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Women's cycle races

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Started 11 years ago by crowriver
Latest reply from chdot

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Women cycle races Tour de France Giro Rosa

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crowriver
Member

In case anyone is now avoiding the 'podium girls' thread, thought I'd start a new topic. Some of you may be interested...

Intriguing perspective on the Tour and the role of women:
http://takingthelane.com/2012/06/22/guest-post-why-dont-women-ride-the-tour-de-france/

As some will know there used to be a female only Tour de France:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France_Féminin

For those interested in women's cycle racing, we just missed most of the Giro Rosa (formerly Giro Donne), the world's longest cycle race for women.

Still two days to go though, the finale is on Sunday.

If you have cable/satellite and can get Italian channel RAIsport 2, they have highlights from each day at 20:00 (21:00 BST?).

http://www.girorosa.it/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giro_d%27Italia_Femminile

https://twitter.com/GiroRosa2013

https://www.facebook.com/girorosa2013

(Last year's) Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/Girodonne

Posted 11 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Watching coverage of the Otley GP Crit just now on Eurosport. Interesting interview with a chap from British Cycling on women's participation in racing. As well as mentioning the strategies they've put in place to develop women cyclists, he said that BC's membership increased by 50% since the Olympics, and "much of that has been women joining".

Posted 11 years ago #
Charterhall
Member

I've watched the highlights of several of the women's Olympics, World Champs and classics on tv. I wish I could enthuse that they were as excitng and entertaining as the men's races. Unfortunately with just a few exceptions they weren't. I think the problem is that most of the attacks only gain a few lengths so look completely lame and get reeled in in a matter of seconds. The result is that the races mostly look a very pale imitation of the men's race.

I can only guess why this is so. I've got two theories.

One is that women don't have the same explosive power as men. When a top male rider attacks they can sprint for a few seconds at so many kph above the speed of the bunch that by the time they sit down they have sufficient distance that their slipstream is out of reach. When a top female rider attacks the speed differential is less, they don't get sufficient a gap and it's relatively easy to rein them in.

The other is that the races are so much shorter. When a male rider attacks in the early stages of a 250km race the protected riders may not be ready to commit because there's such a long way to go so they allow the gap in the expectation that the break will tire in a few hours time and be brought back. Or when a male rider attacks in the later stages of a 250km race so many of their competitors are already cooked they have no option but to let the gap go, hoping that someone else will chase it down.
But women's races are so much shorter, even the Olympic race is only 140km, everyone is much more prepared to up the pace from the start and the energy levels amongst the top riders so much less depleted at the end.

Or perhaps it's just good old testosterone.

Posted 11 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

maybe its cos you don't like women and find it hard to empathise?

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

Careful -

I've shut one thread today.

Posted 11 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

yeah yeah, keep it bland, but to be honest I think that was a mistake, now the argument will grumble about the forum like a single unwashed sock. My point is valid tho.

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

Bland in context (from other thread) -

"
I don't often close threads, but this has developed - like some previous helmet ones did - to a point where two 'sides' emerge and useful/enlightening discussion gets overwhelmed by a degree of unCCElike rancour.

That may sound like a new rule ' CCE should remain friendly - and bland'', but once things get like tennis (but without much actual point scoring) it becomes time to put the roof on - and turn the lights off.

"

Posted 11 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

I think there were a lot more points to be made, thats all.

Posted 11 years ago #
Cyclingmollie
Member

Charterhall: "One is that women don't have the same explosive power as men"

Hmm, I think Nicole Cook's finish at the Beijing Olympics road race was one of the best sporting moments I've ever seen. In a torrential downpour she was supported to the last lap by Pooley and came from fifth (I think) to first on the last couple of hundred meters. And all the more impressive because she was riding clean.

Charterhall: "everyone is much more prepared to up the pace from the start (in women's races)"

Yes, which is why men's races should be shorter and there should be fewer teams so more slower riders serve to reduce the pace. All part of the push to reduce doping.

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

I'm sure you're right.

Less convinced they would be illuminating.

Or worth using up my brain cells deciding whether it's gone 'too far'...

If you want to start a new thread "THE sexism in cycling thread (unmoderated)" feel free.

But...

Posted 11 years ago #
crowriver
Member

The reason I decanted the stuff about women's cycling to this thread was to avoid the whole 'podium girls' discussion, because I think it's a separate discussion.

What I do find interesting is how women's cycling seems to be moving up the agenda of bodies such as British Cycling. Olympic success is a key factor there, it would appear.

Posted 11 years ago #
Charterhall
Member

I would argue the reverse, it's frustrating that women's races are so short. If the UCI could devise some means of making them longer perhaps that would be the answer.

Posted 11 years ago #
Instography
Member

The women's track races are at least as exciting as the men's and Laura Trott in the elimination race in the last but on world championships is easily the most exciting bit of cycling I've ever seen. Road racing is, I think, pretty dull all round.

Posted 11 years ago #
PS
Member

I suspect a significant problem is that low media coverage means limited public interest leads to an underfunded professional sport leads to restricted sporting uptake, not necessarily in that order.

IMHO an awful lot of what grabs people about sport is the narrative - the characters, the stories, the "soap opera" if you will, not the relatively rare moments of sporting brilliance. But if the sport doesn't have a reasonable outlet, it will never become popular.

Almost all sport is, to the uninitiated, pretty dull. The spectator needs to invest time to understand the nuances and develop the interest that allows them to appreciate say 5 hours of a cycling race where very little happens until the last 10kms.

