Women’s Cycling – A Grassroots’ Perspective

Women's Road Series | Cheshire Classic ©CyclingShorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk

Women’s Road Series | Cheshire Classic ©CyclingShorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk

 

The Women’s Tour hits Britain for the first time this week, with some of the best international female riders racing for the first time in the UK since the 2012 Olympic Games.

There has been a large amount of media coverage in relation to this and for good reason.

However, anybody who believes that women’s domestic cycling has made a huge move forwards in the UK is sadly mistaken.  Yes, there is a Women’s Tour, which offers parity on prize money and conditions with that of the Tour of Britain, but the reality is that, for the moment at least, any woman who races on the UK domestic scene and is not part of the Great Britain performance programme (which is a track-based programme), is highly unlikely to get the opportunity to ride in the likes of the Women’s Tour and La Course by the TDF.

Ultimately, women’s cycling in the UK is still a side show, an afterthought.  Despite Brian Cookson setting up a women’s commission at the UCI, there is no such thing within the UK.  Whilst some of the greatest female cyclists are arriving in the UK to take part in the inaugural Women’s Tour, the women who race on the domestic scene will quite often find themselves being put with the novice fourth category men, which is an experience that is unlikely to entice the women to come back the following week!  There are a few committed people in the cycling scene who disproportionately hard to be inclusive towards women’s participation, however, these are few and far between, and lack key support.

Women's Road Series | Cheshire Classic ©CyclingShorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk

Women’s Road Series | Cheshire Classic ©CyclingShorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk

Nobody can deny that the Breeze programme has been a success in so far as it encourages more women to ride bikes.  But the Breeze programme is based on participation, not competition, and there is no real pathway to bridge between the two. The strategy as far as competition is concerned is practically non-existent, despite the numbers that British Cycling quote in relation to the increase in licences.  Ultimately, women’s competitive cycling in the UK on the domestic scene is an amateur sport, which means that it is run by volunteers. There is no money for “competition” because despite what you read (which can seem like propaganda quite honestly), cycling is run by men ergo the sport will always be seen from a male perspective.

So, what is the way forward?

Well, it is true, there has been progress in the last 12 months, with many more road racing opportunities for women, but these forward-thinking organisers need our help and support. Domestic events are all run by volunteers and everybody who wants to race (whether they are male or female) has to understand that it costs money to put a race on – if a race can’t at a minimum break even, then why should an organiser make a loss?

One problem with the circuit races that seem to be prolific in the UK for women is that they cost very little to run – there is a levy per entry (approximately £4 per rider) and then you have the hire of the circuit (usually between £50 and £150 depending on how long you need the circuit for) and the expenses of the commissaires for attending (usually two at closed circuit) and the first aider, but nothing much besides.  This means that you can have five riders in an event and potentially break even.

Road racing, on the other hand, can be expensive – not only do you have the levy per rider, but you then also have first aid, National Escort Group (motorbike marshals), petrol money for all officials who use their cars, for the lead car and neutral service (the cost of which increases the longer the race), as well as the hire of the headquarters.  Before you know it, the cost of putting on an event is at £350 and that’s before you add in prize money.  So that means that you need at least 25 to 30 riders before you even start to break even.

Women's Road Series | Cheshire Classic ©CyclingShorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk

Women’s Road Series | Cheshire Classic ©CyclingShorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk

So please, ladies, if you want to have road races in your region, please give the organisers the support they deserve and enter in advance as often as you can afford to and don’t rely on the ability to turn up and enter on the day (the latter will hopefully become more difficult as racing gets more popular and races fill up in advance).  There have been far too many races this season that have been cancelled or nearly cancelled due to lack of rider entries – you need to take some responsibility and enter in advance – our sport is run by volunteers who cannot afford to make a loss, so please enter in good time!

My final point reverts back to the fact that competitive cycling is run, for the most part, by men.  Until such time that women start to volunteer in larger numbers, whether that be as race officials or race organisers, and start to make their voices heard by taking their place on the Regional British Cycling Boards, there will be no significant changes.  I appreciate that for most people, offering to organise a race or becoming an official can be a daunting task, and I will have more news in the coming weeks for people who want to do just that.

Ultimately, women’s cycling is becoming more popular, we just need to ensure that it continues to grow in the correct way on a domestic level.

 

 

 

Lewis Balyckyi Memorial Crits

It’s been a few years since bike racing hit the Prom in Blackpool, but this year the Lewis Balyckyi Memorial Crits have left the Palatine circuit and have moved on to the Prom at Bispham.  Further details can be found below:

Blackpool Crits Flyer 2014Organiser Jerrod Hartley has been working extremely hard behind the scenes to secure the use of the Prom to ensure that the day will be one not to be missed!  All profits from the races and the raffle will go towards the Lewis Balyckyi Trust Fund, which is a registered charity (registered charity number 1150807) that raises money to help aspiring athletes fulfill their dreams and potential as cyclists.

