Women’s BRC Cycling Page Welcome to the Women’s BRC cycling page. We have many female riders of all ages and speed, but we are always keen to have more within the club: Our aim is equity. If you are a woman thinking of joining, or new to BRC, feel free to contact the women link member, Ali Cameron at ali@bristolroadclub.com for information and support. Ali will ensure that one of the more experienced women riders is there to meet you when you first attend a BRC event. Women Friendly Rides  Women Specific Issues In most cycling things, there is little different between women and men. However, there are a few things that are women specific, or commonly thought to be different. These are discussed below. Physiology Physiologically, regarding cycling, the major difference between women and men is the impact of testosterone. The presence of this during puberty and beyond results in men (on average) having a larger, stronger bone frame, bigger stronger muscles, a larger heart and lungs. The other major difference is that women naturally have a lower haemoglobin level in their blood than men. As haemoglobin transports oxygen to the muscles used for cycling, then it is not surprising that this is the second major physiological important difference in cycling performance between women and men.  Therefore, this does mean that the fastest man will be faster than the fastest woman - this is considered at Olympic level to be 10-15%. Over longer distances this difference narrows, so at ultraendurance level the difference is small and indeed the 2019 winner of the TCR (transcontinental race) was female. Psychological differences are currently highly controversial and unlikely to be relevant to cycling. However, it is accepted that on average men are greater risk takers than women. What does this mean for group riding in BRC? Not all that much. Yes, it is unlikely that a woman will beat every man up a climb, but she can certainly be in the mix, and be happy to know that, physiologically pro-rata, she may actually be performing better than the men. On hills, the fastest riders in the group will wait at the top for the slowest, and groups will go out aiming to put riders of similar ability together, so differences are small. Down hills, again, some will be faster than others. Do not take unnecessary risks - go down at the speed that you are happy with. The best advice is to ride today in a manner that means you will be riding again tomorrow - discretion is always the better part of valour. In the main the group will ride together, two abreast, on gentle downhill roads. However on steeper, narrower descents the group will naturally split and ride singly for safety. Do not worry, the group will then ride slowly at the bottom, or wait, until the whole group is back together. Equality Women and men are both integral components of the club. Everybody is welcome within Bristol Road Club, whatever your sex, ethnicity, background or age. We believe in equal opportunity and aim to be inclusive. Unfortunately in cycling there are still inequalities. All races do not provide equal prize money and recognition between the men and women. At a professional level women’s cycling does not receive the same television coverage and the number of UCI races is less in number with significantly less prize money (and consequently the salary of professional women cyclists is a fraction of the male). 25% of professional women cyclists received no salary in 2020.  It is also recognised that BAME riders constitute a lower proportion of cyclists, particularly in the professional peloton. Local Bristol rider, Alice Thomson, is one of a growing number of cyclists calling out on this misogynistic practice, and she recently gained thousands of signatures on her open letter to CTT (Cycling Time Trials) asking for equity to be enshrined in their rules. On an international scale, The Cyclists Alliance is an independent Union which strives for fairness for professional women cyclists and to provide them with holistic support throughout their careers. Within BRC, we believe that we have embraced equality. All prizes are equal. This includes the road race (A bridge too far) and the club annual awards. Group rides are inclusive. However, if there are areas in which you think we can do better, please let us know. Racing The women’s UCI racing has a growing calendar of events. Sadly not all are televised, but the GCN app does do a reasonable job of covering the races that are.  The site www.voxwomen.com is an excellent platform about the professional scene. Sign up to the weekly email which keeps you updated on everything happening in professional international cycling. If you are interested in racing yourself there are plenty of local opportunities for novice or experienced racing cyclists. These range from joining the BRC team in the Cotswold league for road races, racing circuits at Odd Down (Bath) and Castle Combe, time trials, hill climbs and Zwift racing. Time trials and hill climbs are a great place to start if you are new to racing as you can get a feel for if you would enjoy the competitive element, before committing to a road or circuit race. BRC do have a very strong Zwift race team, topping the local league’s first two rounds of 2020.  