As women start to shine in the Olympics, Lizzie Armitstead raises sexism in sport

I like watching cycling, male or female, I've been cycling all my life, even when it was very unpopular and media showed us in a very bad light.

Sad that now so many feel one type of cyclist doesn't deserve the same respect and opportunities.

History shows you'll never be able to stop hatred or prejudice that some groups inflict on other groups, even when this is the majority...but that doesn't make it ok.

Reading some of the sexist pish on here, you can see what women cyclists and women in other sports are up against.

That more men than women cycle is hardly a case for maintaining the status quo. Every effort should be made to encourage and support the growth of cycling for everybody. If giving more media coverage to professional women's cycling helps with that, then broadcasters can make that decision. Once they do, then sponsorship will follow.

Let's not forget, however, that the strength of British men's professional cycling has come from a huge investment from the lottery which has been targetted towards development and support to bring home medals. Broadcasters had largely ignored cycling (particularly road and MTB) as a sport until these recent successes. Once the broadcasters were there, then sponsors weren't hard to find.

So, let's forget all this nonsense about women being slower, more self-conscious or less competitive. Forget too the idea that business is somehow detached from the interests of broadcasters. The key thing to remember is that if we want top athletes in any discipline and of any gender, it's the state through the lottery that can create the conditions for that to happen.

Outside of the club / pro / race structure (as I am) but living in an area that's frequented by lots of road cyclists I'm seeing loads more Women riders in groups, mixed and single sex.
They tend to be less "serious" looking than the blokes but are all on road race bikes and tend to be going along at a fair clip.

To develop the sporting element I think the UK should try to break down the club system, or at least make it more accessible. Weekend rides with the chain gang just don't appeal and don't fit into modern Women's lives. Having something more like what running clubs do, i.e. post work stuff - very open access, closed / semi closed road & track sessions. All of this would take obstacles out of access.

From my limited experience, via my wife and her mates, getting into competitive sport (running races) tends to come from having fun and wanting to try new things rather than the goal driven urge that chaps tend to have.

This is going to sound a bit harsh but generally when you watch male versions of sports you are ultimately watching THE best in the world at the respective discipline. That is what interests me, a lot of other people and as a consequence a lot of the sponsors too. This isn't sexist, it's a fact.

If womens sports want more money then it's women who'll have to do something about it. Set up dedicated governing bodies so they can have more control (like tennis for example), as mens sports will generally always end up taking preference. Maybe then they could build a proper female fan base, with a men and some old perverts thrown in for good measure?

PS. It's hardly fair to slag off the mens performance in the road race, when they'd only six days since finished the toughest race in the world. Makes it sound a bit bitter.

"look who actually rode to victory when Olympic crunch time came around" Not her! Did she not come second and a man won gold!

Surely she can make her own sandwiches ..

I've always found women to be pretty good at that type of thing ..

(I jest of course) ....

Go on the Olympic ticketing website and search for any available tickets. Almost everything left is a women's sport. It certainly seems people want to watch men's sport more than women's.

Another way to promote it would be go get lots of the women's names out there and get them known. lots of the people who don't do cycling are liking watching it because of "wiggo" and having a name like that seems to help spread the sport. i didn't know any of the women at the start of the road race, but by the time trial when i knew them, the race became much more interesting for me somehow.

Part of the reason why it is smaller I think is because for top end sport, people want to see world records and things like that, and in cyclings case, this can be provided by men more than women due to natural body size/shape etc. also, in my experience of watching womens cycling, they don't look as smooth or graceful in general as the men, although in fairness this wasn't a problem on sunday.
but I think the main thing based on what people i know say is that people would prefer to watch something for outright speed etc., particularly if they don't take part in the sport or know much about it, because it looks more exiting.

on the other hand, i get the impression that womens gymnastics is more popular than mens because women can perform at a higher level to men as they are naturally more graceful and more suited to that activity.

I was in London for both races. I have 2 young girls, both cycle to primary school and sometimes further. They enjoyed the Women's road race best. They were impressed that our first olympic medal was won by a woman. They enjoyed the time trials today and noticed that both our female cyclists did better than Vos. They understand Wiggins is exceptional. Their interest in competitive cycling has gone from zero to keen in the space of a few days. They now have role models for the future should they wish to compete. With the popularity of cycling increasing generally it is up to all of us to keep the pressure up for anything that will allow our sport/hobby/preferred mode of transport to flourish for the benefit of all.

The only way to solve this problem is to get tv coverage. Tv coverage will bring in sponsers which results in more money to the sport. It will never be as big as mens cycling due to the history of mens cycling. There is a place for womens cycling on tv and it needs the likes of eurosport to give it a go. Plus women look hot in lycra.

Looking at the magazine racks I can't recall the last time cycling plus/cycling week etc had a woman on the front. Cycling active regularly do. I think I scanned the cover of C+ and had to go back 3 years or so.

You do get a much better balance online.

There would be a massive market if it was promoted but it is not promoted anywhere especially by those that run women's cycling. Same really. I agree with fran, male or female if it is set up like the men I would watch it. Sundays race was great

Someone here says: "Based on Sunday's road race, women's cycling makes for great watching. If it was available regularly with good timing, commentary and analysis then I'd watch it."

I couldn't agree more. Sunday's race was enthralling and, perhaps because of not despite the rain, dramatic.

And although one has to allow for "the Olympic effect", there were thousands of enthusiastic spectators along the route – even on the Fulham Road, where I was.

I think there is an interest in women's cycling and I hope Lizzie A can do something – if not now, then when she's retired – to help make it even more popular, and better funded.

