2010-06-26 - Ladies London to Brighton Ride

If we do have a ladies sub-forum, it should be open I think - some ladies are posting via their partners logins.

However, we've managed to fend off the chaps in our threads, and gain their support - I think that this is quite an important point actually, that by having the mixed sub-forums, the chaps can see that the ladies are doing stuff, which they - as was demonstrated earlier in this thread - give their support and we gain kudos.

If we split out and have a separate sub-forum, then we are at risk of re-segregating and taking ourselves back to the digging remarks that used to pepper our threads. I'd vote for keeping the mixed forums, having ladies threads.

Can we have a ladies sub-forum that has links to ladies threads that are scattered around the reast of the forum? best of both worlds??

It does seem like there was plenty of women on the ride, but you would have had to be told about the thread to have seen it. If there was a sub forum, these things would be much easier to find, and much easier to organize.

I think with a strong moderator it wouldn't have the same problems as the rest of the forum.

I think that if a city the size of Norwich has it's own forum, then the ladies of GB should be able to cook something up.

I'm really more interested in this as a way to organize knowledge than as a way to be either inclusive or exclusive.

I'm not against the idea of a poll, but I do know they end up being a bit of a fiasco, I'm more up for this being a debate, especially as I would like to hear more about what people are worried about with trying this out.

Wanna start a thread on this? I definitely think it's worthy of the discussion. Some posts should be quoted through to the new thread.

If I may pipe up, I don't think a women's sub-forum would be a bad idea at all, even if it was only somewhere where sexist comments were definitely outlawed. Otherwise, for the reasons Nhatt cites--if anyone needs reminding what it can be like, look here.

It's a well-documented fact that a lot of women in this country think cycling isn't for them. There's a good deal of culture-specific stereotyping behind this, and this finds conscious or unconscious expression in a lot of posting that goes on here.

I think 'segregation' is a bit of a red herring here. If a sub-forum enables women on here to feel a stronger sense of community, they'll also have more confidence posting. As it is, the community has a distinct blokish feel.

There's of course absolutely nothing wrong with holding women-specific events--people need to realise that a lot of rides organised on here are effectively men-only events, anyway--with the occasional very fast woman thrown in, like stelle, GinaG, RP, or Pocketfull, to name just a few, who can teach many of the fast men on here a thing or two. It's just that there's an implicit and often unrealised mechanism of selection at work that doesn't make that so obvious.

Most men get into cycling by means of peer support, and women are missing out on that and fewer enjoy the benefits of cycling. Even allowing for the obvious objection that not everyone must enjoy cycling (O RLY?), the ratio of cycling men to cycling women in the UK is still shockingly lopsided and a lot of patronising shite tends to be wheeled out when people try to fish for explanations.

So, this forum's not the centre of the Universe, and I don't want to sound over-the-top serious, but I certainly find the sexism annoying and I can completely follow women's reasons for not wanting to be part of a community where people hold such views. Or--pardon me--have a kind of ruthless and vital sense of humour whose multi-layered irony takes no prisoners. But of course.

yeah lets get this out into the main arena and see what others think.

also maybe having a prefix in front of the threads to make them stand out/more searchable would help (like in classified) i guess vb would have to help with this.

It's out.
Feel free to quote your arguments (as I have) in the new thread.

I have also PM's Velocio to see what he thinks of the idea.

nice one

... also maybe having a prefix in front of the threads to make them stand out/more searchable would help (like in classified) ....

hmmm ... not sure I'd like "for sale", "wanted", or "ladies" ...

^ meant to say that with humour (my fail)!

Linky here: https://www.lfgss.com/thread46155.html

It's out.
Feel free to quote your arguments (as I have) in the new thread.

I have also PM's Velocio to see what he thinks of the idea.

I think that was possibly a bit too far between regroup points when you're largely in the middle of nowhere.

I'll volunteer to be a backstop, as long as I'm available to do a recce. Will be learning the route by heart next time anyway.

+1 to more regroup points and a backstop.

^ meant to say that with humour (my fail)!

reminded me of this poem:

"One sister for sale! One sister for sale!
One crying and spying young sister for sale!
I’m really not kidding, So who’ll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar? A nickel? A penny?
Oh, isn’t there, isnt’ there, isn’t there any
One kid who will buy this old sister for sale,
This crying and spying young sister for sale?"

(Shel Silverstein)

Jayloo!
DId you know that Shel Silverstein's on Spotify reading his work?

How awesome is that!

A few pics form my phone
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clefty/sets/72157624243297201/

Clefty, great photies! (niiiiiiice one of me stuffing my face at the top of ditchling) Though I reckon that photo of the bike pile should go into the 'How not to lock your bike' thread - if you look closely at the far bikes you can see our 'gold-standard bungey cords' wound effectively through some of the back wheels ;P

teehee!

Great Ride ladies, will try and upload my photos tonight.
I ate a whole can of heinz ravioli when I got home, had shower had one more beer and fell asleep to mock the week. Very content. Still feeling it today though.
I don't think there's any need for a sub forum - we are all just peoples who rides bikes - i'd hate it if the boys shut me out.
Spoke cards - YES PLEASE how do we make this happen? I can print stuff out at work but can't laminate. We deserve these cards ladies - we kicked ass - if a little slowly ;)

I can laminate but can't print - so if you can get them done, I'll sort out the rest.

I think we kicked ass at a rather good pace. Just got a bit comfy in the pub, nay?!
My thighs are shot today. Felt fine yesterday, but then I barely moved the whole time. Bit of a shock getting on the bike this morning.

I can laminate but can't print - so if you can get them done, I'll sort out the rest.

cool, do we have a design?

^ me too, it's always the day after the day after.. I forgot about that rule.
The swimming prob didnt help yesterday!

cool, do we have a design?

https://www.lfgss.com/post1392362-8.html

Although I think it needs some work, like the title of the actual ride ;-)

Amazing, right ladies who's got PS?

I do ... and can print as well ... if the spoke cards go to those that didn't quite make it as well?

Well done on a successful ride and what sounds like a fab day out. I wanted to ask you all a question which I have done here....

http://www.lfgss.com/thread46170.html

goes without saying x

That ought to read 'Mesdames' I guess. But hats off anyway, sounds like a great ride. And you couldn't have picked a better day for it. Well Done LFGSS Womens' subforum or whatever it will be named. I am really happy that this energetic womens' group is gaining strength.