Fucking BikeRadar.

I don't know where else to post this but it's really irked me and I feel in need of some backup.

I know Bike Radar is shit, but why do they feel the need to run with this sort of sexist nonsense? To me it confirms my belief that cycling is replacing golf for middle-aged men, and that Bike Radar represents all of that bullshit.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/cyclepassion-calendar-2015-43259/

Don't go into the BR forum then - there are bits of it that are full of [strike]this shite[/strike] stuff a lot less tasteful than the calendar. Or there was, maybe it's gone now. Whatever, it was grubby.

cycling can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I use the classifieds quite a lot as the stuff I'm after usually goes cheap on there coz it's not made of crabon. It was depressing seeing this this morning, thankfully there's been a bit of a reaction on Twitter, so I'm not totally on my own in my disgust.

LOOL. What idiots. Honeslty who passed that idea.

LOOL. What idiots. Honeslty who passed that idea.

http://www.bikeradar.com/author/Oli+Woodman/

Mr Woodman apparently, ex MT Bolfer maybe?

Oh he's a devoted petrol head

Nows it all makes sense

Buy this one instead then.

http://news.distractify.com/pinar/nyc-taxi-drivers-2015-calendar/

Did you not notice the balance in the footer?

http://www.bikeradar.com/blog/article/gee-atherton-strips-off-23981/

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40033&t=13006447

(I'm more amazed that I still had an account there. Joined in 2006!)

I logged in once, cannot remember my password, and the email address I used to register is no longer available to me - so I'm locked out for good.

Meh. Every sport has its pin up calenders. The sad thing is that that when its the men striping off. Its just a bit of a laugh. Men its the women, its far far more sexualised.

I know we like to think cycling is above this. But it really isnt.

Well indeed. I don't see why its necessary for professional athletes to have to take their clothes off for a calendar. It's particularly grueling when it's cycling as it's meant to be a sport for everyone, but shit like this makes it look like F1.

I have kind of the opposite feeling. I think its more offensive when its sports that are far less 'for everyone'. With rugby in the Olympics the womens form of the game has gotten a lot of promotion. Up here in Norway, female handball players are converting to rugby for a chance to partake in the Olympics. Its very cool, and interesting to watch the development.

While I have no issue With the Oxford Girls team calender etc. More Power to them I say. It does seem to feed the male need to sexualize women in absolutly everything they do. I get the feeling in heavily male dominated sports like rugby, this need is at its strongest.

/boring Friday rant.

I don't really know what I'm trying to say. I would like to think that we had got to a point where female athletes were respected for their performance in their sport, rather than their tits. There are still many sporting areas where women's input isn't as respected as men's (football, rugby etc), but one would hope that in a sport where women had had LOTS of success in the last few years, we would have got past the need to sexualise them.

Just when you think that society has moved on, you see the abuse directed at Rebecca Adlington because of her looks.

Speaking of sexualising sportspersons:

Phwoar.

Victoria Pendleton has done some "sexy shots" too (sigh)

For sexualized sports to the max, look no further than bodybuilding/fitness modelling. There men/women are perhaps sexualised to a similar extent, but the objectification, the real issue, is still there too.

Does sexualisation lead to objectification? I've no clue, but I'm not a fan of the whole drooling over pictures of people you can't have anyway. Clearly not getting this objectification thing. #doingitwrong ;)

Sexualisation usually goes hand in hand with reducing someone to a sex object, so yes, it does.

I used to know an international level sportswoman, in her late teens / early twenties. She spent all her life training, living in tracksuits, sports halls and hotel rooms. Early to bed, early to rise, train hard, don't party - all that sort of thing.

She did a photoshoot for her website. She loved it - the chance to wear make-up and look glam. The photographer also did some "sexy" shots, her posing with strategically placed kit etc. She REALLY loved them, and was showing them to everyone. I was just thinking how much they conformed to gender stereotypes of women.

I guess she wanted, just for a little while, to conform to those stereotypes, because for 364 days a year she wasn't allowed to.

While we are on it - I've seen the Pendleton shots. IIRC, she had to point out that being a full time athlete is very badly paid, and the money she gained for the photoshoot was enough to make a difference. Personally I think this is not far from prostitution, but at least she was paid. The women in this particular calendar weren't even paid, but I bet the company are making lots of money from it.

I've read some articles on "fitness modeling" - that sort of stuff can f**k with your head if you aren't careful. Along with fashion modelling, and prostitution.

Ah, I see, she just wanted to look "glam" (which good lighting can do for you and makeup).

Yeah I suppose if "being sexy" is important for you and you can't do it...I can see where she's coming from.

Being slightly pissy about words....

I think she wanted other people to perceive her as glam and sexy.

I think it's like when teenage girls go out in stupidly short skirts. They do it because they can. Generally the novelty wears off after a couple of years. My friend never did any of that stuff, so she was pleased to have the recognition that she was a sexual being, albeit slightly later in life than most young women get it.

And also, she wasn't as hung up on gender studies as I am.

So offensive you posted the link. Boo fucking hoo. Much worse stuff to worry about.

I've been banned from Bikeradar for spamming? I have probably posted on a couple of classifieds threads there over the course of a few years. Tried emailing them and it bounced back.

Hacked account?

Yeah that's what I thought. No great loss it's a shite site anyway.