Hurrah! Singletrack magazine have put a woman on the cover!!

Mountain bike magazine Singletrack put a woman on its May 2015 cover, and it’s caused a bit of a stir.

The cover of Singletrack May 2015 featuring Laura Brethauer. Image by Christoph Laue.

The cover of Singletrack May 2015 featuring Laura Brethauer. Image by Christoph Laue.

Singletrack magazine is always a good read but I am really pleased to see a woman on the cover of their May 2015 issue (German Enduro rider Laura Brethauer, about to go over the edge of something very steep). To be honest I am also a little surprised as women in mountain bike magazines tend to be noticeable for their absence. I tweeted about the cover on Saturday and got a huge response – all positive – including a RT from Rachel Atherton (19 mountain bike world cup wins to her name, and a major player in promoting women’s mountain biking) who added ‘Was buzzing when I saw this!! Respect!!’.

I love the image (by Christoph Laue), because its not posed: Brethauer is clearly totally engaged in her ride. It’s the moment we all ride bikes for and it isn’t about being male or female. Singletrack tell me that they chose it simply because it deserved to be a cover, and not because it’s a picture of a woman. This is, of course, as it should be. However it is also really heartening to see a woman represented on the front of this esteemed (and little bit maverick) mountain bike title.

As a print journalist it is also good to see that magazine covers continue to command respect: everyone who saw this and commented on it understands that putting a woman on the front is way more significant than slotting one in somewhere in the vicinity of page 36.

I’m aware that most mountain bikers are male (80%, I think) and that magazine making is a business, and that it is dependent upon entertaining its target readership. I also know that the vast majority of mountain bike photography features men. And of course, I don’t want to see a quota of ‘women covers’ to win a few PC points. But let’s hope that the reaction that this cover has generated may just inspire photographers to work with women riders, and editors to continue to take the occasional risk with their choice of cover star.

Cycling: defy self-doubt

How to tap into the best version of yourself and get the most from every bike ride.

Sarah Storey, Helen Wyman and Sigrid Jochems line up at the start of the Tour Series race in Woking, 2014: no time for self-doubt.

Sarah Storey, Helen Wyman and Sigrid Jochems line up at the start of the Tour Series race in Woking, 2014: no time for self-doubt.

 

I recently went to a talk by life coach Bonnie Rasmussen from Rise on how to get the most out of taking part in a sport’s event. It was hosted by Lululemon and Bonnie focussed on running. I was particularly interested in what she told us about self-awareness, and here I have shared some of her ideas over to cycling. I hope you will find them inspiring.

When it comes to riding we all have our strengths and our weaknesses: I don’t know anyone who doesn’t struggle with some aspects of their riding skills. You may love riding downhill but get intimidated by climbs (or vice versa), a particular technical section may remind you of falling off, or you might just believe that you simply cant ride a trail, no matter how many skills sessions you’ve signed up for, nor how often your friends tell you it’s actually quite easy. If you are competing, you might believe you cant win, or that someone deserves to win more than you. Or you just be fighting the fear of coming last, or the often held but rarely admitted fear that no one will like you if you mess up.

A ride will always be unpredictable and can throw up challenges at any point (isn’t this one of the reasons why we love our bikes?). Knowing that you have resources within that you can tap into quickly and effectively can mean the difference between a pulling a great ride out of the bag when you feel challenged, and going home with your tail between your legs.

Increasing self-awareness enables you to use your mind, body and state (your feelings and mood) to your advantage. It’s not difficult, but you do have to practice if you want to be able to switch into a more positive mode effortlessly.

Make it a priority before you start the ride: you check your bike is ride-worthy so why not make sure your self-awareness is too.

So let’s break it down:

Your mind

What you’re thinking affects your body: for example a funny thought will make you laugh whilst a phobia increases your heart rate). Focussing on positive, confident thoughts will benefit your physical performance and affirmations that you repeat as you ride can be really helpful. Here are a few to in inspire you:

I am strong

Fast and flowing

I can do this

Relax and breathe (one of my favourites)

I am nailing this

I deserve this (I used to use this one when my children were small and I felt guilty about exercising).