The event is supported by Smiths Equipment Hire who have a variety of offers for those supporting the event, which are detailed below:

A5 Cycling Support Advert_v2

 

If this event sounds like something you want to get involved in, you can enter on the British Cycling website at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/106716/The-Lewis-Balyckyi-Memorial-Crits-2014

You can also keep up to date with news of the event via Facebook or Twitter

A day out in Blackpool racing on the Prom! What’s not to like?

Shrewsbury Grand Prix – Equal Prize Money for Men & Women

There’s a new race in town on 25 May 2014 and it promises to be something quite special.

If you were thinking about the Milk Race and are now worried that you might not get a ride, then do not fear, because help is here in the form of Shrewsbury Grand Prix.

But that doesn’t mean that it is any less worthy than the Milk Race – the Shrewsbury Grand Prix boasts equal prize money for men and women – and with a prize fund of £1,300 for the women’s race alone, it looks set to be a great event with equally great prizes!  This is a fantastic opportunity for the women, as it is likely that the top riders will be at the Milk Race due to the potential TV coverage for their sponsors.

Shrewsbury GP flyerThe event has a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter account and has also produced a promotional video

So what prizes are on offer?  The British Cycling link to the event (where you can also enter) has the details, but to whet your appetite, I can confirm the details are as follows:

Pure Communications Women Only

£1300 Prize Fund

1st £500 + Set of Bontrager Race Wheels RRP £250 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

2nd £300 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

3rd £150 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

4th £100     5th £80     6th £60     7th £40     8th £30     9th £20     10th £10

 

Cooper Green Amateur Crit (for 2nd/3rd/4th category men)

race schedule£400 Prize Fund

1st £100 + £150 Altura Clothing Voucher + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

2nd £80 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

3rd £60 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

4th £50     5th £35     6th £25     7th £15     8th £15     9th £10     10th £10

 

Stan Cycles Pro Crit (for Elite/1st/2nd/3rd cat men)

£1300 Prize Fund

1st £500 + Cateye GPS Computer RRP £90 + + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

2nd £300 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

3rd £150 + Pair of Tifosi Podium Glasses RRP £60

4th £100     5th £80     6th £60     7th £40     8th £30     9th £20     10th £10

In addition there is a £600 prize fund available for primes within the 3 races.

Thats a total cash prze fund of £3,600!!!

The organiser, Ben Lawrence, has a set of great sponsors – Stan’s Cycles, Pure Communications, Cooper Green Pooks (Estate Agents), and Beaumont Lawrence (Chartered Insurance Brokers) who have supported the event by providing these fantastic prizes.

For further information relating to the race schedule and the course layout, see below:

The event looks set to be a great afternoon, and there are plans to get the family involved, which will really make a great day.  Keep up to date with the event on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and let’s hope the event gets the support that it most definitely deserves!

Calling all over-40s – a holiday with a difference

There is a new stage race on the calendar for over-40s this year – the Santa Susanna Masters Vuelta, hosted by Poco Loco Cycling

In association with the Hike & Bike in Santa SusannaTourist FoundationHotel Aquamarina. This new race will take place on May 23-25 inclusive in Costa Brava, Spain.
 
There are 4 stages over 3 days, incorporating the following format…
  • Masters only forming 3 races; (1) 40 – 49 (2) 50 – 59 (3) 60+  *TBC*
  • Teams of 4 – Club & Composite accepted (individual entries will be placed into composite teams)
 The proposed stages are as follows:
  • Stage 1. 9 km Team Time Trial – Flat (road bikes only)
  • Stage 2. 90 km Road Race (up & down day with 1 main climb, highest point 430m)

http://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=5725956

  • Stage 3. 8 km Individual Time Trial – Flat (road bikes only)
  • Stage 4. 95 km Road race, (with 3 main climbs, highest point 650m)
 
 
So, what else do you need to know?  For starters:
  • Generous Prize money will be on offer across all age groups (over €3,000 cash)
  • Overall Race leader jersey, Combative Jersey & Best Team Jersey (tbc)
  • Luxury hotel accommodation, packages & prices – see below
  • Entry fee: £83 per rider (includes £13 day licence for all stages for non-UCI licence holders  IMPORTANT: Day licence supplement of £13. This day license will cover the insurance for all riders for the whole event that do not have a UCI licence
  • UCI, LVRC & TLI licences accepted

So there’s the “difference” part, but what about the holiday?

Well, Poco Loco Cycling have secured an excellent deal:

Hotel Packages & Prices

Hotel Aquamarina:
Arrival on Thursday and departure on Monday: 4 nights at £30 per night = £120 standard half-board package, free use of the Spa (previous booking required)
5 nights at £30 per night =  £150
7 nights at £30 per night =  £210

Extra lunch=  £5 per person per lunch

Supl. Premium room=  £4 per person per day

Supl. Junior Suite=  £7 per person per day

Guests that want to have full board can do so at an extra cost of £7 per person per day. Extra cost for a single room: £10 per night

Any enquiries should be made via: [email protected]
The hotel can be reached via Girona or Barcelona airports, which can be accessed from most airports.
To keep up to date with news on the event, check out the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/santasusanna.mastersvuelta

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