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.
This weekend marks four weeks until the return of the legendary Milk Race event to Nottingham City Centre on Sunday 25 May.
Following the successful resurrection of the event in 2013, a number of elite cyclists have entered this year’s races. They include Dame Sarah Storey, who last week won two gold medals in the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Mexico, World and European cycling champion Katie Archibald, and Olympic gold medalist Ed Clancy.
As well as the elite races, the Milk Race will offer a unique opportunity for the whole family to take part. Three categories of public rides are open for registration – a family ride (suitable for all ages and abilities, including young children), a community ride (for children and adults 8 years plus of all abilities) and an advanced ride (12 years plus, suitable for club riders, experienced cyclists and regular commuters).
The event’s return to Nottingham has been made possible by The Dairy Council and Nottingham City Council who are hosting a day of family activities in Old Market Square on the Saturday before the Milk Race.
Councillor David Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Sport and Leisure at Nottingham City Council, said: “With activities for the whole family, plus the cream of British elite cycling taking to Nottingham’s roads, this year’s Milk Race looks set to be even bigger than in 2013.”
Dairy Council Chairman Sandy Wilkie said: “With one month to go, it’s fantastic to see the excitement building for this year’s event. The standard of the elite cyclists is set to be even higher than in 2013 and with the public rides on offer once again, the Milk Race will have something for everyone.”
The Nottingham Building Society has sponsored the Family Ride in this year’s Milk Race. On being a local sponsor, Partnership and Sponsorships Manager Vicky Hall said: “We are delighted to sponsor the 2014 Family Ride. The Milk Race is a prestigious event that originated in the heartland of Nottingham so it’s great to be able to offer families across the whole community a chance to take part.”
Further information about the 2014 Milk Race can be found at www.themilkrace.com.
About The Milk Race
Between 1958 and 1993, The Milk Race was the most prestigious cycling event in the British calendar, and the (now disbanded) Milk Marketing Board’s sponsorship remains the longest association that the sport has ever had.
The multistage race of old was conducted over a number of day races – across a number of locations – and was contested by some of the most successful ever road cyclists.
Previous Milk Race winners include Shane Sutton – a current part of British Cycling’s coaching set-up – and Malcolm Elliott, the team manager of the Node4-Giordana professional team.
In 2013, The Milk Race returned after 20 years and was held in Nottingham city centre – attended by over 60,000 people. Dani King and Felix English won the women’s elite race and the men’s elite race respectively.
The Milk Race is a registered trademark of The Dairy Council and the event is funded by members of the Milk Marketing Forum (comprised of Arla Foods UK, Dairy Crest Limited, First Milk and Müller Wiseman Dairies).
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:
Organiser 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:
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