Please do share your any that work for you in the comment section below!

Your body

Adopt the posture of a strong, focussed and confident person – relax your arms, wrists and face, breathe and have a soft gaze – and you will ride like one. This is easier said than done, of course, when you’re heading for the edge of a huge, rooty drop-off – but it’s so effective that’s it worth persevering.

Your state

Feeling calm, light and focused is always going to be preferable – and more enjoyable – to feeling nervous and distracted from the task at hand. If it helps, visualise someone or something that personifies that state:

I tell myself to ride as if I was a very nonchalant Kate Moss – by which I mean self-contained, relaxed and not terribly bothered what anyone else thinks.

I am aware that this sounds a little unusual – but it works for me!

It’s also worth taking a moment to experience gratitude for the opportunity to ride, no matter how well you do. When all is said and done, being able to get out there and love the experience is what really matters.

 

Photo credit: Adele Mitchell.

Six reasons why outdoor exercise is best! (for Velovixen)

Mountain biking at Old Harrys Rock in Dorset.

Mountain biking at Old Harrys Rock in Dorset last summer.

I am really happy to report that, as well as writing here, I have been invited to contribute to the Velovixen blog each month. Velovixen is a UK-based women’s cycling site. Founded by Liz and Phil Bingham a couple of years ago, the site champions women’s cycling as well as selling some great kit. I am really looking forward to working with them.

Here is a link to the first post I have written for Velovixen, on a subject which is very dear to my heart – outdoor exercise! Enjoy, and don’t forget to add your own reasons for working out outdoors (I am sure there are more than six!).

WORKING OUT IN THE WOODS (and awesome mountain bike skills)

The wonders of working out in the woods (and some awesome mountain bike skills).

Surrey Hills mountain bike jump

Not me, by the way.

I’m a huge fan of exercising outdoors. A gym full of mirrors is every shade of wrong when you could be gulping fresh air into your needy lungs and plugging into the delicious power supplied by the sun on your back. When you’re so fixed on nailing the next berm on the trail that you forget what your thighs look like or how many calories were in your breakfast: that’s a good place to be. The trails that I ride with my girlfriends may be less than forty miles from London, but you can forget about mirrors. Come to think about it, you can also forget about mobile phone signal and sign posts. So every ride is a little adventure, as well as a workout.

We found this jumps section recently. Despite being a few metres away from a trail we know well, we’d never spotted it before. We dismounted our bikes to have a closer look (you don’t get to do that in a spin class!) and discovered a series of ‘tiger trap’ pits built beneath it. It looked truly terrifying.

Before long, two riders approached through the woods and, without even slowing down to look, soared over it. They pulled up ahead, and walked back past us to have another go. Now, we’re not really in the habit of talking to strangers in the woods, but this is outdoor exercise so you can talk to anyone, so long as they’re doing of a version of what you’re doing. We asked about their bikes (Specialized Enduro, quite heavy – no wonder they were pushing up hill.) We asked them if they found jumps scary (‘to be honest, yes’). They jumped again, I took some pictures on my phone (above and below), said thanks and we went our separate ways.

 

Surrey Hills Mountain bike jump

Also not me, by the way.

I will never ride this jumps section for a trillion different reasons that mostly revolve around being a complete coward. That doesn’t matter. What counts is being outside on my bike, and being open to whatever experience the trails choose to throw at us. Which, in this case, is happily acknowledging that some riders are far more awesomely skilled than I will ever be, and that’s fine.

(with thanks to John and Rich for jumping!).

Review: Urbanist Bettie cycling pants

Why best selling Betties are putting the sexy back into cycling pants.

Urbanist Betties. Sadly, this is not my bum.

Urbanist Betties. Sadly, this is not my bum.

(This post originally appeared on Total Women’s Cycling but is now updated here).

What’s a girl to wear ‘down there’ cycling? Lets face it, ordinary pants soon wipe the smile off your face, especially as it’s impossible to adjust wayward elastic at a red light when surrounded by commuters. And no one wants to ride with bulky cycling shorts beneath their J-Brands or Whistles work skirt.