Armistead is spit in and right to use her exposure to stick the boot in over this issue. There needs to be more women's sport on TV full stop. I'd love to see the women's TDF on TV - so would my wife and daughter. Not only would it give women cyclists the exposure they deserve but it might boost club numbers. We currently have 3 women in our road club - out of almost 100 members.. The youngest was 2nd in the BW CX league last year and one of the seniors has won the Eddie Soens and the other taken part twice in the women's TDF. We have no women that just ride for fun and club sexism aside it's the lack of public exposure for potential role models that is fundamental in keeping women out of cycle clubs.

After Nicole Cooke won in Bejing I hoped for a new attitude to wonen's cycling and more coverage. I worry that by Christmas Armistead will be forgotten and no changes made.

Eurosport calls itself 'The home of cycling' but it's support of men's cycling is patchy and women's pretty much none existant.

A channel educated purely to cycling is what's needed and it may not be far off.

I agree with a lot of the comments on here, 1, it is a circular thing if more was shown on TV then more support would follow. 2, Safety and preceived threat again circular arguement (some people disagree with the CTC on the safety in numbers to me that sounds completely logical) 3, and possible the biggest & as already mentioned women (I can't think of a way of saying this next bit that isn't going to sound sexist) do have concerns over their appearrance being in skintight lyca whilst straining and sweating on a bike is not a flattering look. 4, sponsorship this has got to be a fantastic PR exercise for some companies.
Personally I hope there is a way to encourage more women into cycling but I'm not clever enough to know what the answer is.

Surely the reasoning behind not placing the largest numerically valued team in business class is more of a case of lack of seats and/or price, as opposed to blatant and unrelenting sexism?

Nuclear Coffee has a point. The women's race was great but it was not men's racing. I'm a great supporter of Armitstead, but women's cycling doesn't get the blood bumping like men's does. It isn't as fast or edgy and, therefore, as popular to watch. In the same way that women's football is not men's football. You can say that's because of money, but that's being disingenuous. It's down to speed and power, risk taking etc, which is what men have and do more of than women. Apart from in the case of teenage swimmers from China, of course.

Lizzie et al have a point

If Pat McQuaid and his pals at UCI spent as much time, effort and cash on promoting women's cycling in its cultural heartland as they do in their attempts to take cycling to countries that don't appreciate (e.g tour of China) we'd see a more vibrant women's cyclng scene. Same for TV coverage - no one can tell me the women's Olympic road race wasn't as interesting/exiting to watch as the mens - the lack of exposure and coverage is a scandal.

Based on Sunday's road race, women's cycling makes for great watching. If it was available regularly with good timing, commentary and analysis then I'd watch it.

There's probably an opportunity for one of the lower profile channels to pick up on the appetite for cyclesports on TV as Five did with away Europa League matches over the last few years.

Whilst earnings from their teams may not be fantastic, I'm sure VP does very well indeed from her modelling and endorsements.

So where are all the women agreeing or otherwise on this thread? I am afraid cycling is a male dominated sport. I was at La Marmotte a few weeks ago (spectating) and very few women were riding, so not just a British issue.

There was a women's only race near here a few yearts ago, very few spectators. A lot of change is required before women get anything like equal opportunities.

To re-phrase a line in twentytwelve recently 'men like bikes* and men like women, so why don't they like women on bikes'

* football was original quote

I would watch womens cycling just as happily as mens. However I am not given the opportunity as there is very very little womens sport on tv outside of the olympic games. I dont think I am the only one who feels this way, who is making this decision for us?

As for the 'biology' argument (nuclear coffee- "People tend to watch the best in any given area of sport, and women are less likely to be the best"), a race is a race, and when it is between a bunch of highly skilled and well-trained athletes at the top of their game it is always going to be interesting, whether they are male or female or juniors or lightweights.

on the roadCC strava group there are 95 members and 1 is female.

Having said that I did enjoy watching the womens road race just as much as the mens, and would watch womens racing if they broadcast it more often.

Change is long overdue.

Good points made by thereandbackagain. I wonder what percentage of Rapha clothing stock (also Altura etc) is bought by women.

I know that financial issues mean there has been some contraction in the sport e.g. Garmin and HTC teams disbanding but that situation could be remedied with some effort. Sky has enough money to field a women's team (as do others) and there is no shortage of British road racing talent these days. The Johnson Healthcare races at Tour series were very popular and, a point I've read previously, who would complain about seeing attractive young women whizzing about on bicycles?

News websites and magazines need to make more effort too - they already have some clout and where one leads others will follow. Also, if women cyclists are treated like sportswomen instead of 'dollies on bikes' than maybe mainstream interviews will focus on more interesting topics rather than avoiding 'helmet hair', how they manage to pee and so on.

So Lizzie Armstead has won a medal so now every cycling related company should be awash with big money orders from females wanting to "spend, spend, spend"?

So why didnt it happen with VP?

My reasoning is that women haven't taken to cycling in the same way as blokes have, most of my mates that I talk to would love to cycle for its fitness benefits and usually the parts of the body that it tones up but none of them like the idea of actually being on a bike mere inches from an uncaring and unflinching Germanic crushing machine.

As I said, this is just from talking with my friends/friends girlfriends/girlfriends friends etc so I may just have encountered a group of people that co-incidentally have the same fears but my gut feeling is that the reason women haven't taken to riding is more to do with safety and lack of provision for cyclists in this country than it is to do with the styling of products related to cycling.

That's what really needs to be addressed first.