We have some former national women racers in the club, who are very willing to help support those who are interested in, but new to racing. So just ask and we will happily link you up. Bikes A few years ago, there was a trend to have women specific bikes, and some remain, like the brand Liv. However, there is no need to have women specific bikes. Most women ride a unisex bike. Looking at all the bike components there are just a few things to think about when buying a bike:  Bike frames: This needs to be the correct size for you - which for most women means a bit smaller than a bike for a man. Most of the manufacturers create unisex frames now as there are not significant anatomical differences in the female/male arm/back/leg. The average female leg will be longer and their back shorter than the average male, but this is only averaging and plenty of people are not average - so a good bike fit will overcome this by correct frame sizing and stem length. Handlebars: This should be the same size (width) as your shoulders. Stock bikes will come with a generic size which fits only some people - so you should ask the bike shop to swap this out for the correct size for you. Most good bike shops will do this for you. Brakes: Make sure that the set-up of the brakes accommodates your hand size. The generic bike set up often seems to be for a rider with larger hands. Your bike shop can set this up correctly for you. Saddles: Saddle preference is highly individual and will come down to the actual size of your pelvis and your position on the bike. The female pelvis is a different shape to the male pelvis (required anatomically so that women can give birth). Saddles come in a range of sizes and shapes. It is highly likely that you will need a female specific saddle due to that pelvis difference. The best thing is to go to a bike shop, sit on a specific tool that measures your pelvis’s “sit bones” (Ischial Tuberosities) to estimate your size, and try several out. Most shops will do a saddle test ride. When you find one you love, consider buying an extra one, as there is nothing worse than finding that the manufacturer has stopped making your favourite saddle.  Gears: Some find that with manual gears the front derailleur can be heavy and hard to shift. If this is the case for you there are two choices: speak to the bike shop to get them adjusted or go for electronic gears (the slightly more expensive option) - which are a joy in the lightness of touch required to change gear. Cranks: If you have short (or particularly long) legs you may want to try a different crank length. Industry standard tend to fit longer length cranks than the average rider under 5’8” requires, so consider if this needs to be changed on your bike. Those with a strong core and good flexibility are less likely to notice any problems caused by a less than perfect crank size, but if you have any knee/hip/back issues this should be addressed. Wheels: Emma Pooley (Olympic cyclist) is a big advocate for smaller wheels (650) for smaller riders. However, these are more difficult to source with limited range, so most women settle for the standard wheel size (700c), and accept that this can result in the wheel overlapping with the toe - so you need to be aware of this and take care when doing sharp turns. Clothes Lots of clothing items are unisex (socks/shoes/arm and leg warmers/helmets). However to be a good fit, shorts, jerseys, gilets and jackets do need to be female specific. Waist Shorts v Bib Shorts. Some women prefer shorts (without a bib) and others prefer having a bib. Bib shorts are usually a bit more expensive and they make doing a wee very difficult. From talking to men (who almost universally use bibs) the rational for bibs is 1) they do not fall down 2) they “hold everything in” 3) no compression around the waist. The problem for men to wear shorts comes from the different distribution of fat between women and men. Men carry fat around the waist whilst women carry it around the hips. So for most women, shorts do not fall down as our waist is smaller than our hips and good shorts use Lycra to hug your waist rather than an elastic band compressing it. So if you buy the right size and spend as much as you can afford - then shorts likely win out every time for women. It is worth buying the best you can as that will get you higher quality chamois, lycra and fit - worth every penny.  If you do use Bib Shorts then doing a wee will require taking all your top items off - not great given the size of many cubicles or if you are al-fresco. There are a number of solutions to solve the “doing a wee whilst wearing bib shorts without fully undressing” issue: 1) there is a trick of rolling up one leg and pulling the bib to the opposite side to create a gap, though this is fraught with potential for ending up with a wet chamois 2) use a shee-wee (or similar) 3) buy bibs with a zip or detachable bib straps (although these are considerably more expensive). Menstruation Just imagine the embarrassment for the men in the club meeting when this was discussed. However for women, it is part of our life - on average for 40 years, 480 times. So in reality, cycling while menstruating is going to happen, or cycling will be severely curtailed. There is an excellent article in the link below written by Bristol’s own Katherine Moore: https://bikepacking.com/plan/bikepacking-on-your-period-guide/ Essentially in her article Katherine lists the options: 1) Go free - on light days the blood loss is low and will easily be absorbed by the chamois of your padded shorts. 2) Tampons - no chafing, but they must be changed a maximum of every 8 hours which can be an issue on long rides. 3) Disposable Pads - not particularly recommended, as can chafe as much as wearing knickers under your shorts and are not breathable, so can be hot. 4) Menstrual cups - the environmentally friendly way of dealing with heavier days, and a great option for those bikepacking. 