Delve deeper into this dilemma and imagine you have secured yourself a cycling date with the man of your dreams.  A couple of circuits of the park and a few beers later, then its back to yours and the realisation that it’s impossible to remove a pair of cycling shorts in a seductive fashion (this applies to both genders, by the way), especially when they leave a non-too fetching imprint of a gripper band on your thighs.

And then there’s your birthday: your other half secretly wants to surprise you with something a little bit ‘va-va voom’ – but needs the comfort man-blanket of knowing that he’s also getting you something practical for the bike. Surely there is an alternative to receiving a fluffy red g-string and a bottle of Muc Off?

Or what if you just like wearing nice pants and riding your bike? Or want something discreet but effective to wear beneath workout gear for your spin class?

Hurrah! Here comes Bettie to solve every one of these pressing women’s cycling issues!

Created in Texas, Bettie is, basically, a really nice pair of pants with a slim (think panty liner) cycling chamois inside. The pad is flexible, breathable, quick drying and moisture wicking. It’s also invisible beneath clothes. And, while I wouldn’t recommend these pants for a day on your road bike, they are brilliant for any other type of riding: I’ve worn mine for mountain biking many times. Hey, I’ve even got QOMs in them (though frankly my legs are taking ALL the credit for those). The pants also feature extra stretch round the leg openings to avoid chaffing. They are easy to wash and quick to dry (much quicker than conventional cycling shorts!)

They are also quite beautifully to behold: silky fabric with mesh side panels and a ruched detail mid-back gives them a lingerie look and feel. There are ‘sister pants’ too: The Brigitte is a hooped black and white design with a bit more of a vintage look.

At £42 Bettie is, price wise, a world away from an M&S pack of five. However wear them as an alternative to cycling shorts and they start to look like a bit more of a bargain: so much so that I’m reliably informed that they are now a best seller at Velovixen.

In short, if you’re a lingerie lover and a cyclist, then they’re a bit of a must have. Buy them here:

* Further update, prompted by a friend who failed to realise that you need to wear shorts over the top of your Betties …. You need to wear shorts over the top, you really do.

Ten ways to get more women mountain biking.

“WHAT COULD THE MTB COMMUNITY & INDUSTRY DO TO HELP ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SPORT?”

Pinkbike posed this question in a feature posted on International Women’s Day (read it here). These are my thoughts, based on my own experience during ten years of mountain biking (because they didn’t ask me to participate: something of an oversight, obv!).

Me - riding Barry Knows Best and trying to avoid running over the photographer.

Me – riding Barry Knows Best and trying to avoid running over the photographer.

 

  1. Women don’t all want the same thing out of mountain biking. Some want a straightforward, reasonably safe, social ride in the lovely countryside. Others want to ride nothing but downhill, others want to win races. Some ride once a week, others almost every day. As fashion brands know only too well, ‘one size’ marketing will not fit all and the industry needs to target us according to our riding habits as well as our gender.

 

  1. Just a thought: when I started riding I borrowed all my kit off my partner, including his bike (too big, too pacey, fell off a lot). Many of my friends started by riding their partner’s bike. Last weekend I met a group of women who were out for one of their first rides – all using their partners’ kit.   I know it’s not every woman’s way into the sport but, in my experience, it’s a significant entry point. Eventually there comes a tipping point of confidence and commitment where we step out of our partner’s shadow and decide to invest in our own kit: surely the perfect opportunity for brands to empower women (and win our custom).

 

  1. I learnt to ride with a group of women. We still ride together, every week. Most weeks we tear up and down the trails, other times we spend more time drinking coffee and chatting than we do riding. We like it like that. I have made the very best friends in the process, and that is as important to me as my riding skills (and believe me, I am very precious about my riding skills). For this reason, mountain biking does not feel like a ‘man’s sport’ when I am on the trails – however it’s a different story in the media. So….

