Masters Worlds 2018
#102
For those who weren’t able to make it to Carson and are interested in a few pictures showing what it was like to be there, from an admittedly Colby Pearce-centric point of view:
Fifty Point One Racing
Fifty Point One Racing
#106
Idiot Emeritus
Thanks, all of you, for the help and support over the last couple of seasons. Women's voices here and in most racing forums are sparse, too sparse. With that, I'm going to step away.
By the way, I did have success at Worlds. I took the bronze medal in the 500M TT for 65+ women. I also rode a PB in the flying 200, not quite getting to my goal of sub 13 seconds (and a shot at the WR), but I am pleased.
Thanks, everyone.
By the way, I did have success at Worlds. I took the bronze medal in the 500M TT for 65+ women. I also rode a PB in the flying 200, not quite getting to my goal of sub 13 seconds (and a shot at the WR), but I am pleased.
Thanks, everyone.
__________________
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
#108
Elitist
Thanks, all of you, for the help and support over the last couple of seasons. Women's voices here and in most racing forums are sparse, too sparse. With that, I'm going to step away.
By the way, I did have success at Worlds. I took the bronze medal in the 500M TT for 65+ women. I also rode a PB in the flying 200, not quite getting to my goal of sub 13 seconds (and a shot at the WR), but I am pleased.
Thanks, everyone.
By the way, I did have success at Worlds. I took the bronze medal in the 500M TT for 65+ women. I also rode a PB in the flying 200, not quite getting to my goal of sub 13 seconds (and a shot at the WR), but I am pleased.
Thanks, everyone.
May we ask why?
Female participation in track cycling in the US has always been relatively low outside of a few bright spots like TTown and Alpenrose (and I'm sure others). I think the same holds for all genres of cycling. It's a sport that's simply not as popular with women as, say, running or tennis.
Also, there are females that are active on this board that just don't mention that they are female.
This board has never been any sort of "[insert sub-group] In Track Cycling" board. All of the advice generally applies to all groups with allowances for juniors or older masters who have inherent age-related challenges. I mean, cycling is a niche sport (especially in North America) and track cycling is a niche within the niche. Why that is is a long or short story, depending on who you ask.
Last edited by carleton; 10-25-18 at 01:25 PM. Reason: typo
#109
Idiot Emeritus
May we ask why?
Female participation in track cycling in the US has always been relatively low outside of a few bright spots like TTown and Alpenrose (and I'm sure others). I think the same holds for all genres of cycling. It's a sport that's simply not as popular with women as, say, running or tennis.
Also, there are females that are active on this board that just don't mention that they are female.
This board has never been any sort of "[insert sub-group] In Track Cycling" board. All of the advice generally applies to all groups with allowances for juniors or older masters who have inherent age-related challenges. I mean, cycling is a niche sport (especially in North America) and track cycling is a niche within the niche. Why that is is a long or short story, depending on who you ask.
Female participation in track cycling in the US has always been relatively low outside of a few bright spots like TTown and Alpenrose (and I'm sure others). I think the same holds for all genres of cycling. It's a sport that's simply not as popular with women as, say, running or tennis.
Also, there are females that are active on this board that just don't mention that they are female.
This board has never been any sort of "[insert sub-group] In Track Cycling" board. All of the advice generally applies to all groups with allowances for juniors or older masters who have inherent age-related challenges. I mean, cycling is a niche sport (especially in North America) and track cycling is a niche within the niche. Why that is is a long or short story, depending on who you ask.
__________________
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
#110
Idiot Emeritus
Thank you! I definitely have more to do, health allowing.
__________________
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
#111
Blast from the Past
Hi, Carleton. Well, to be clear, I am NOT steeping away from track cycling. I'm piping down here because it has a become a little bit like the 33. That's not my cup of tea. It's a boisterous, men's discussion most of the time. I don't belong in the thick of that. As for other women here, I don't know who they are. There are across the board interests for all track cyclists, and I'm sure they've posted about those. I have, for sure. Women specific interests, issues. Well, no racing forum I've seen really covers those. Masters Racing has to a degree, but that's all I can recall. And, I don't care to post publicly about controversial subjects. I don't, and I won't. I'm not upset, I'll be reading, but quietly.
