How not to be a knob to female cyclists

The eyes see what the eyes see and the brain thinks what the brain thinks - it's whether you then vocalise what the brain is thinking that determines how you are perceived and how the subject (male or female) is made to feel.

Some people look great in Lycra, some people don't* it's not anyone's place to pass judgement on anothers body shape.

Cycling is about that - cycling, it's there for all to enjoy regardless of gender, ability or aesthetics.

*I don't.

Couldn't care who passes me as i just like to ride, always say good morning or afternoon whoever they are

How about road.cc showing an example and create more women specific content (reviews, forum, news, advice etc.). Put those articles in a separate tab on your site, so that it is easy to find. Attract more female readers.

For blokes road.cc is very helpful, for women... probably not so much.

For example, I'd like to encourage my girlfriend to ride a bike, but I wouldn't know what would be the best women specific bike to get her. If you had separate forum for women I could ask them where to look for best closing for her etc.

P.S. Let me guess, less than 10% of road.cc active users are women.

It's sad that such an article need exist, but I can understand why. I've seen some guys be horrid to lady cyclists. On the point of unsolicited advice, I've only given it a handful of times, to anyone I've seen with rocking hips due to a saddle height that is too high, but that's the only case in which I've done that. I have a female cyclist in my club who asks me for advice about anything and everything cycling, from kit to maintenance, and I'm happy to help cos everyone is in the situation of knowing little at some point in their cycling career. That, and our best rider is a lady, she kicks everyone's ass, and frequently makes us want to die when she puts the hammer down.

I've never understood the sexist vitriol that exists in society, hopefully things like this make people realise when they're being a knob and thereby change their ways

OK, I looked at the photo at the top of this page; and at first I thought it was my Daughter???? She is a cyclist! The bike is identical and that cheesy thumbs up - gritted teeth look are typical of my daughter. Both my wife and me thought it was her? Then we saw the pink water bottle; She uses the same colour bottles as the Blue on the Ladies Cube Agree GTC. Colour co,ordinated at all times for her beloved bike.

I agree with some of the comments on here? and some I don't agree with! Treat everyone with respect; male or female, Oh; and BTW. most genuine ladies appreciate a kindly comments on their appearence from time to time. No snyde ones or rude ones; just genuine comments, Lets appreciate everyone riding a bicycle and not let GENDER get in the way of it.

Do not bust your balls to overtake a female cyclist who has just overtaken you. This happens to men too I'm sure but way more often if the person who has just overtaken you is female. I mean seriously.

Pendleton's naked images probably did little for female respect on a bicycle as per your point about not fetishing female cyclists.

Anyhow, male or female, cycling is an ugly sport (minor plug of a blog post): Marginal gains and gross indecency – The ugly side of a beautiful sport

Finally convinced my wife to expand her bike 'fleet' from a 10 year old 'do it all' Specialized Hardrock to include a road bike. On the second outing she was leaving me for dust and climbing in a lower gear!

Perhaps someone should offer a bit of friendly advice to this bloke with regard to tightening helmet straps....
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/alberto-contador-probe/story-e6frg...
I'm sure he'd be grateful for a word from the wise.

Just wondering...it's not just women who are riding around in lycra - do men feel pressure to conform to a certain look and body type as well? Surely guys feel a bit hurt every time they are referred to as the 'fat bloke at the back' etc ?

Surely pretty much all of these are just real-life common sense and either you're one of those assholes or you're not; I doubt anyone needed them pointing out.

Except #6. Who knew women were more antagonised by getting advice than men? To be totally honest, I've only ever given unrequested advice to someone when they're doing something dangerous and I'll continue to do it (male or female). If they want to ignore me then fine, but I'd rather I tell someone that, say, they should really not be yanking on the brakes on a wet fast descent going round a corner than have to call an ambulance for them later.

There are loads of bike clothing brands who make lightweight, close-ish-fitting padded shorts suitable for long rides in, that 'aren't lycra'. The sort of thing you can actually kick about in all day on or off the bike. I don't think these are given nearly enough exposure in the road cycling world.

If you can do 150km all-day on a MTB, in baggies, with zero chafing/flapping etc, there's no reason you can't do 150k on the road.

Like the helmet 'debate', in saying there's an alternative to lycra I'm not saying lycra is bad. Just that there's a viable and comfortable alternative.

Maybe if cyclists - male and female - were made aware there'd be less of an issue.

Clearly cycling draws participants from across social boundaries and with different behaviour and opinions. As much as we'd nod in misplaced smug self-satisfaction at that Facebook post that states (something like) 'cyclists are more intelligent than average', we're not a homogeneous group just because we ride: it appeals to all sorts, and just as in wider society there'll always be unpleasant 'knobs'. So it's not really a 'bike thing'. Treat women the way you'd want to see your mother/sister/wife/partner/daughter treated, and you're probably not far off, and challenge sexist behaviour where you find it. One last thing, without wanting to undermine the serious nature if this thread: I always thought it was 'nob', as in the sightly-more-amusing put-down 'nobber'?

I don't agree with point 6. As a female cyclist (& I imagine I would be the same if I was a man) I always appreciate advise. To be honest I would rather someone told me something useful which I would never think to ask. Knowledge is key, & at the end of the day you can take it or leave it.

