"Chicks on a Fence" photo from the Wild Women of Westwood tour: left to right: Julie, Janie, Barbara, Deanna, Polka-dot Patti, Theresa see story below

Fast Women, Fast Bikes

More than ever, women are seeking out the high performance bikes that fill new biking needs.

Road biking, a sport once dominated by men, is being transformed by the recent surge of interest by women cyclists. The major obstacles for women — an uncomfortable fit and often a painful riding experience due to lack of bicycles and products designed for the female anatomy — is being replaced by bicycles that not only fit well but are augmented with accessories and clothing that make cycling much more comfortable for a woman.
Progressive manufacturers have taken notice of the success of women-owned companies that are producing what women really want, like Terry Precision Bicycles and Shebeest Cyclewear. The choice of products for women cyclists is now expanding, and the number of women on the road, and off, is increasing.

For example, road bikes are now available with shorter top tubes* for some women who would be reaching uncomfortably on the traditional longer top tube bicycle, adjustable stems, even smaller front wheels to fit the shorter woman, and saddles shaped for a woman’s pelvic structure with relief areas for the genital region.

Women’s shorts have a different cut and padding to more comfortably fit a woman’s anatomy, and jerseys are designed to fit and look like real women’s clothing, not a just a smaller/pinker version of a man’s jersey. Bike shops are beginning to stock the products that women need and want, and provide the custom bike-fitting that takes into account an individual’s difference in torso, leg and arm length.
Many new products that make road riding more enjoyable have given women the option of joining the men on the road. And why are women making this choice? We think that the following stories illustrate a few of the reasons women have gotten into the sport and why they are passionate about road riding.

the NEED for SPEED — “bad ass biker chick” Ann
“About 4 years ago, at the same time I was divorced and making my way on my own, I took up biking as a sport. I started on a hybrid and rode with some extremely kind professors from John Carroll University. They would always wait for me at the red lights as I worked to keep up with them on their road bikes. I did get stronger but longed for the speed of a road bike. “I have a need for speed” fits me to a tee. So, much to my bank account’s dismay, I purchased a good road bike. It was the best decision I have made in a real long time. Now I can keep up with, and sometimes lead my friends on our Sunday rides.

I now ride in the morning, in the evening, on the weekends, any chance I get. I love it because I can do it alone or with people. I love it because I am good at it. No one else’s score depends on me as it would in a team sport.

I like wearing the funky spandex and I turn into “bad ass biker chick” when I put on the garb. I can’t explain it but I stand taller, walk stronger and feel more confident when I am under the helmet and behind the glasses.

In September I am riding an AIDS Vaccine fund raiser ride from Montreal to Portland Maine. I have been training hard all summer and am loving every minute of it. I am always trying to challenge myself to see how much farther and faster I can go.
I truly love this sport and hope to for years to come.

LOVE on WHEELS — Val
I started biking about 3 years ago. A girl friend of mine suggested it because we wanted something to do. So we went shopping and both bought a bicycles. We went from the store to the Tow Path for my first bike ride.

We rode just a couple of times a week only on the Tow Path, but enjoyed it, and always went to the Winking Lizard for dinner afterward. After a while a co-worker of my friend joined us on our ride every Thursday and Sunday. About the farthest we went was 20 miles.

After about 2 years we hadn’t met anyone biking. But I kept telling my friend that I was sure that there were groups of people that bike and go on all day or weekend bike trips. And that is what I was interested in doing. I just didn’t know how to go about finding out about it. Then one day in the parking lot by the Tow Path I saw a man who looked interesting; he looked like he knew lots about biking. I saw him again on the Path going up and down a couple times very fast. He was riding a recumbent bike —something that I had never seen. I saw him again in the parking lot after riding and started talking to him. He told me that he was going on GOBA the next week, something that I had heard about and was interested in doing. He also asked me if it would be OK if he biked with us. I told him that we were up there every Thursday night and he would be welcome.

