# Girls Ride Out



## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

Thought I would share the following *ladies only ride* with the group in case you want to start something with a similar format in your club this spring. This program was started in our club a couple of years ago and has been a great way to introduce women to cycling and ultimately develop riders who participate in other club rides on our schedule. 

http://www.3rvs.com/schedule/tour/gro.html
This moderately-paced ride is to get more women out on bicycles. The plan is to keep the group together, ride at a pace that allows us to do so, help new riders to become familiar with riding with others, and to finish with wanting more...(more on website)

One note is to insist it be ladies only. When Kathy started this ride she had several request like, _can my husband ride too, can we bring our tandem..._ Ultimately she decided no men and it has really made the ride appealing to women trying to get into the sport. In fact Kathy wont even let guys park and start from the same lot, she makes them drop off their wives and then drive several blocks away to the school to start their own guys ride. Ladies only means not feeling fat in lycra, not getting hit on by some creepy guy, not getting leared at by some creepy guy, not having your husband tell you that you are doing it wrong...


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

I think women's only rides are great for the confidence and comfort levels of new riders so I'm glad you are having success with it, but I'll tell you that about 4 years ago someone in our club listed a series of Tueday night (or whatever) women's rides (for the exact reasons you needed) and you would not believe the amont of $*@# we got (I was Captain at the time so got all the whiney emails). It was SO controversial that we cancelled the program.

And I always thought of our club as one with really good camaraderie, etc. The firestorm really, really took me by surprise.


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## 53T (Jul 20, 2002)

*No surprise*



JayTee said:


> I think women's only rides are great for the confidence and comfort levels of new riders so I'm glad you are having success with it, but I'll tell you that about 4 years ago someone in our club listed a series of Tueday night (or whatever) women's rides (for the exact reasons you needed) and you would not believe the amont of $*@# we got (I was Captain at the time so got all the whiney emails). It was SO controversial that we cancelled the program.
> 
> And I always thought of our club as one with really good camaraderie, etc. The firestorm really, really took me by surprise.


The reaction is really quite predictable. Our club does not have any "no women" ides, or any "no blacks" rides. It is not likely that we would tolerate a "no men" ride.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Well, that laps into a complex and contentious debate that can impact everything from single-sex education to "ladies night" drink prices, to the philosophical underpinnings of "Curves" (women-only fitness centers). This forum isn't the place probably for that, but I have no objection to women only training rides, though I personally don't feel the need to participate in them.

The one thing I think we could have done differently before merely forwarding on the ride announcement was to do an email inquiry/poll that basically explained the value that some see in some rides, especially for maintaining gender balancing in cycling (and in club cycling in particular), and asking for input. My guess is that the guys wouldn't have objected, and then would could have started the program with some collective "buy in." We didn't do that and folks got upset. My bad. 

But I do think most clubs struggle with gender balance and with getting new women riders to group rides, so "women's rides," just like "beginner rides" are a decent method.


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