It has been a long held belief in boxing that sex before a bout will leave a fighter with weak legs. Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser on the other hand was of the opinion that it enhanced athletic performance, for her anyway.
And while having sex before a pro-bike race may or may not enhance performance, the actual sex of the rider certainly makes a difference to how the race is reported.
See what I’ve done there? I’ve tricked you into beginning an article that is about women’s cycling.
Now I know that some of you will have already navigated away from this page in disgust at my deception, but my hope is that some of you will simply shrug and seeing as you are here anyway, keep on reading until the end.
I apologise for the slightly ambiguous headline but it illustrates perfectly the uphill battle that women’s cycling faces when it comes to promoting their side of the sport.
Had the headline read something along the lines of ‘Women’s cycling deserves better’, how many of you would have clicked on it? Be honest.
One or two out of every ten perhaps? We know this to be the case by the number of hits our articles get.
I can pump out a 600-word rant about Lance Armstrong and rack up several thousand hits in the blink of an eye. Replace that article with an in depth look at women’s cycling and I’d struggle to get 200 hits over an entire week.
Why is it so?
The answer can be summed up in one word – familiarity.
Among all but the most hard core of cycling fans, our pro-women cyclists are largely unknown.
Ask a member of the general public who Marianne Vos is and watch them fumble for an answer.
Ask them about Cadel Evans or Bradley Wiggins and watch them break into smiles of recognition.
If you are trying to entice those same members of the public to a bike race, who would they choose to watch?
A woman they have never heard of? Or a couple of men that they can at least recognise, however vaguely?
Cuddles and Wiggo would win every time.
The same principal applies for the media.
They know that an expose on Lance Armstrong will sell more papers or get them more ratings than a profile on Marianne Vos, so we get Lance, and the women’s side of the sport remains largely anonymous.
There is no growth in familiarity therefore interest remains low.
Not only does this affect the number of athletes going into the sport, but also the level of current sponsorship and the viability of races. It is a no-win situation.
And yet the characters involved in the women’s side of the sport are just as colourful as the men.
The girls have some absolutely fascinating back stories and the struggles and sacrifices that many have faced just to be able to continue to ride would put many of today’s male pros to shame.
The racing isn’t half bad either!
One negative observation though is the apparent lack of depth that seems exists in women’s racing.
At international level Vos continues to sweep all before her and not just on the road. As well as being world road race champion, she also holds or has held track and cyclo-cross titles.
She is a destructive force and is nigh on unbeatable across any terrain. Her name is painted with metronomic regularity upon race honour boards the world over. No one wins on a more consistent basis than her.
She is a female Eddy Merckx.
But where are her challengers coming from?
With restricted pathways and limited opportunities for the girls to make enough money to survive, the flow of superior quality athletes to the women’s side of the sport is not as high as we would like it to be.
Depth is also a problem at domestic level.
The aggregate points table for Australia’s National Road Series was dominated by just two names from start to finish.
Katrin Garfoot and Ruth Corset traded stage wins all year to finish first and second. Just 11 points separated them by season’s end (114 to 103).
Third placed Felicity Wardlaw however, was over 60 points further back, having amassed just 40 points. That is a huge discrepancy.
Perhaps more concerning though is the fact that Corset and Garfoot are relatively new to cycling, both having taken up the sport within the past five years.
They are also both well into their 30s, having come into the sport late. And yet, not only have they been able to slot into the sport smoothly, they have been able to dominated it!
How can this happen?
True, they may be extremely gifted athletes, but what of the other girls?
How is it that a couple of relative new comers can step straight onto the country’s podiums ahead of girls who have been training for years, some under specialist coaches?
I mean no disrespect by that comment but it does raise some questions.
Having said that, the dominance of Garfoot and Corset (they won six out of nine NRS races between them) took nothing away from the season.
The battle for aggregate honours between Garfoot and Corset was the highlight of the domestic series.
It also provided the drama. The girls began the year on the same team. Garfoot’s original role was to be domestic for Corset who was the reigning NRS champion.
When both riders began accumulating results it was clear that something had to give.
Things can become unhealthy when two riders are battling for leadership of the same team so Garfoot made the decision to leave.
While many saw it as a falling out between the two, Garfoot refuses to delve too deeply into the split.
“It was just one of those things,” she said to The Roar during last month’s season ending Tour of the Goldfields. “It gave a better opportunity to both of us.”
Bad blood or not, her departure set up an unforgettable showdown on the final ascent of stage two of the National Capital Tour. It showcased not only how great women’s cycling can be, but how great cycling is as a whole.
