I'm still seeing races that only have 5-10 women in the field (regardless of what Liz Hatch is doing for women's cycling). e.g. The Glencoe Grand Prix womens 1,2,3 and Pro races had a field of about 11. The official, when talking to the women at the beginning of the race said, "I'm not gonna pull any of you." The reason: such a small field.
Permalink Reply by Leah on September 20, 2008 at 10:24am
I've considered it but have never done it. I'm mildly curious as to how I'd stack up against other women and I've been meaning to jump on a xXx or other team ride to see, but again... just haven't done it yet.
Permalink Reply by Dawn on September 20, 2008 at 12:29pm
I'd be interested in testing my speed against others too though I fear I would be blown away. I have thought of doing an xXx ride but having to change a tire in 5 minutes scares me. I can change it that fast, but can't necessarily find what flattened it that quickly. That's the hard part!
Novices interested in racing next year should look into joining a club now, as spots are often limited and some teams have winter training programs.
Besides Get a Grip, Half Acre and my team are also recruiting right now. Kenda, ABD, Apache, Alberto's, xXx, and Tower also have women's programs. St. Louis-based Revolution has an elite women's development program. WDT is looking to start a women's team this year.
Each club has a slightly different approach and flavor... many are focused on masters racing. Some have coaching and group training, others don't. Many teams have one or two lone women racers, but in general the W3 and W4 categories are pretty small in Chicagoland. Hopefully this will be changing a bit in 2009.
If one decides to check out Alberto's one might want to speak to Francine Haas. I've known her (and her husband Brian Haas) since 1999 they're superb people. Both have worked with Vision Quest and both kick ass.
Permalink Reply by B on October 9, 2008 at 11:18am
Yeah I'm with Tommie on getting into it with cyclocross. It's such a good vibe and the fields pretty much get strung out right from the get-go so there's no need to fear being the one person who fell off the pace and is riding around in circles by herself. At our Jackson Park CX race, there were 4 women I know personally who were doing their first race ever and each had a blast, planning on doing more.
The good news is that indeed there are a lot of women's programs in the area. Join a team if only to dip your toes into it. You'll find like minded women who will be enthusiastic about helping you figure stuff out.
Of course I'm biased, but I think xxx is a great place to start. For more info, come to a meeting (1st monday of every month @ goose Island on Clybourn), or email our women's program director Gigi: gigi@xxxracing.org. In '08 we had over 30 women on the team.
And yes do come out and try out our Sat ride. Really it's not that intimidating. Yes we'd like you to be able to change a flat in 5 minutes, but if you can't (you should learn), someone will help you out. True you may be riding next to pro's and elites, but they are on the ride to help noobs figure it out.
This fall you'll find Webcor pro and current U23 World TT Champion (former xxx'r) Rebecca Much out regularly on the ride and she's as happy as anyone to help you find your groove in a paceline.
I'm always happy to answer questions about our ride, our team in general, so don't hesitate to holler. If you come out on a ride, say hi.