How to Grow Women's Pro-Cycling

[User169]

Wow. Pooley again!

Vos wins the overall and Rabo-Liv gets all three podium places.

Great stuff as usual from Vos, but good to see her not get it entirely her own way.

 

[rich p]

Nice to see Pooley back near the top.

 

[Buddfox]

Couple of good results today - Sarah Storey won Stage 2 of the Tour de Bretagne and lies 3rd in GC, and Lizzie Armitstead second on stage 4 of the
Thüringen Rundfahrt (Evelyn Stevens leads the overall)

 

[Dogtrousers]

After the (relative) success of the womens' ToB earlier in the year, I wonder whether this isn't an opportunity for the UK to push this to be "the" womens' tour, or at least the unrivalled second to the Giro Rosa.

Of course if the sponsorship ££ aren't there then it's pie in the sky, but the (men's) ToB is never going to be more than a small sideshow, so it could be seen as an opportunity for the UK to have a premier event, albeit on a smaller scale.

For starters they could try to have a website that isn't absolute pants.

 

[The Couch]

How to Grow Women's Pro-Cycling?
Well... the women riders suggest tuning in to "La Course" on Sunday (as all of you here know if you signed the petition and received the mail )

Kathryn Bertine is asking for as much people to watch it as support for Women racing

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

How to Grow Women's Pro-Cycling?
Well... the women riders suggest tuning in to "La Course" on Sunday (as all of you here know if you signed the petition and received the mail )

Kathryn Bertine is asking for as much people to watch it as support for Women racing

ITV4, Sunday, 2 - 4pm. You don't have to watch it to support women's racing, you can simply watch it as support for cycling.

 

[fimm]

So I watched it
Do people think it was a success? I'm afraid that there was so much sport on over the weekend I didn't hang around after it had finished to hear the chat!

 

[Dogtrousers]

So I watched it
Do people think it was a success? I'm afraid that there was so much sport on over the weekend I didn't hang around after it had finished to hear the chat!

I'm not so sure. It puts women's cycling in the picture on the finale day of the premier mens event (good), and thus completely overshadows it (maybe not so good).

It's churlish to say that it's a bad thing, but maybe it does smack rather of a token PC gesture. We're a long way from stage races like the Giro Rosa or the Womens ToB appearing on an equal basis like women's track events.

But I'm trying not to be churlish. So chapeau to the amazing Marianne Vos.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I think that's a bit harsh, it didn't seem overshadowed to me. I thought it was a great start, and a great response by cycling to the petition. It was competitive and entertaining; I really enjoyed it. I hope it will grow from here into a women's Tour one day.

Yes. A bit glass half empty from me there. I enjoyed watching it. (Except for the bit where Armitstead crashed )

 

[Flying_Monkey]

A women's Sky team? Brailsford says 'maybe'... http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/28517286

This was my major critique of the whole Sky project - apart from the sponsor, of course - that with all the money, they couldn't find any for a women's team.

 

[SWSteve]

A women's Sky team? Brailsford says 'maybe'... http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/28517286

This was my major critique of the whole Sky project - apart from the sponsor, of course - that with all the money, they couldn't find any for a women's team.

Exactly, there are quite a few sister teams to the mens teams.
Liv (Giant) Shimano
Lotto Belisol
Orica AIS
Astana Be Pink
Rabobank

And I've probably missed a couple as well. It's surprising that SKY couldn't find the cash for it...

 

[The Couch]

I'm not so sure. It puts women's cycling in the picture on the finale day of the premier mens event (good), and thus completely overshadows it (maybe not so good).

It's a start, now if they could e.g. extend this to having the women ride the last week together with the men
(and have them scheduled to arrive at around the time that you can watch their final during the often slightly more tedious middle bit of a men's race)

Of course... I know in reality the details make this hard to do (what to do with the Tour caravan, have 2 helicopter crews flying around,...), but it's the way forward that has to happen in the coming years

This was my major critique of the whole Sky project - apart from the sponsor, of course - that with all the money, they couldn't find any for a women's team.

The Omega Pharma (or Etixx) owner Marc Coucke has also mentioned he doesn't mind considering it (but needs of course some things to be made right, like finding enough competitive riders for the team, a bit more attention to women cycling, finding other interested sponsors...)

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I see Emma Pooley has announced that she's retiring after the CWG.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I see Emma Pooley has announced that she's retiring after the CWG.

So it's her last pro race on Sunday? Shame it's not a climber's route.

By the way, earlier today I found myself sitting in the bath listening to Women's Hour on Long Wave (reception's better in the bathroom) and the programme was dedicated to the problems of women's sport. There seemed to be a strong consensus that access to funding, corporate sponsorship, and far better representation on sports boards (because the money gets divvied up by the blokes at the top).

And then, probably at 10:30, without warning the programme was stopped and coverage shot over to Test Match Special. Voilà, a classic demonstration of attitudes to women's sport. A good discussion about difficulties encountered by women cut short for the men's game.

And I like cricket but.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04bnd0q

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I see Emma Pooley has announced that she's retiring after the CWG.

That's really sad. She's could still win an awful lot. But I guess she has other priorities given her qualifications.