In their first race as rivals Corset attacked Garfoot time and again on the final climb.
With four kilometres to go the elastic snapped and Corset took line honours. It was a glorious display of grit, determination, strong riding, smart tactics and panache! It had everything that a bike race should have.
Many hold the misguided belief that women’s racing can be dull and let’s face it, sometimes it can. But let’s not forget that men’s racing can bore us to tears as well. Not every race is going to be shouted about from the rooftops.
But when things click and we get a Corset versus Garfoot type moment such as occurred at the National Capital Tour, it is something we all need to applaud, whatever the sex of the riders involved.
So how do we raise awareness of women’s cycling?
It begins with us. If we take the time to read the results and articles that do filter through, familiarity begins to grow.
It starts slowly with the recognition of a name here, a recollection of a story there, before gradually, almost imperceptibly, a creeping curiosity demands that you find out more.
The media will follow – eventually – because they’re existence is dependent upon our patronage.
And the stories are out there.
While researching the women’s scene for an article about the Tour of the Goldfields, I found the reports to be dominated by the names of Garfoot and Corset.
But digging deeper other stories began to emerge.
Like former team pursuit world champion Sarah Kent returning to the sport with only six weeks training in her legs after an 18 month lay off. Or the excitement felt by Tayla Evans as she lined up for her first NRS race.
Or the nervous jubilation of stage three winner Joanne Tralaggan, who after an unexpected sprint victory realised that she had to face the SBS cameras for the first time.
Not to mention the fact that the new NRS champion, Katrin Garfoot arrived in Australia from Germany only five years ago having never turned a pedal in anger.
Yes, the world of women’s cycling is just as fascinating as the men’s. Unfortunately only a dedicated few know about it.
Ben
Guest
So it would not be a problem for female announcers to refer to your soccer as a game for boys?
Ken Hicks
Guest
Ummm, you're conclusions are wrong. It has nothing to do with familiarity. The reality is that no matter how much we strive for equality women will never be (physiologically) equal to men and when we are talking about (professional) sports this is very important. Now before everybody starts hating on me as some male chauvinist pig let me state that I love women's cycling. I love Marianne Vos. I even love when the local female badass drops my fat Cat 4 ass when the road tilts up. Here's the deal - do I think a woman doing the same job as man deserves the same pay (or opportunities/exposure)? Of course. But here is the kicker - the women are not doing the same "job" as the men (at the top level). It's no different than the fact that I, as a male Cat 4, am not doing the same "job" as the men (at the top level). I've raced in the Boise (Idaho, USA) Twilight Criterium. This race is on the NCR (National Racing Calendar) and is a big draw for the top professional teams in the country. When you are standing on the sidewalk and a peloton of 60 or so men pass within inches of you at 50+ kph and it feels like a freight train just blew by you it is exciting. When 20-30 Cat 4 Men come trickling by at 35 kph is it as exciting? Not so much. Should I get all butt-hurt because there are 20,000 spectators standing around the Boise Twilight Criterium course when the Men's Pro class is on the course but there's only a couple hundred when my class was out there doing the same thing (but not the same "job")? Only if I want to ignore reality. So what exactly is the job of a professional cyclist? To make whoever is signing his or hers paychecks money. Lots of it. When it comes to sports, which is a non-essential of life, it is a luxury, a distraction, we want to see the biggest, fastest, hardest hitting, hardest crashing, etc., etc., etc., before we open up our wallet and the reality of the matter is that the pro men go faster and crash harder and that's what people are willing to pay for. When you add to that the fact that the bulk of the articles you read about women racers start something like "I started racing six months ago and then I turned pro..." then it is obvious that the level of competition between the women and men is miles (kilometers) apart. Sad to say but it's all about the money and the women bring a much smaller percentage of the ingredients to make the "pie" to the table so in turn they get a smaller piece of the pie back.
Bones506
Roar Guru
Marianne Vos would pump 1/3rd of the mens pro peleton.
Bones506
Roar Guru
Over analytical and over sensitive in every way possible on this point
Tony Barrow
Guest
Women's cycling has to start somewhere and I have noticed that some clubs like Hawthorn, StKilda & Coburg have shifted focus to the development of women's races, Coburg have gone the extra mile by developing a women's team along side the men's team. This can only breed healthy competition at the grassroots level and potentially create more exposure for women in the sport of cycling, and potentially a stepping stone from Club & VRS racing to NRS racing. This is not something new, the men have been doing it for years, just now some clubs have created the opportunity.
