Wanted: More Women on Bikes, Part II

Typically in this column, I try to cover a fresh subject each week. But last week's blog about cycling participation's lopsided male-to-female ratio sparked so many interesting comments (most of them on our Facebook page) that I think I'll revisit the topic here.

Consider first what a reader named Andrea wrote in response to the column: "American women tend to go 'dormant' once they are married and have children. But American men do not go dormant. They continue to enjoy their hobbies, while wife stays home with the kids. Women need to assert themselves more to continue to do the things they love after they have families."

And this from Denise: "Women in Europe wear whatever they have on to bike, including their nice high-heeled boots. And women here [in the U.S.] tend to spend much more time on their hair, so they don't want to mess it up with a helmet. Women here think bicycling is only for fitness and sport, while in Europe they think of it as a viable form of transportation. Also, I don't think women trust bicycle stores any more than they do their auto mechanics, and don't necessarily get straight answers or good service."

Jamie (he's a he) said this: "I think a huge problem in the bicycling community is that most cycling organizations seem to cater to racers (speed) and tourists (long distance). Although I love these organizations, I feel they sometimes intimidate those thinking about taking up cycling as a hobby/activity."

And, finally, Tracy offered up her own personal Intimidation List of reasons why more women don't ride:
Mechanical things like changing tires are intimidating;
Traffic is intimidating;
[Pedal] Clips are intimidating;
Riding solo is intimidating;
Cyclo computers are intimidating;
Gear is intimidating;
Mostly, and above all, bikers are intimidating.

In closing, I'll share some links my colleague and fellow blogger Jenn Milyko zipped over to me from a couple of entities that are striving to increase the number of female riders (I sense that the two sites might be related). Bike Shop Girl is an online bike shop and more, with the mission of "Helping women find their way in cycling." And Women's Cycling Magazine is both a print and online resource covering many aspects of cycling, with a racing emphasis. I could not find the words 'touring' or 'travel' on their category list, so hopefully those will appear sooner than later.

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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that — just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.