There are a great many clubs that run without a competitive element, the focus being on enjoyment of riding alone. However, there are clubs that cater for women looking to gain speed and compete.
Riding with people who are stronger than you makes you stronger. However, when those people are men it’s very easy to just let them go when the going gets tough under the argument the race isn’t fair, anyway. If the competition is female, that excuse is gone and the game is on.
Glynis Frances is the leader of TEAM GLOW women’s cycling network, based in Manchester and the North West – they’ve got 126 paid up investors, and 635 Facebook friends and followers. She explained: “As well as being totally supportive we also enjoy pushing each other to ride faster and harder – over half our members are on Strava.”
TEAM GLOW offer graded rides, with A being for women looking for 15-25 miles at 10mph, and D more likely to be 50-70 miles at 15-18mph – they also enter events, from local sportives, to the Fred Whitton, and run a touring/training camp on Mallorca once a year – “so members can even feel like a pro”.
Kent Velo Girls is another women’s club that provides a friendly environment for beginners, as well as training for competitive events. The club provides a development programme and skills based sessions with club coaches including group turbo sessions and training at the Cyclopark racetrack.
Bee told me: “For those wanting more challenging rides, competition is alive and kicking… but even on those rides, there is an inclusivity, and no riding so hard until someone is dropped.”
She explained the distinct difference she’s found between the women’s only club, and mixed clubs, saying: “My experience of teaching women to ride safely in groups has been far more successful than any of the mixed groups that I have ridden with over the years, when testosterone inevitably results in someone racing off the front. The safe feeling a disciplined group ride gives, is one of the things that gives women the confidence to come along to club rides.”