Monique
Guest
Jono, What you are referring to is a male commentator speaking about other men - and trying to do it in a way that makes the commentator sound as if they are former teammates or old high school buddies (which they sometimes are). When a male refers to 30+yr old women as 'girls', there is no possible link as a former teammate or an old friendship from back in the day. There is a huge difference. The usage changes the impact of what is being written. Even if it wasn't intended, it suggests that the subject is not serious enough to be referred to in correct or respectful terms.
Robert Merkel
Guest
Some good points, but I think at the NRS level things are looking reasonably bright for women's cycling, for the following reasons: * Good racing gets people talking. OK, it's a small circle but there seemed to be quite a few people interested in Garfoot vs. Corset at Goldfields. * while not as big as the men's, the fields are getting bigger. There were 58 riders at the Tour of the Goldfields. * In Victoria at least, numbers at club events continue to grow. * While the GC was dominated by Garfoot and Corset, there were quite a few different stage winners. * There are fewer race days in the women's NRS, making it easier for riders to be at a high level across more of them. There's also only one one-day race - a second one would be a good idea IMO (a hilly classic, ideally, given Shiprwreck Coast is a crosswind-fest). * Holden Cycling were unable to field a full-strength team on a number of occasions because their riders went on international excursions. If she had been there later in the season, Miranda G would have been a third GC threat at hillier races, and Lucy Coldwell would have been very handy support. * Garfoot may be inexperienced, but Jack Haig is almost as new to the road scene as she is. He showed up to Tour of Bright last year as a near-unknown mountain biker, ripped everybody's legs off, got a ride for Genesys and ripped everyone's legs off again at the NRS. * As for her age, why not? While it surely would be better to start earlier (and women's cycling does have a problem with getting women in their early twenties involved) , it's not at all unusual for women in their thirties to be very strong in endurance sports. Did you see the age of the women's TT podium at the London Olympics? * Garfoot was picked for an AIS scholarship, not based on her NRS results, but on an infamously gruelling selection camp run by the AIS coaches. The AIS explicitly took her age into account and because of it set the bar higher, but she was still selected, so clearly they think she's a real talent. In the announcement, coaches noted that the depth of riders had improved this year, and the NRS is becoming better preparation for international racing. * By the way, how many people know who Jack Haig is? The women's racing scene at international level has real problems - one of the biggest problems is that many of the races don't even have the quality of highlights coverage that the women's NRS does. And it's scandalous in my view that the Tour Down Under, with all the government funding it receives, doesn't have a full-blown women's race running alongside it (for heaven's sake, if the Tour of Qatar can do so, why can't the Tour Down Under?) And I agree that getting girls and younger women involved in road cycling remains a challenge. But I think the Women's NRS glass is half full rather than half empty.
Sean Lee
Expert
Thanks Cheryle.
Sean Lee
Expert
Good on you Robbie.
Sean Lee
Expert
Very valid points, but we must ask why women don't support women's sports? Is it because they too have little knowledge of the women's teams and athletes just as the rest of us do?
Sean Lee
Expert
Fandog my old mate! Long time no hear!
Cheryle Barker
Guest
There is no easy solution to raising the profile of womens' cycling. Personally I prefer to watch women racing because, as the article suggests I am more familar with and follow female cyclists. I do not agree with statements about 'risk genes' or womens' racing being of a lower standard. For me the excitement I experience in watching cycling is about the strategies, tactics, technical skills and so on. This is as much a part of women's cycling as mens. One of the challenges is about women having the same opportunity to extend their skills and tactical expertise. In recent years the level of womens cycling in Australia has significantly improved to provide this opportunity. This has been achieved even though women find it difficult to secure the same kind of sponsorship and support than male cyclists/teams. Finally I would like to thank Sean for raising the topic to enable us to continue to discuss the issue (with the hope of raising the profile of womens cycling).
Cheryle Barker
Guest
There does not appear to be an easy solution to raising the profile of womens' cycling. Personally I prefer watching women racing, but as suggested in Sean's article I am more familiar with and follow female cyclists which helps keep me engaged and interested. I do not agree with comments about 'risk genes' or women cyclists performing at a lower standard than men. For me the excitement from watching cycling comes from the strategies, tactics, technical skills and so on. This is as much a part of womens racing as mens. One of the challenges historically for women is having the same opportunities and access to competition that extends their skills and tactical expertise. My daughter travelled to Europe to gain this experience, but in recent years the level of womens cylcing in Australia has dramatically improved. Finally Sean I would like to thank you for giving the issue some attention and keeping the discussion alive.
