log in
register

Percentage of women cyclists in your club/group?

  • Creator
    Topic
  • October 31, 2017 at 10:15 pm #27799
    Stef Marazzi

    Hi all,

    I helped start a cycle group in my local village (population 3000) about five years ago. Its gone very well, and went from five dads to seventy members. Its a free of charge group to join, and riders come from others villages and towns to take part.

    One thing thats confounded me a bit, is that it is 100% men.

    The village had zero sports for women – only a football club and a cricket club, so no sports that accepted women into their clubs. I honestly thought that the cycle group would be quite a large proportion of women, especially as there are no other sports clubs that take women in, but it hasn’t happened.

    I’ve appealed for any interested women to start womens only rides, or Breeze rides, but had no takers at all. 

    I don’t really want to keep pushing it, if there is no interest, but thought it seemed a bit odd. I notice that clubs/groups in the nearby cities also have less women amoung them – probably between 10 and 20% women, but not zero like we have.

    Anyone elses club/group having a similar experience? Did you ever manage to increase the proportion of women cycling, or did you give up?

     

  • Creator
    Topic
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
1 2
  • Author
    Replies
  • November 6, 2017 at 10:15 pm #905349
    0
    BarryBianchi
    Lalentos wrote:
    My local club looks for an average speed of 16mph from someone wanting to join the saturday ride. As a reasonably fit male i am getting 14.7mph from a 40mile ride so I can easily see how the less fit women would be put off joining a club.

    16 mph solo or on a group ride?  Huge difference.  Also, on what terrain and over what distance.  16 mph for 10 miles on calm flat is not a lot on a 1/2 decent bike.  On a hilly and windy course over 50 miles, entirely different matter?

    November 6, 2017 at 9:47 pm #905347
    0
    Lalentos

    My local club looks for an

    My local club looks for an average speed of 16mph from someone wanting to join the saturday ride. As a reasonably fit male i am getting 14.7mph from a 40mile ride so I can easily see how the less fit women would be put off joining a club.

    November 6, 2017 at 9:17 pm #905345
    0
    HalfWheeler
    gmac101 wrote:
    I don’t cycle with a club but I help out with some youth sailing.  It’s not universal but the girls tend to prefer the double hander boats which need team work and the boys prefer the single handers.  This is pure anecdotage but perhaps cycling looks too “isolated” for people looking in from the outside.  

    Not sure about that. Running (which can be just as isolated) has a much higher female participation rate than road cycling. From the running races I’ve been to, or even just the people I see out running on the streets or trails, I reckon female participation is, if not 50/50, then pretty close.  At least 60/40.

    And running is so simialr to cycling, it’s mentally and physically demanding, introverted. But a sporty outdoors orientated woman is far, far more likely to take up running.

    Answers on the back of a pastcard…

    November 6, 2017 at 8:17 pm #905343
    0
    gmac101

    I don’t cycle with a club but

    I don’t cycle with a club but I help out with some youth sailing.  It’s not universal but the girls tend to prefer the double hander boats which need team work and the boys prefer the single handers.  This is pure anecdotage but perhaps cycling looks too “isolated” for people looking in from the outside.  

    November 6, 2017 at 8:57 am #905341
    0
    Al__S
    alansmurphy wrote:
     

    On the other hand, for me being out on the road is my chance at some time away from it all, not sure I’d want the other half or too many kids along…

     

    Well, here’s part of the attitude that stops more women riding.

     

    Although amusingly quite a few of the regular/committed women in my club have non/rarely riding husbands or boyfriends. More commonly the club is big enough that couples that come out on a Sunday go off with different groups- that solves your caveman issue.

    November 4, 2017 at 12:33 pm #905339
    0
    HalfWheeler

    It’s about 10% with our club

    It’s about 10% with our club (in the Glasgow area). 13 women in a 100+ membership.

    Not sure how we would go about changing that. Road cycling (as opposed to running or hiking or even mtn biking) is hellishly male. I can imagine a lot of women are put off by the behaviour of some car drivers. I don’t blame them, it almost puts me off.

    November 4, 2017 at 12:28 pm #905337
    0
    zanf

    My old club had quite a large

    My old club had quite a large female contingent but its member base was around +650.