 

  1. Women need to be as visible and at home within the industry as they are on the trails. My teenage daughter has recently started riding and I’d like her to be inspired by sporting role models doing fabulous things on their bikes, friendly faces in our local bike shops, and an the industry that is vocal about encouraging women’s cycling. And please, no more riders in bikinis promoting dodgy calendars: it is every shade of wrong.

 

  1. Many of the mountain bikers I know are male, and this is what I have observed: as a rule, the better and more confident a man is as a rider, the more generous they are with their encouragement and advice, and the more interested they are in hearing about my experience. For this, I thank them. Sadly I’ve also learnt that those men who regard me as competition (or just think I’m better than them) tend to be dismissive, talk over me or give advice I haven’t asked for. It took me a while to realise what was going on, so I just want to put it out there: gentlemanly conduct at all times, please.

 

  1. Now this is really important and I’ve learnt it the hard way: mountain biking frequently demands more technical skill from women than it does from men. This is because we tend to have less physical power available to charge up and over things, and are therefore more reliant on finely honed skills, position and accurate trail reading. I am forever pointing this out, both to women who want to improve and to men who think they know how we should ride (but actually don’t).

 

  1. In my experience, women tend to like to know how to do technical challenges on the trails correctly and safely before they will attempt them, where men are a bit more ‘ride first, think later’. Logically, this should mean that women riders will sign up for skills training at the drop of a hat: yet the women I know don’t. The reasons I hear? Too expensive /I don’t want to risk looking stupid or hurt myself in front of the group or instructor/my partner tells me how to ride (sometimes a good thing, sometimes not – see point 6). Food for thought if planning skills sessions.

 

  1. I came to mountain biking with zero mechanical knowledge: I couldn’t even change an inner tube (calm down, I can now). I’m fully aware that my safety and enjoyment depends upon riding a mechanically reliable bike and I keep on top of that, but I am never going to get excited about fettling in a cold shed. Unless you can ‘sex it up’ by convincing me that it’s what Kate Moss does on a wet Saturday afternoon, of course. Good luck.

 

  1. Bit of a sore point coming up: please don’t try to fob us off with a high-end women specific bike that has lower spec than the equivalent men’s version. We’ll do our research before spending all that cash and it’s one of the reasons why a friend of mine is currently having such a hard time choosing a new bike. Rant over (almost).

 

  1. I love mountain biking, I’ve made great friends, I challenge myself, enjoy riding in the most beautiful landscapes and have become really fit in the process. I enjoy being part of my mountain bike community and I have the greatest respect for my wonderful bike. None of this is gender specific and mountain biking needs to make it abundantly clear that the sport is accessible for everyone, male or female, if it wants to go forward.

So, over to you.

 

 

Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling team launch (and a Jens Voigt selfie!)

My photo blog from the Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling team launch, which took place in Stoke on Trent last week at Staffordshire University.

The riders from the Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling team, including Laura Trott (in white) meet the press.

The riders from the Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling team, including Laura Trott (in white) meet the press.

I grew up in Stoke – which is also where team sponsors Matrix Fitness are based – so it was great to go back there for the day, meet the riders from Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling and hear about the team’s new professional status as a UCI women’s cycling team: an incredible achievement which will allow them to race against the biggest teams in the world this year. It was good to see familiar faces including Chris Garrison from Trek and Polly Farrington from Vulpine – both brands are amongst the team’s sponsors – and Hannah Ustell from Total Women’s Cycling, who I occasionally write for.  I also spent much of the day building up the courage to ask for a selfie with special guest and cycling legend Jens Voigt (to cut a long Jens story short, he’s very nice, has incredibly long legs…and I got the selfie*).

But back to the launch, where the team of eleven Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling riders – from superstar Olympian, World and European champion Laura Trott to Development rider 17-year old Lucy Shaw – were the real stars of the day. They were joined by sponsors, the team’s families, local cycling organisations and a LOT of media. It was amazing to see so much support for this team and women’s cycling, and I can’t wait to track their progress through the season.

Below are some of my pictures from the day.

Sara Olsson is interviewed by Voxwomen, a new online women's cycling channel.

