, it's a topic most of the participants are not the least bit interested in....
I mean, that's it in a nutshell. Relatively few women are into cycling, and of those even fewer are into racing and of those even fewer are into racing on the velodrome.
Speaking frankly, if you are looking for a uniquely female experience, this ain't it. There are lots of other hobbies, interests, and sports that do have a strong female presence. Maybe if you can't find what you seek here, then a smooth transition into one of those would be in order. I know for a fact that recreational and casual league tennis has a very strong female representation. From my anecdotal experiences what I saw was the polar opposite of cycling. The weekly clinics and league matches would be mostly women with very, very few men. I once went to a tennis center during lunch time to buy some gear and took a lap around the facility to get a look. There was a skills clinic going on. NOT ONE male participant. About 30 women. Only one of the two instructors was male. Blew my mind. This was in an affluent neighborhood, so maybe there were other dynamics in play. But even when I participated in advanced skills clinics, the representation of women never dipped under 50%.
I'm not trying to shoo you off to tennis. I'm just offering examples where you might find more of what you are seeking. As much as I would like to encourage you go stoke the flames of enthusiasm for girls and ladies to participate, I think there's simply something about this sport that doesn't generate a lot of interest for them. So, it'll be difficult. And to get middle aged and older women to fill out fields for you to rub shoulders with on the boards, that's searching for unicorns.
So, it's not like people are keeping them from entering the sport. I just think they aren't interested. I mean, bike manufacturers have been courting women for decades as a way to (theoretically) double their market. I first recall seeing it with Trek's WSD (women's specific design) line back in the early 2000s with shorter top tubes, short reach brakes/shifters, ladies' saddles, and smaller frame sizes. You still see that stuff today...but I don't think they doubled their sales.
Don't be a stranger. Your enthusiasm was refreshing. Best of luck to you!