    The great thing was they were very organised so had lots of training and day rides, etc. So much so that some of the men complained that they felt left out!

    Some of those members went on with others to organise London Womens Racing which has been brilliant.

    The sad thing is they are the exception.

    November 4, 2017 at 10:57 am #905335
    0
    BarryBianchi
    alansmurphy wrote:
    On the other hand, for me being out on the road is my chance at some time away from it all, not sure I’d want the other half or too many kids along…

    Amen to that….

    November 3, 2017 at 12:47 pm #905333
    0
    Watty650

    I’m a female cyclist and I

    I’m a female cyclist and I cycle with a couple of local groups one a women only club and a couple of mixed clubs.

    I originally started with a women only club as I was very nervous about going in a mixed group and getting dropped and it takes alot of confidence to go along to a group where you don’t know anyone, no matter how friendly.

    If you want to increase women’s participation, women only rides, a dedicated slower group for newbies where nobody gets dropped or get your partners a bike and get them to come with you.  Also a cafe stop also helps, one of the local breeze leaders quotes the 3 c’s, cycling, chat and cake, as a way to get women involved.

    Oh and i do go out in adverse weather, more than my husband to be honest so that isn’t the reason!

    November 2, 2017 at 6:47 pm #905331
    0
    Moonboots

    Around where I live, there

    Around where I live, there are now two massively successful 100% female clubs – the Yorkshire Lasses and the Queensbury Queens of the Mountain; both continue to expand, even at this time of the year. It might be worth getting in touch with them to see how they attract new members.

    November 1, 2017 at 10:47 pm #905329
    0
    peted76

    34% women in my local club,

    34% women in my local club, although that’s mtb inclusive. It’s rare we’ll see any on the fast training rides, far more social.

    November 1, 2017 at 8:59 pm #905327
    0
    CXR94Di2

    I would say there is about 10
    I would say there is about 10-15% in our club who are women

    November 1, 2017 at 1:51 pm #905325
    0
    alansmurphy

    We have a pool of 3 ladies in

    We have a pool of 3 ladies in about 15 regular riders so guess we are doing ok. 1 wife of one of the chaps, a daughter and a step daughter, my little girl may get an introduction in 2018.

     

    On the other hand, for me being out on the road is my chance at some time away from it all, not sure I’d want the other half or too many kids along…

    November 1, 2017 at 10:52 am #905323
    0
    Al__S

    Club AGM a couple of night

    Club AGM a couple of night ago- reported as having 303 members, 16% female and recognising that as an issue (also an average age of 44, although there’s a seperate but associated club for under 16s which partly accounts for that). From observation on Sunday mornings other than the fast group I think the active club run figure is more like 25%, and I often find myself in a goup that’s 50:50- but also often end up in a 100% male group (there’s 7+ groups most Sundays).

     

    As yours is a village club, have you tried talking to women you know? Are there some you know ride but haven’t joined the club? Are there a few who do a lot of jogging who might make for recruits, but are maybe intimidated by getting started and the possible perception of it as a bloky sport/club?

    November 1, 2017 at 10:09 am #905321
    0
    Canyon48

    I was Equality &

    I was Equality & Participation Officer for my universities cycling club a year or so ago.

    We had around 40 members, 2 of whom were female. The club had about 10 ‘regulars’ who’d show up every week, one of those was female.

    And of the 3/4 ‘hardcore’ bunch – the ones who went cycling even when a club ride was cancelled due to 50mph winds and heavy rain, none were female. Simialrly with the 5-odd who raced, no females.

    Even when the female who turned up regualrly launched a campaigin to get more women to join the club (though the initial women’s ride had 10ish people turn up) subsequently, only another 2 joined the cycling club.

    Currently the club only has one female rider but we don’t know why we’re struggling to recruit moer. Particulalry when the other uni in the city manages to field an entire womens squad (it is worth pointing out that the other uni attracts sponsored riders who compete nationaly and continentally).

    Interestingly, I see a local club run through the village where I live that does have a womens only group – there’s only 4 of them, but they are out every weekend.

     

  • Author
    Replies
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
1 2
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.