I do find this article a bit strange, in a way that it seems to have highlighted an issue, that to me, is not there. Yes, when I overtake some men, they do overtake me back, but I find it funny & its usually the same type of person. The type of person who would be the same in any walk of life, on a bike or not. Anyway, I find the more enthusiastic & addicted riders on a club run are actually pretty impressed that a young girl can hack it with the better riders, & I love that (But maybe that’s the attitude this article is trying to put a stop to, who knows)

I let on to all roadies (unless they are wearing full Assos kit and riding a £8k Pinarello) but do notice that young females tend not to reciprocate.
I dont have a problem with this i hasten to add because im sure it could be misconstrued as sleazy but its a sad indictment that they must feel that way.
Sadly i dont think the "You dont want to do it like that" type just direct their 'advice' only to females but they probably just find it easier to patronise women, so do it more.

Wow... I really will never offer advice ever again.

I think I may be a relic from the sports past... back in my day, the club scene was quite hierarchical, there were the 'special' ones that everyone wanted to become... anything thing that helped you get there was grabbed at, and should a 'special one' notice you and try and help... well hells bells, that must mean you had something.

In hindsight, this was all rather silly, but as a 17 year old, it gave direction, focus and purpose.

I think these days, people enter the sport at a later age (it is an adult discovery for many) and I'm guessing, the last thing grown adults want, is someone telling them what to do, to be applying some form of hierarchy upon them.

Interestingly insightful.

The last time I gave some unsolicited advice it was to a triathlete newbie, 20+ years my junior, it was about her helmet. Her chin strap was so loose that she could have put both her forearms between her chin and the strap.

Don't really see the point of the article tbh, just sounds like someone having a whinge because someone hasn't been nice to them. If you think someone is being a knob because they offer you unsolicited advice, is it them genuinely trying to be helpful; if that causes you a problem, just say thanks but no thanks, no need to start getting excited and branding them as knobs. If someone is doing something that is offensive and illegal report them, if not ignore them they'll soon get bored, otherwise there are people who do unpopular things, you should just MTFU and get on with it. If you can't do that, ride with someone else, I'm sure it wouldn't bother them if you did.

How about female races in fantasy cycling???

Not just women who are feeling the cycling confirming pressure. As a larger lad, I feel the stares. Some guys have decided to embrace it (call it largesse...) and cater for the bigger sizes: http://fatladattheback.com/. Maybe time for a female equivalent, as our favourite sport should not discriminate on any grounds (lard real red or otherwise).

All very good - most of it is about not treating women as objects for your sexual gratification. However, that last one seems right out of order. I mean how unfriendly could a person possibly be? I offer advice on improving performance and diet to both genders and I've never had a complaint. The underwear issue is probably mentioned to avoid chafing but until now I hadn't figured that a woman might be wearing underwear because of her time of the month. Don't think I've ever looked long enough to notice anyway.

Anyway, put this in perspective - today I was shouted at for riding in the middle of the road (I was overtaking parked cars) and told I was a "f**king foreign c**t". That last one was quite loud have given a statement to the Police. Owner of the vehicle is to be questioned regarding a possible offence under the Public Order Act (I obviously can't go into more details)

Hang on a second - is this meant to be an article telling men how to treat women on bicycles? Seems like people are treating as such even though it isn't said. If so, can we have an article about how women should treat men on bicycles? Let's start with not being unfriendly...

Applauds Aweebear

Addressing #6... if you don't know you don't know and somebody comes up and enlightens you, then you know and now know you didn't know and what you know now might be handy.
Depends how it's done, is all.

I reject no'6 because

a) people have dangerous cycling habits like cycling in the door zone, not shoulder-checking etc, and you could save their life by pointing this out.
b) so many cyclists cycle with their seat too low.

It may just be my thick skin, but I can't recall having being personally treated negatively because I'm female.
I may have once or twice in two years had something shouted at me out of a vehicle window, but everyone gets nutters like that now and again.
Shops, fine.
Club runs, if I get dropped, that's due to a lack of fitness, not my sex. If anything, blokes seem to welcome having a woman along a lot of the time. Oh, apart from the lack of shelter I provide.
Last week on another forum, I pulled up a couple of blokes for taking the piss out of a photo of a rather large woman in bib tights, but a woman had also commented negatively, and they probably would've said similar had it been a man.

I often catch up with cyclists with screeching chains and have been on the verge of offering chain oil a number of times. I thought I'd say, your chain is dry, it is wearing fast and pedalling is harder, here is some oil. Never mustered the courage. I am glad to find out it would have been a mistake.

Meanwhile, try searching twitter for the hashtag #sportswomen - some of the questions posted for a Q&A with gymnast Beth Tweddle will make your toes curl, and reminds me that ultimately, while some may disagree on the points above, we are all actually trying to be civilised human beings.

I had a look at the Twitter posts about Beth Tweddle - it's enough to put any woman off competing in sport.

Warriors behind keyboards, that's the thing. I'd say that I'd like to be in the room when they say it, but I reckon if they were confronted with an angry-looking (but let's be fair, not big & tough) Beth Tweddle, their insults would likely disappear up their own ar$es. It's no different to road-rage - people say stuff from inside a tin box that they wouldn't dare say up-close.

So, you're basically "arguing" the same point as me, whilst still attempting to somehow point out that my comments were in some way sexist against men when all I was attempting to point out is WHY the girl may have taken the comments in the wrong way and also point out the fact that men and women are in fact NOT equal.

You clearly want an argument, I do not.

My only debate is to clarify the reasoning behind articles such as this and to give a clearer view of how it is for female sportswomen at the moment, as it may not be obvious to people who want to understand better the reasoning behind these debates.