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"
Female membership has more than doubled in the last two years. There are almost 11,000 female members currently versus 5,000 in 2011. British Cycling is on target to achieve 25,000 female members by 2017.

"

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20130617-British-Cycling-reaches-75-000-members-milestone-0

Posted 11 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

but what?

Posted 11 years ago #
Min
Member

Meanwhile, the world is shocked and disgusted by the sight of a woman who was allowed onto the telly in a sporting context whilst not being a looker!!!

(Oh and she won Wimbledon too but that's by the by)

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

Well if Mr. I thinks that women on telly should look podium persons (or just be them - oops sorry wrong thread) then he really is in the incorrect job.

With such a conventional view he must abhor the fact that some women (men too?) have (over?) developed muscles.

From his remarks I assumed that Ms. B must be some Soviet steroided throwback.

A quick look on Google suggests that he should change his glasses and be transported somewhere for compulsory re-education.

Posted 11 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

what baffles me is that he apologizes for saying it, but nothing thinking it.

sadly, this just demonstrates perfectly point of previous thread. he would never have said that about andy murray, even though andy not quite as attractive as some of his competitors. but that's not how you judge men, is it?

Posted 11 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

SRD, Wayne Rooney gets it a fair bit, if Mock The Week is admissable evidence.

Inverdale's apology comes a bit late.

Posted 11 years ago #
Min
Member

For some reason Wayne Rooney gets picked on. I don't really know why. But he is an aberration and not a rule.

what baffles me is that he apologizes for saying it, but nothing thinking it.

He seems to think he is doing all of womankind a favour by pointing out that women DON'T in fact need to be good looking to be sports stars. But given everything that has been discussed, he probably has a point - if an extremely patronising one.

Posted 11 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Isn't anyone interested in talking about women's cycling? I guess not.

Aren't there some Wimblebore forums somewhere to vent about sexist commentators? I know, the weather's been a bit warm, a familar bookmark shortcut for the weary net surfer is appealing, but still...

Posted 11 years ago #
Min
Member

Isn't anyone interested in talking about women's cycling? I guess not.

Well no they are not what with women's racing being boring because the competitors are not pumped up with EPO and steroids. And probably ugly too.

Aren't there some Wimblebore forums somewhere to vent about sexist commentators?

Well of course. I should just boycott the forum for having a few ***ing d...s instead of complaining about it.

Posted 11 years ago #
crowriver
Member

I'm really enjoying the brotherly and sisterly love out there. Can't wait for the paraphrased passages from Dworkin to arrive.

Posted 11 years ago #
Cyclingmollie
Member

Charterhall: "I would argue the reverse, it's frustrating that women's races are so short"

I've not seen enough women's races to comment on that. I usually watch highlights programmes as I don't have five hours to spare during the day so from that perspective all races are long enough.

Víctor Hugo Peña in A Significant Other describes, using an example stage from the Tour, how a road race stage is controlled and all GC or other jersey threats neutralised by the dominant team (if there is one - he was in USPS). It makes for a busy hour or two for the domestiques from the start but after that the length of the stage makes no difference as the riders are moving as a peloton. The idealist in me hopes that shorter stages would mean less need for drugs. Nicole Cook would argue that you could have ten minute stages and there would still be drug abuse in both the men's and women's peloton, I imagine, obviously I don't know what she really thinks .

Posted 11 years ago #
Bhachgen
Member

I think it's a shame the Women's Giro has clashed with the TdF. I'd have made an effort to try and watch a highlights show every evening if I wasn't already dedicating an hour to watching the Tour.

Maybe ITV will give us a few minutes about it on "The Bike Show" tonight or next week. They'll probably just do a round up of what's happened at the TdF instead despite the fact that any of their viewers with an interest in road racing will have been watching that immeidately before the programme...

Some of the points Charterhall makes about women's road racing being less exciting than men's could partly be explained by the sport being less developed tactically and the participants having had less opportunity to gain experience in different race situations. Due of course to the much smaller number of elite-level events available for them to take part in.

Women's racing on the track seems every bit as exciting as the men's, likewise BMX on the few occasions I've watched it. I watched the highlights of the CX Worlds this year and found both Men's and Women's races enthralling.

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

http://www.thecycleshow.co.uk

Posted 11 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

http://www.podiumcafe.com/womens-cycling

http://prowomenscycling.com/

Posted 11 years ago #
Charterhall
Member

An interesting development, Marianne Vos and Emma Pooley leading a call for a women's Tour de France over the same stages as the men's race.
"We seek not to race against the men, but to have our own professional field running in conjunction with the men's event, at the same time, over the same distances, on the same days, with modifications in start/finish times so neither gender's race interferes with the other," the letter states.Such an event would force a revision of the UCI rules which currently requires women's stage races to be no more than 130km in length (110km less than under-23 men), while a special waiver allows one stage only to be 150km. Stage races max out at eight days unless permission is granted by the UCI Management Committee."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/campaign-launched-for-a-womens-tour-de-france-in-2014

Posted 11 years ago #
Charterhall
Member

So, lots of questions...

How are they going to address the need for pee stops ? Surely they can't just stop by the side of the road like the men do ?
How is the already massive logistical and accomodation and road closure operation of the Tour going to cope with not only a big increase in numbers but also the timing issues of 2 separate but overlapping races each day ?
Would there be sufficient interest from sponsors to pay for it ?
What would be the effect on the sponsorship of the men's teams ? Would they be happy to have their tv exposure diluted, potentially halved, by the reporting of the women's race ? Or would they hope that an increased tv audience would compensate for that ?

Posted 11 years ago #

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