5) Wearables - washable, so good for the environment, but again can chafe. Cycling and menstruating is something that can easily occur at the same time. Club runs over a few hours will stop at a cafe, providing the opportunity to use the facilities there as required. And there are plenty of public facilities at locations the club frequently passes through, including in Usk, Tintern, Cheddar, Congresbury, Clevedon, Chepstow - usually the local public car park is the location of the village/town public facilities. If you want to stop, ask the ride leader to do so, and do not hesitate or feel awkward about making this request. There is no need to explain why you want to stop. Most public facilities are free, but bring up to 50p in 10p/20p money as those in some busy spots (e.g. Hay-on-Wye, Clevedon, Portishead) charge. Menopause The loss of oestrogen is a natural phenomenon that occurs for all women, usually between the ages of 45-55 years. The transition period can last for several years and some women suffer a lot of symptoms, others hardly any. The loss of oestrogen can affect women in many ways - affecting sleep, causing hot sweats, dry skin, aching joints and fatigue, altering cognition (“brain fog”), causing genitourinary symptoms, reducing muscle and bone strength and increasing risk of cardiovascular problems. Cycling (and other exercise) has been shown to help with these symptoms and reduce some of the effects of long-term loss of oestrogen. An overview of the changes that occur during the menopause and cycling during this period can be found on this website: https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/cycling-though-menopause Skin thinning can result in an increased risk of saddle soreness. Tips to address this are found in the following flyer: https://rockmymenopause.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/RMM_Cycling-and-the-menopause.pdf Strengthening and flexibility are also important. Resistance exercises can help to maintain strength and bone density and also can support your cycling. Many find that yoga, pilates etc. can be helpful for balance and flexibility training. There is some evidence that exercise late in the evening can increase the risk of hot flushes overnight, so you should avoid this if it is a problem.  Of course, medication is something you may want to consider. There are medications such as Sage, Venlafaxine and HRT (hormone replacement therapy) which can be prescribed for a range of the symptoms. All have pros and cons, so you must always speak to your GP about this. Pregnancy It is certainly possible to cycle whilst pregnant. You should however consider changes and be cautious - such as keeping under threshold and avoiding high altitude and of course avoid falling off. There is a good article on this in cycling weekly- an interview with professionals, Dame Sarah Storey and Lizzie Deignan, who both cycled whilst pregnant with their children. Returning to cycling after pregnancy will depend on the birth and the person of course, but 6-10 weeks is possible. This should be discussed in detail with your midwife before you start cycling again. It will take longer for ligaments to tighten back up and for all the changes that occurred during pregnancy to resolve, so exercise needs to be built back up slowly. Laura Kenny and Lizzie Deignan have returned to professional racing after having a child, demonstrating that it is possible to return to full fitness. Profiles of some BRC members Gwen 
 Really lovely bunch of girls and guys with so much experience, always ready to help and advise. It also helps that the kit looks good 😉 Zoe  The Saturday morning of my first ride, I arrived at Brunel Lock just as the drizzle was starting, looking somewhat like a radioactive lemon in my waterproof, and was warmly greeted by Danny and Brian. We proceeded to cycle to Berkeley and back and, although the rain only got heavier and my legs grew more reluctant to keep on pedaling, I had a wonderful time. Everyone was really friendly, they made sure not to leave me behind, and I got to do what I loved: cycling. I now go every week I can and am gradually getting faster and stronger – I can keep up on some of the little hills, and even when I can’t, everyone waits for me. Every week, there are different people to talk to, and another fabulous ride waiting for us – I already can’t wait for the next one. Jenny At first I felt a bit intimidated when I turned up and there were around 30 other cyclists waiting at the start, especially as a solo female cyclist, but I was instantly welcomed by the Club Captain. They introduced me to the ride leader so they were aware it was my first time riding with the club. We headed out riding two abreast, with the line rotating every 10 minutes so you were always chatting to someone new. There was so much knowledge and experience in the group - I was learning all the tricks to hide from the wind! I got home, absolutely shattered having completed my longest ever ride on my first time with the club. I think I just lay down for the rest of the day but I couldn’t wait for the following weekend to ride with the club again and explore more of the fantastic cycling routes from Bristol.  My favourite thing about Bristol Road Club is how much knowledge there is on pretty much all cycling disciplines. Although they are a road club, through the club I have been introduced to track cycling, mountain biking, road races, circuit races, time trials and hill climbs. There is also a wealth of experience in triathlon and cyclocross. I would recommend Bristol Road Club to anyone - newcomer or experienced cyclist! Ali  I first cycled with BRC in 2016. I was a bit anxious that I would not be
strong enough for the fast group, but Jenny had reassured me. I was soon a regular, enjoying the new
friends to chat to, the beauty of the two abreast group riding, and the extra
speed and strength that came from pushing myself not to drop the wheel on hills
and keep a good pace on the front. |
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