Well he started biking with us after he came home from GOBA. Every Thursday he was there, and he told me that he would bike with me any time that I wanted.

That was a year ago. We have been married for 6 months. I had been divorced for 20 years. I am happier now that I have ever been in my life. I now go on lots of bike rides and went on GOBA in June. We also bought a tandem road bike so we could do more biking together. So you see that biking means the world to me.

the TIMES, they are a-CHANGING — Polka-dot Patti
As a woman about 48 years old, I found myself with more and more free time as my children got older, became more independent and went off to college. I was bored and depressed and felt lethargic all the time. I had a friend 12 years older than me who biked regularly and I was always impressed with the distances she could go at her age. So, one day I asked her if I could come along. I had an old Schwinn bike which was quite heavy and cumbersome, and I was surprised to find I had an extremely hard time keeping up with her and her 60+ biking friends, especially on their 40 mile rides.

But I always had the time of my life when I went out on my bike, and came home with a natural “high.”

Since then I have gradually gotten stronger and faster, lost weight, and have upgraded my bike twice. My current bike has a custom paint job of climber’s polka-dots scattered all over the frame. Thus I became known as Polka-dot Patti. I’ve done several bike trips including the most challenging “Bicycle Tour of Colorado.”

I regularly do century rides and also have done a few triathlons. Now, I ride with a younger, faster bike group (I always say I hang out with a “fast crowd.”), but I still enjoy more leisurely rides with my original biking friends. All of my biking friends are quite social. On our morning rides, which now could be as far as 80 miles, we always stop for breakfast; and on the shorter evening rides, we usually all stop in afterwards at the local pub to rehash the ride and talk about bikes, or just what going on in our lives.

I have many friends because of biking. We have had club bike jerseys made, which we wear on all the organized, pay rides. We all get quite a bit of attention and the feeling of camaraderie is great.

My women bike friends are really into the stylish bike clothes and take pride in our extensive biking wardrobes. We jokingly say, “it’s not how fast you ride, It’s how good you look,” but we all know that we really are secretly competing to be the fastest.

Needless to say, biking has become an important part of my life. I love my bike!!!

stress RELIEF — Tracy
I got into road biking after riding a mountain bike for two years. I enjoyed riding on dirt but found that most of the riding was either too hard and I came home bleeding, or too easy, and I didn’t feel challenged. I frequently rode my mountain bike on the road but had a hard time keeping up with my road riding friends.

I was gifted a road bike, and love it more and more each year. I can keep up with the road riders and find that I have met a lot more new biking buddies on the road rides. It is easier to find a wide variety of rides right out of my garage that I can do alone to suit my schedule and training needs as well. I enjoy the reward of speed much more than the reward of technical dirt riding as I bleed far less when road riding. I do continue to use my mountain bike when I need to ride with a different physical position or a slow, recovery ride. And, I like to ride it when pulling my kids in the Burley or riding with social riders.
I like to ride both alone and with groups depending on my mood. I like to vary hilly and flat rides and I love to push myself physically for a faster ride or a better climb or a longer ride.

Biking serves a lot of purposes in my life, and it’s cheaper than therapy. I enjoy feeling physically strong and competent. I ride to vent on a bad day and escape reality. I ride best, however, when I have a grateful, peaceful heart and can enjoy the gifts of the ride...sun, hills, flowers, critters, friends, sweat, muscle, water, air.

The apparel is comfortable and stylish...a treat for me. I am glad to see so many more women on the road. And, other than some friendly teasing, I haven’t had any inconveniences due to gender. When on organized rides, I find that the lines are even shorter in the bathrooms.

My personal goal is to become more mechanically able in caring for my bikes.

Whether you’re an athlete dreaming about winning the Tour de France, commuting about town, looking for love or reaching for a new personal best, a road bike takes you there.

*Notation should be made that bicycles with shorter top tubes, referred to as “women specific design” or “reduced top tube” frames, also benefit the man with a shorter torso and shorter reach.