Sara Olsson is interviewed by Voxwomen, a new online women’s cycling channel.

Lucy Martin in front of the camera

Lucy Martin in front of the camera

The team wait to go on stage. Jens Voigt and Stefan Wyman are on the left.

The team wait to go on stage. Jens Voigt and team manager Stefan Wyman are on the left.

Lucy Shaw, 17 year old Development rider, interviewed in front of the team's Trek bikes.

Lucy Shaw, 17-year old development rider, interviewed next to the team’s Trek bikes.

Special guest Jens Voigt

Special guest Jens Voigt

TV coverage as the team line up for the media.

TV coverage as the team line up for the media.

Mel Lowther with support from home!

Mel Lowther with support from home.

Harriet Owen

Harriet Owen, about to meet the press.

Lucy Martin at the end of a long but really enjoyable day!

Lucy Martin at the end of a long but really enjoyable day!

*And here it is :0)

selfie

Hoy Vulpine

Getting the inside line on the new Hoy Vulpine range with Jools Walker at the London Bike Show.

Jools at the Matrix Vulpine ride in Richmond Park

Jools at the Matrix Vulpine ride in Richmond Park

The first time I met Jools Walker – cycling style blogger at Velo-City Girl  and ‘Head Girl’ at stylish cycling apparel brand  Vulpine  – was at a Sweaty Betty bloggers event on the Kings Road. It was a frenzy of trying-on and not enough changing rooms and somehow we ended up in the shop basement, in our underwear, gleefully giggling amid piles of luxury sportswear. I hasten to add that we’ve managed to stay fully dressed every time we’ve met since. Our paths have crossed at the launch of Brithish Cycling’s campaign to get more women cycling, the Vulpine cycling fete, the Total Women’s Cycling Awards, the Matrix Vulpine team launch and the social ride in Richmond Park, and now at The London Bike show where the brand was launching Hoy Vulpine, a new collaboration with cycling and Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy.

830hoystand Jools was holding fort at what turned out to be one of the biggest stands at the show: a huge floor space featuring a fairly minimal amount of carefully displayed garments (think luxury retail). The promise of a Costa Hot Chocolate soon lured her away, and we grabbed ten minutes for a catch up about the new launch (whilst been shot by a photographer who had – fashion coincidence – turned up wearing a Vulpine jacket). Hoy Vulpine was born when Chris Hoy –  GB’s most successful Olympic athlete of all time –  approached Vulpine – GB’s most successful small, British cycling apparel brand founded in the last three years  – about developing a range together. Once they had picked themselves up off the floor, they collaborated on a collection that includes bib shorts and jerseys alongside t-shirts, shorts and socks, with garments for men and women. They haven’t wasted the opportunity to use the Hoy name prominently – it would be foolish not to. 830hoytshirts While still based on performance fabrics as well as style, the garments are a little more keenly priced than those in the original label collection – £26.99 for a t shirt, £69.99 for a jersey, £79.99 for bibs. It’s also going to be available at Evans (from March) as well as online at Vulpine so while you might not be getting the full-on luxe merino of the main label, you are getting the benefit of economies of scale. I love the colourways and the design details – there’s not a garment that I wouldn’t wear. At the risk of sounding like a woman obsessed with zippers, I liked the choice between a full zip and part zip on the cycling jerseys, and the use of gripable zip pulls that you can use whilst wearing gloves (and angled rear pockets for ease of access). The bibs feature a full bodice rather than just straps: it gives a more streamlined look. And there’s even a zipper garage (a little flap at the top of the zip) that stops the top of the zip digging in to your sternum (I deliberately checked for this because I have a similar pair from another brand which lacks the zipper garage, and so digs in). And the lovely contrast zips – did I mention those?

Matt Stephens - probably not quite so excited about the zip technology as I am.

Matt Stephens – probably not quite so excited about the zip technology as I am.

Post hot chocolate, we headed back to the stand. Matt Stephens had just turned up and happily posed for a few photos. The next day Greg and Kathy LeMond visited and did a little shopping, and Chris Hoy was on the till (or at least very near it). Me? I came, I saw, I got the same T-shirt as Jools because she always looks great: it’s a no-brainer, really. See and shop the full range here. photos: Paul Mitchell.