#112
Idiot Emeritus
#113
Elitist
Hi, Carleton. Well, to be clear, I am NOT steeping away from track cycling. I'm piping down here because it has a become a little bit like the 33. That's not my cup of tea. It's a boisterous, men's discussion most of the time. I don't belong in the thick of that. As for other women here, I don't know who they are. There are across the board interests for all track cyclists, and I'm sure they've posted about those. I have, for sure. Women specific interests, issues. Well, no racing forum I've seen really covers those. Masters Racing has to a degree, but that's all I can recall. And, I don't care to post publicly about controversial subjects. I don't, and I won't. I'm not upset, I'll be reading, but quietly.
It's my understanding (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that that sub was created back when the regular road forum was 90% "Freds" who didn't know much about actually racing and would nonetheless have a lot to say in the racing threads and the racers wanted their own forum to keep the signal-to-noise ratio high..
It's called "The 33" because, back then, the URLs had numbers in them like "/forum-33/" or something like that. So, to differentiate between the "Road Cycling" and the "Road Racing" forums, the nickname "33" stuck.
I'll be honest, in all my years on BF in the Fixed Gear, Track, Road, and Road Racing forums where I kept up, you and SF stand out as those who mention a lot of gender stuff. Bike Forums is generally a "genderless" site with very few overt mentions of gender aside from the necessary pronouns used to refer to others. Your language is subtle, but I noticed it.
I literally think I've read every word posted on this forum by everyone in the past 8 years. (OK, 1/3 of them are mine...but whatever...hahahaha).
The place to make the suggestion would be here: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sug...er-assistance/
A lot of things are suggested in passing in threads like this one, but a formal request in the forum linked above would go a lot further. Maybe make a small case for it. Adding a new sub-forum is kind of a big deal. But, hell, if we have a "Fixed Gear Freestyle" forum, I'm sure we can get a ladies forum. On the other hand, BF has been around for a long time and I would imagine that this has come up before. Maybe there is a reason it doesn't exist (lack of interest, do they only allow women to post?, do they only allow women to read?). It could open of a lot of odd dynamics and admins might simply say, "Go play with the other kids."
I mean, one of the reasons I really like BF is that it's "Old School Internet" in that you can be anonymous if you want to. Your "Government Name", location, job, etc... aren't required for entry. Yes, the unfortunate assumption that most people have of others on the internet is that the other people are all young adult Caucasian males. But, we know that's not true. We can turn off that bias within ourselves without having to require people do declare what or who they are.
#114
Idiot Emeritus
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. There used to be several women on Masters Racing who were very active, me being one, but that's changed over the last couple of years. I know from talking with my friends and other racers out in the world that only a tiny percentage participate online, and of the ones who do, most have never heard of BF. I stumbled on to it myself, and I do not remember how or why. I'm glad I did, though.
__________________
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
Last edited by sarals; 10-25-18 at 09:04 PM.
#116
Idiot Emeritus
#117
Elitist
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!
#118
Idiot Emeritus
Carleton, Carleton, Carleton....
Young man, you are sweet, you really are! Have a look here: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...51747788373386...
Cycling is the only sport I've ever really known. I could go into my whole history of how, late in life, I got into it, was fascinated by the beauty of it, fell in love with it, wanted to go fast, and then race... But, no need. Track is something that was suggested to me by my coach some years ago. Last year, as you know, I crossed over from road and gave it a try. Long story longer, I fell head over heals for it. Sprinting is the only athletic thing I've ever done well. The only! Maybe I'm weird (well, there are those who would say "duh" to that), but I do enjoy the full body rush I feel when I've smashed a really good effort. Leave track? Never. Leave cycling? Maybe on my death bed!
I'm going to tone down on the posting. That's all I'm saying. You all are very nice, you're good folks, but I've no business in many cases sticking my nose into your conversations. I'm not going to disappear, though. Promise!
Thank you!
Young man, you are sweet, you really are! Have a look here: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...51747788373386...
Cycling is the only sport I've ever really known. I could go into my whole history of how, late in life, I got into it, was fascinated by the beauty of it, fell in love with it, wanted to go fast, and then race... But, no need. Track is something that was suggested to me by my coach some years ago. Last year, as you know, I crossed over from road and gave it a try. Long story longer, I fell head over heals for it. Sprinting is the only athletic thing I've ever done well. The only! Maybe I'm weird (well, there are those who would say "duh" to that), but I do enjoy the full body rush I feel when I've smashed a really good effort. Leave track? Never. Leave cycling? Maybe on my death bed!
I'm going to tone down on the posting. That's all I'm saying. You all are very nice, you're good folks, but I've no business in many cases sticking my nose into your conversations. I'm not going to disappear, though. Promise!