Peter Phillips
Guest
I agree that the sex of the athlete is actually irrelevant to the entertainment at the base level. However, it just so happens being male is biologically an enormous advantage when it comes to strength, endurance, size etc. In relation to Bill's comments; I do not doubt that there are some women who have more ability than some many male athletes (riders inclusive) but the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day the very best male has always beaten the very best female, by quite a considerable margin in most sports. Also in relation to the team Sky reference, I guess we can agree to disagree there, I personally thought that the execution of that team was truly fascinating and as a result entertaining. A similar analogy could be made of the Aus cricket team of the early 2000s, sure they were dominant (16 tests in a row) but it was also incredibly entertaining watching them ruthlessly beat teams. I do not doubt that there are people like yourself that enjoy or even prefer watching certain female sports, and that is great. However the fact of the matter is that the vast majority don't, and people should not be made to feel like they are being sexist or discriminatory for choosing one over the other. It is the equivalent of calling Sydney discriminatory for preferring rugby league to AFL, it is a choice, no one stops anyone from attending AFL games or female events, they overwhelmingly choose not to attend or watch on TV and that is true for both men and women. I played very high level squash and I didn't cry foul when no one watched our games, they simply chose not to, no one was locking them out! People chose that they would rather watch something more entertaining. I also agree with other points regarding depth and women's sport and women's own support of female sports. Attendance at sporting matches is the ultimate test of rational behaviour. Access to the games is equal, admittedly the marketing surrounding women's sport is hugely deficient, however even accounting for that the attendance is still well below where it would be on an adjusted basis. Having said all of the above I also think that there are some isolated examples of sports where I actually prefer watching women as they are more gifted and better to watch than men, such as artistic gymnastics. The grace and poise of females is something that the men can never reach, men always look like they are muscling it and throwing themselves around, where as women are truly captivating and appear almost effortless. However I will always prefer watching men's sport.
Jono Lovelock
Guest
Gordon, How often do you hear a footy player or commentator say: "full credit to the boys." Actually, it's rather often..
tony meadows
Guest
Sean,I agree that its regretable that there's not more womens racing for I agree it can be just as exciting as some mens races. I think however the hinderance to its increasing in popularety is the depth of competition,this is fundamental to sponsorship,the number of races,the public interest and the growth potential in the sport.I realise that this represents a chicken and egg dilema. The sport to look to for a solution is surely tennis.20 years ago the women's game on the world stage was a long way behind the men's,but then came Billy Jean King,a stand-out pro as is Marianne Vos.She organised the players,found sponsors and confronted organisers and authorities.Today the womens tennis tour is so much bigger and of course richer AND importantly more watchable. So what womens cycling needs is a flag bearer with world wide recognition and credability Marianne Vos ?
tony meadows
Guest
Peter you're testosterone revelation got me excited as I could immediately see a business opertunity more appealing than selling ice creams on race days.Sadly though I realised that if it became succesfull UCI and WADA would ban it.
Carl Robie
Guest
I am a customer of Uptown Cycles in Charlotte, NC, home of Robin Farina, President of the Women's Cycling Association. She was coaching a Computraining course with me as one of her victims. I had been mourning a loss of interest in professional cycling since all coverage of the male version seemed to be directed at the conduct of those involved rather than the actual cycling. Looking through stinging, sweaty eyes at Robin's National Champion's jersey hanging on the wall with Robin stalking around and yelling at the group in the same room inspired me to look into the women's version of the sport. I have joined as a male supporter of the WCA and use articles like yours to build my knowledge of the sport and it's participants. Thanx.
Bill Macleod
Guest
Why then do more people watch the equivilant of men's div 2 cycling than women's pro cycling? Also Marianne Vos has more W/Kg than most of the male pro tour riders, do your research. The 2013 women's world road race championships had a faster average speed than the men's (over a shorter distance on the same course) - but how many people watched all 6 hours of the men's race? You can't tell that a race is being run at 2mph faster average speed than another when watching on TV anyway.
anopinion
Guest
A true argument. Some great points. My experience with women's sports leads me to believe this, women don't watch women's sports. If 50% of the population supported women's sports then the media would give it more air time. As it is the Australian Women's Cricket Team do not get paid the same as the men because no one goes to watch them play. The Australian Women's Rugby Team have a torrid time getting support because very few people watch their games. I think women's sports are just as entertaining as men's sports. I often go to watch my sister play, I used to coach a ladies team. None of the girls involved in these teams go to watch women's sports, instead they go to watch the Reds, Wallabies and they discuss the TDF and other men's sports.