Let’s talk about sex (and cycling)

Tour of Britain 2013

Men: cycling quickly merely to impress the ladies, perhaps. (Tour of Britain 2013, image Paul Mitchell)

Cycling and sex: you can’t have one without the other. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a carbon fibre bicycle and a life membership of British Cycling must be in want of a wife”. Such is the strength of the sexual tension on some club rides that if Jane Austen was around today she’d surely be penning Pride & Peleton, a novel about the bubbling under current of passion at Pemberley CC. Imagine, if you will, Elizabeth Bennett getting off to a bad start with club chairman Mr Darcy due to his off-hand comments about her hard won Strava times, a pivotal scene involving a sweat soaked Rapha shirt, and a lovely wedding at the end conducted by Reverend Wiggins.

It can’t be denied that sometimes there is an sexual frisson in the air. This is surely unavoidable given that we’re talking about a group of fit men and women dressed in skin tight clothing, pumped full of feel good endorphins, all out to get a bit of a sweat on together. To be blunt, cycling is a sexy sport and some men like to show off: grinding their way up a steep hill, muscles bulging, sweat pouring, groaning a bit. That cup of coffee at the top of Box Hill? It’s cycling’s version of a post-coital cigarette.

Then there’s the swagger that comes on if they get to fix your bike mid-ride. Never mind that we could do it ourselves: who can deny a chap the opportunity to get his tools out? It’s a green light for him to demonstrate, with one twist of a chain link device, that with ‘man’ skills like this he could probably also procreate with every willing maiden between here and the Lee Valley Velodrome whilst nailing a few KOMs en route.

And let’s not forget the ‘have I ever told you about the time I got numb testicles riding across Alaska?’ conversation: the cycling gentleman’s cunning way of reminding you that although you both have bicycles, he also has some other equipment that he is rather proud of. Yes, a group ride with men is, in reality, a hormonally driven thigh-fest dance, packed with sideways glances, not-so-casual overtaking manoeuvres and general strutting around for fifty miles. Enjoy it.

(this is rework of a story I originally wrote for Total Women’s Cycling!)

Me & Ben Swift on Box Hill

Ben Swift - unlike others on Box Hill, he didn't get that Team Sky kit for Christmas.

Ben Swift – unlike others on Box Hill, he didn’t get that Team Sky kit for Christmas.

Yesterday I rode a Box Hill climbing masterclass with Ben Swift, Olympian and Team Sky rider. Basically a bunch of cycling journalists and I followed Ben up and down Box Hill, trying to keep up while he tried to go slowly.

Then, at the end of the session, we were given a choice: ride Box Hill as quickly as we could (believe me, I’d already done that!) or ride it more slowly with Ben. The assembled male journalists bounded off like greyhounds out of their slips (clearly less star struck than I was!) but it dawned on me that while I had the rest of my life to try to sprint up Box Hill, I had only the next ten minutes to ride it with an Olympian.

So as the guys disappeared round the first bend, Ben and those of us who’d chosen to stay behind (me and the other female journalists, read into that what you will) set off to ride the iconic zig zag road at a more laid back pace. We rode side by side, chatting all the way up in informal interview mode. It was a bit like being on a Sunday club ride – except that the rider amongst us wearing the Team Sky kit was actually in Team Sky.

Ben was easy going, relaxed and chatty. In fact he talked so much he was a teeny bit out of breath. This was rather charming. The sun came out. If it had been a movie they’d have played The Carpenters. It was ten minutes of ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’ cycling Nirvana. So what did I learn about myself? That I may not be the fastest rider, but I’m definitely one of the smartest.

You can read Ben’s Box Hill tips on Total Women’s Cycling here.

Ben Swift is an ambassador for the London Cycle Sportive taking place on 10 May. The ride uniquely ends with a lap of Herne Hill Velodrome. Sign up now at www.humanrace.co.uk/cycling