Round 1 of the Scottish Cycling National Women’s Road Race Series heads for Glasgow
This Saturday (10th May) over 40 female cyclists will take to the roads of Eaglesham near Glasgow this for the first round of the new Scottish Cycling National Women’s Road Race, sponsored by Dales Cycles.
The historic town of Eaglesham, just to the South of Glasgow, will play host to the first of four rounds of the series with a further three taking place in Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen.
With a combination of new faces to the experienced cyclists such as Delhi Commonwealth Games athlete Jane Barr (Starley Primal Pro Cycling), the first round of the series organised by Glasgow Green Cycling Club (GGCC) is set to be a thrilling days racing.
Riders will complete 8 laps of the 4.25 mile course which has been described as challenging and fast for the first time rider but has an equal amount of ascent and descent for the more experienced racer to tackle.
The series sponsor; Dales Cycles will be in attendance at all events to offer both pre and post-race mechanical support to all entrants. The winners of each event will receive a fabulous custom designed “blue jersey” from Endura.
Lynne Munro, Scottish Cycling’s Head of Development said: “I am delighted to see so many entries for the first round of the Scottish Cycling National Women’s Road Race Series. I have no doubt the Series will help us support and develop women’s cycling in Scotland.”
“Scottish Cycling currently underpins and co-ordinates the organisation of over 644 events a year and we are delighted to be able to include a Women’s Road Racing Series. Scottish Cycling would like to thank Dales Cycles for their support in helping provide more opportunities for women to ride their bikes in a safe, friendly and accessible environment.”
Online entry for round one of the Series in Glasgow is now closed however you can still enter on the day!Also entering could not be easier, just follow the link below, fill in your details and off you go. It’s fast, uncomplicated & with instant email confirmation, you could be looking forward to racing on the road. Thrashing the opposition or simply testing your mettle in your first real race.
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.
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.
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.
CycloFemme aims for 500 rides, in 50 countries on May 11, 2014As the May 11, 2014 CycloFemme celebration of Women in Cycling nears, the bar has been set at 500 rides, in 50 countries, and all 50 US states. With last year’s 229 rides in 31 countries, CycloFemme continues to gain traction, celebrating the bicycle as a tool for empowering women and positive social change. BOULDER, CO, USA (March 19, 2013) — As registration gets under way for CycloFemme – May 11, 2014 Global Women’s Cycling Day, many riders are coming together to plan celebrations worldwide. With the third annual ride approaching, CycloFemme organisers are calling on the global community to plan rides with the goal of 500 rides in 50 countries, and all 50 US states. Among those standing behind CycloFemme is the US national cycling organization League of American Bicyclists.
“Cyclofemme is a unique catalyst and universal call to action for individual riders and organized efforts around women and cycling.” says Carolyn Szczepanski of the League of American Bicyclists. “This one day has already become an incredible unifying force for women around the world. The League couldn’t be more honored to promote and celebrate this event as a part of National Bike Month,” she said.
Unified primarily through social media and word of mouth, in 2013, the grassroots movement was celebrated from Kyoto, Japan to Alaska, USA and from Orebro, Sweden to Yida, South Sudan where two women learned to ride a bike in a MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) camp in preparation for the big day, held in May.
“There is great momentum in the women’s empowerment movement, we see the bicycle as a tool for realizing positive social change. We believe that strong communities are built by strong women. As Susan B. Anthony said, about the bicycle, ‘I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.’” said CycloFemme co-founder Sarai Snyder. “The bicycle provides access, connectivity, and mobility, essential tools for economic, community, and personal development. We see CycloFemme as an opportunity to celebrate these ideas and encourage more women to lead a healthy lifestyle.” With the statement “We Ride Together,” the goal of CycloFemme is to create a unified voice for women’s cycling by building a tribe of riders who recognize the need to empower one another and build a supportive community.
CycloFemme is celebrated annually on the US Mother’s Day, the spirit of the day continues to live on year round. Many cyclists still find opportunities to adorn themselves with the CycloFemme mark, in the form of a temporary tattoo, showing support for the global movement at local cycling events and rides.
Knowing that exponential change begins with the simple maths of 1+1, many have also made a personal commitment by signing the CycloFemme Pledge to “inspire one more woman to ride a bike.” Images of pledge signings can be found on cyclofemme.com/pledge along with pdf versions to print, sign and share. Currently available in English, Spanish, and Chinese with more languages being introduced weekly.
A creative initiative of Girl Bike Love + Language Dept., CycloFemme is global celebration to Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Empower the Future of Women in Cycling. The mission states “Teach women to ride, and they will change the world.”
For more information download the CycloFemme PDF below: [wpdm_file id=1]
With thanks to Andy Wood and all at the Cheshire Classic. Alan Sheldon for all his excellent editing and sound… and to the Cycling Shorts Team for their hard work; Heather Bamforth, Fred ‘Lightning Twitter Fingers’ Bamforth and Chris Maher.
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