Thank you!
__________________
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
Last edited by sarals; 10-25-18 at 11:24 PM.
#119
Senior Member
This is an interesting topic. Why is cycling so dude-centric? It's certainly a bummer. I'm a guy who hated the typical dude sports in high school (football, hockey, baseball), and cycling to me was very opposite of those sports. But there are so few women who participate in competition. Why is that?
#120
This is an interesting topic. Why is cycling so dude-centric? It's certainly a bummer. I'm a guy who hated the typical dude sports in high school (football, hockey, baseball), and cycling to me was very opposite of those sports. But there are so few women who participate in competition. Why is that?
I see this myself as someone who has only picked up a bike in the past 2-3 years having been totally unaware of the cycling clubs that surrounded me until almost in my 30's.
(Aside from roaming the streets on a mtb as a kid)
Happily, it seems this is changing somewhat, in Scotland at least. From my anecdotal evidence it looks a far more even balance these days in the young kids picking it up, especially around the velodrome and the track racing scene.
#121
out walking the earth
I think particular forms of racing are more "dude centric" largely because they're more dangerous, and men tend to be less risk adverse (read: dumb). There's obviously a lot more to it than that, but Sara knows the cost of hitting the boards. I'm not married to a woman, or know many who are inclined to recreate in a way that might lead to broken ribs. For that matter, lots of men are making that choice as well. Parents are putting their kids in soccer, not cycling. I have a had a long list of major race-related surgeries. I've given up events that put me near other people, and train almost exclusively indoors (metal is hard, and cars are made of metal). Racing is down in most disciplines (cross seems to be blowing up). Fondos are huge. I know plenty of women in Tri, and cycling clubs, and who do group rides.
The 33 was a separate forum before I became a mod. We then pulled all the racing forums away from the 41 to keep down some of the jets and sharks thing that arose at a particular time. Masters got the sub forum based on a request I brought to Tom. The 33 is hardly boisterous anymore (I'm not sure it ever deserved that reputation - it was mainly about people who showed asking questions they 'knew' the answers to, though their answers were wrong i.e. let me argue with a bunch of folks who have been racing forever about what average speed I need to hold to turn pro) there are maybe 5 posts a day. BF as a whole is dying. Most of this is related to changing internet habits. People frequent facebook groups and other social media platforms. Bulletin boards are an ancient thing.
The 33 was a separate forum before I became a mod. We then pulled all the racing forums away from the 41 to keep down some of the jets and sharks thing that arose at a particular time. Masters got the sub forum based on a request I brought to Tom. The 33 is hardly boisterous anymore (I'm not sure it ever deserved that reputation - it was mainly about people who showed asking questions they 'knew' the answers to, though their answers were wrong i.e. let me argue with a bunch of folks who have been racing forever about what average speed I need to hold to turn pro) there are maybe 5 posts a day. BF as a whole is dying. Most of this is related to changing internet habits. People frequent facebook groups and other social media platforms. Bulletin boards are an ancient thing.
#122
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: PHL
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The dude-centric dynamic isn't necessarily true everywhere. When I was in LA there was a strong women's presence in cycling -- credit to a few clubs/teams/individuals who were great at actively promoting women's cycling, and maybe also due to the size and makeup of the pool, the LA area having a huge population that leans liberal. Race turnout at Encino was a women's field larger than the men's field on multiple occasions. Can't really speak to the elite scene though, as I wasn't in it.
#124
Elitist
Would you folks say that, even though NYC, LA, Portland, etc... have a large number of female racers, their per-capita representation is the same or greater than other cities?
One hypothesis could be that LA has a large number of female racers by virtue of LA simply having more cyclists in general.
That was the cool thing about living in SF, whatever small niche activity that you are into, you can still find a group to do it with. e.g. if you are into longboard skateboarding, you can find a crew in SF, but not so much in Montgomery, AL.
One hypothesis could be that LA has a large number of female racers by virtue of LA simply having more cyclists in general.
That was the cool thing about living in SF, whatever small niche activity that you are into, you can still find a group to do it with. e.g. if you are into longboard skateboarding, you can find a crew in SF, but not so much in Montgomery, AL.
#125
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
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I'm sure that has something to do with it. Despite being (rightfully) branded a bike-unfriendly city, cycling really flourishes in LA -- amazing roads, two velodromes, tons of off-road riding, and essentially no off season. Track turnout was still lackluster at times, but I think that had a lot to do with the growing popularity of fixed gear crits.