Seriously, Just Make It Accessible

There has been a great deal of discussion lately on how to get more women on bicycles.  From what I read, it was a main topic at the National Bike Summit last month.  Type "get more women riding bicycles" in Google and a plethora of articles will pop up from newspapers to blogs.

Before I throw my two cents in, I think it's important to define what type of cycling we're referring to.  There are a lot of incredible women competitors out there, not that most people hear about it.  For example, did you know there is a women's race of the Tour of Flanders?  Really! It's the same day as the Men's race.  But, unless you get your cycling news from online sources or Twitter, you'll won't hear much about it, even though Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong, one of the greatest American cyclists of all time, came in second.  In fact, if you were watching the men's race on British Eurosport you might have noticed about 20 seconds of coverage on the women's podium presentation before they cut away to show replays of Boonen's victory, again, and again.  I hear NBC had the decency to show the women's podium presentation.  But, no race coverage.  That's right folks, you can now watch Little League Games on National TV, but you still can't catch a women's bike race.  Nice to know the ladies still fall underneath prepubescent boys on the totem pole.

2nd Kristin Armstrong (Team Exergy Twenty12), 1st Judith Arndt (GreenEDGE-AIS), 3rd Joelle Numainville (Canadian National Team)

www.usacycling.org

But, these aren't the cyclists the question is referring to.  The women are there, racing just as hard as the men (in all disciplines- MTB, CX, etc), it's just the media doesn't care.  Granted, if women's competitions received some coverage, that would certainly influence more women to get out and ride their bikes.  Remember, Lance in the '90's?

But, what about regular women?  There's a major vacuum out there on the roads and bike paths of America, and in Luxembourg too.  In Akron, I was the only woman who was commuting by bike in the downtown area.  Here, thankfully, I'm not all alone, but the men still out number the ladies quite a bit.

Why is cycling a male dominated activity?

Here's my thought:  it is marketed that way.  I'm not sure who to blame, the companies or the consumers, but cycling and all the disciplines therein at first glance seem to be for the guys.  Even commuting is marketed for men.

The bikes are there.  Most brands offer at least one women's frame for all styles and the "townie" subset has jumped on the women's market by creating several designs with fun paint, wide saddles, and funky frame designs.  At least, we can get a "cute" bike.  But, not every woman out there wants to ride 5mph wearing a flowered skirt.  Neither do all of them want to join a club and train for a century either or ride single track with the boys.  It's the "in between" ladies that have been left out in the cold.  They're the ones that want to get into cycling and take it seriously as a sporting activity or as a viable transportation option, not as a fashion statement.  But, they aren't at the point where they feel comfortable at their level committing to an expensive road or mountain bike and the not so flattering fashion that comes along with it.

But, when we walk into most (not all) shops to look at bicycles or components or clothing we feel that we've stepped into a boys only club, and it's begrudgingly letting us in.  In many cases, the women's stuff isn't even there.  Case in point, there is a large bicycle store called ASPORT not too far from where we live.  It's a warehouse with two floors of bicycles, components, clothing, and tools.  For boys.  All for the boys.  The corner with the meager supply of women's "stuff" is located right next to children's balance bikes and the men's sale rack.  At that particular store, women's cycling is taken just as seriously as training wheels.  I didn't even get an acknowledgment when I walked in. The shop in town, LS Sports, was much better on customer service and women even had a whole side of the clothing wing.  Wonder who will get my business?  Just like back home, some places "get it" and some don't.  I guess I hoped it would be a little better here, where cycling is a national sport.

If women walk into any bike shop in any part of the country or browse any online store, they should feel that cycling is a unisex activity, like running.  We should be able to not only to purchase a bicycle designed for our physiology, but everything else as well.  That means saddles (for all bicycles, not just townies or cruisers), shoes, jerseys, helmets gloves, base layers- anything we need.  We should be able to find things for all seasons and all styles of riding, in all sizes.  If the old guy in with the beer belly can find a jersey in his size, for crying out loud, the ladies should be able to find something larger than a size XS.  Instead we are shown a few things that are "dainty" and pink or floral and only compatible with summer riding.  Don't even get me started on what it's like talking to some mechanics out there if you're a woman!

It's a turn off.  So, many trudge off to the gym and join a spinning class.

If we want to take up commuting we are told that it should look like this, right?

www.popsugar.com

Ladies, you can ride your bikes to the store to get healthy, organic produce for your family, but make sure you look gorgeous while doing it.  But not really.  If there is any chance of raising your heart rate, get off and walk because you'll have to wear regular clothes that don't repel moisture and have seams in all the wrong places.  Of course, you want to pack a change of clothes in your stylish wicker basket.

But, gentlemen, while your woman is running the errands, have some fun on your way to work.  Break a sweat, go in the rain, and the snow.  We make jeans, gloves, and nifty wool jerseys for that! You can even get them at the mall!

www.rapha.cc

When it comes down to it, I honestly don't think it's a safety concern.  There are plenty of men out there that don't think riding a bike for transportation or recreation is safe and therefore won't do it.  I don't think it's a lifestyle thing either.  If its too much of a hassle to ride to your destination because of a lack of infrastructure or due to a schedule problem, then people aren't going to ride whether they're a man or a woman.  I don't think it has much to do with having children either.

It's about accessibility.  In the cycling Mecca of the Netherlands, men and women ride equally.  Why? Because it's easy to do there.  The land is flat and the infrastructure is there.  It doesn't take much to hop on and go.  In the rest of the world where there are topography changes and long distances between point A and B, people need different clothes, equipment, and bikes to make the journey more pleasant.  If the things that provide that are available for men but not women, women won't seriously participate.  They may take their pink townie to Starbucks on a sunny Saturday morning, but that's about it.  When it's time to exercise they'll head to their spinning class, because they aren't getting on a road bike in Lycra until they're a size 2.  And, when it's cold or raining they're going to drive.  Why?  Because, apparently, that's what we're supposed to do.

Right?