It's just how we roll - Regular Ladies Rides

OK. I'm really curious so I'm going to ask. I've been riding in mixed groups, mostly with men actually, and enjoy it very much. I've never tried a ladies only ride and would like to do one at some point so I'm a bit puzzled as to why men feel the need to join a 'ladies' ride when all the others (not just here) are already dominated by them. What is the attraction for the guys exactly? Just wondering.

I think clefty is on to something with this

I would hazard a guess, that Ladies rides are generally a lot more chilled out than some of the male dominated rides and maybe don't seem as intimidating.

Some of the feedback from Saturday's majority female ride to Brighton was that it was more "companionable" than other forum rides. We might have got a bit spaced out but we all waited for each other when it did happen, and it was a very sociable pace so people could chat and mingle on their bikes, as it were.

I've been on quite few main forum rides where I've been the only girl, and it's fine but deffo a different atmos to saturday's ride. I've also been on rides where you only see some people at the start and the end of the ride and I can appreciate people being concerned about the pace of mixed forum rides. I have to say I'm pretty slow though, and have always managed to keep up, or you'll find someone to ride with at the same pace as you.

I'm not a bloke though, thank fuck, so I can only surmise the above. And hey, some boys just like hanging out with girls. There doesn't need to be a grubby, ulterior motive you know. Boys and girls can be just friends, or so I've heard!

23rd and 5th in the diary. Can I suggest a ride out near Epping Forest for one of them? I've never been and I imagine it should be lovely with all the leaves changing in the next few weeks. (Please correct me if I'm totally mixed up here)

Glad you like the idea, and AWESOME idea...will see what I can rustle up. I've never been to Epping either but it's a good manageable distance out of London.

The same question could be asked about why some guys are always posting in the Ladies forum too.... it's meant to be a forum for the women to "talk" with other women...

It's a mystery, eh? Speaking for myself, helpful valid input is always welcome, Ed is a good example of this for example, but otherwise, it's a bit like me posting in the Liverpool forum when I have no intention of ever riding my bike to Liverpool - bad example, but you know what I mean!

23rd Oct: The Only Way is Epping (Forest)

1. Poots
   
2. Sally
   
3. avellana
   
4. jayloo
   
5. 2 wheel pony
   
6. cafewanda
   
7. betstacey
   
8. ms.chris
   

23rd Oct: The Only Way is Epping (Forest)

1. Poots
   
2. Sally
   
3. avellana
   
4. jayloo
   
5. 2 wheel pony
   
6. cafewanda
   
7. betstacey
   
8. ms.chris
   
9. blowfish
   
   

There are also the lee valley canals and reservoirs up there ~

the towpath can be slow going but pleasant out towards Broxbourne. not sure I can make the 23rd, but here's one I made earlier

NB. this route only planned not tested! (although have done most bits of it on various other rides, might still be worth a reccy)

I've been thinking for a while that it's a shame that more girls don't go on forum rides for whatever reason and there aren't that many ladies rides organised...I know we're all busy an' that, but I'd like to have a bash at making it a sort of regular thing.

I think its a shame that more ladies don't go on TricityBendix's Essex Afterworkers. They fit your description quite nicely most of the time.

I used to but then lots of quite fast boys who like doing hills started doing them and the pace sounds like too much for me..

Poots I think you should make your regular rides women only, and then maybe for bigger occasions, like bank holidays or longer trips, have a ratio of girls to boys, e.g. if 4 girls come, then 1 guy can come.

Otherwise, I think what's happened to the afterworkers rides will happen to the Ladies rides. Guys will come along and change the atmosphere of it, and women (who have very few women-only spaces in the general cycling world) will drift away.

IMHO there's not much point in having Ladies rides or a Ladies space if it is to be in name only and nothing else. There are LOADS of other rides for guys go on, and if the Ladies do ever decide in the future they want to mix the gender ratio up, there's nothing to stop you having a "ladies bloc" on one of the main rides.

I think its important to have women-only spaces in a heavily male dominated scene (lfgss). The ladies polo is a good example of this. They've had their own women-only sessions going for a while now, and this has given the regulars there the experience and skill to be unintimidated when playing in "normal" throw ins. Personally I am terrified of meeting Nik & Erin (Tornadoes) in the league this season.

They've got their own tournament coming up now, which I dont think would have happened if they hadnt staked out their own (half-jokingly, half-serious) "megacreep-free" space for their throw-ins in the past, instead of where pest guys would be asking "Can I come along?" every time a session was called.

OK. I'm really curious so I'm going to ask. I've been riding in mixed groups, mostly with men actually, and enjoy it very much. I've never tried a ladies only ride and would like to do one at some point so I'm a bit puzzled as to why men feel the need to join a 'ladies' ride when all the others (not just here) are already dominated by them. What is the attraction for the guys exactly? Just wondering.

I'm always curious about this too. Personally I think guys who ask to go along on specific Ladies rides are a bit slimy. Even if they are as nice as pie on the exterior.
http://www.lfgss.com/post2378396-84.html
I cant understand why they just cant let the women have their own space, to breathe a bit, especially on a forum that must be, what, a hundred to one, M to F ratio?
There are loads of other occasions where we can all hang out; but to get more women riding their bikes, and going on forum rides, I think women only rides should definitely happen.

The same question could be asked about why some guys are always posting in the Ladies forum too.... it's meant to be a forum for the women to "talk" with other women...

maybe they just can't handle giving us our own space?

People can post where they want across LFGSS, as poots says.
But when guys constantly post all day every day, to every query that gets posted in this forum, even if they think they're being "helpful" and accommodating, what they're doing is actually shutting out women's voices from the threads.
By answering any questions immediately, they're not giving women a chance to participate in their own forum.

Anyway, I'm conscious of the bad irony of me posting an opinion on this here, so this will be the first and last input from me on this. Just an opinion of course, I'm open ears to criticism and reponse. Good luck with your rides whatever you decide to do.

I don't think I'd want to see a strictly ladies only forum as I think there are too many valuable sources of information to cut off on the grounds of their sex.

And I'm really not sure if Ladies Rides were just ladies, more would come along. Maybe we'll give it a go and see : )

The whole idea of the Ladies forum was never about segregation, it was always about and always will be about, grouping all the useful threads and info about wimmin specific cycling into one place.

The boys are welcome as long as they are respectful, and for the most part they are - Nhatt and I generally sort out the very little problems we have on this forum.

Lets not turn this thread into a debate about who should go on Ladies rides, when it's actually about organising them in the first place - all this discussion is derailing the purpose of this thread. To be honest we went through this whole debate when the Ladies forum first started.

So, hear my chevrons!

Hey ladies (and friends of the ladies!)Would people prefer if they were female only, or are you happy to have boys along as long as they play by our rules? They did behave exceptionally on Saturday ; ) Same thinking for all bikes welcome, or would you prefer fixed/SS only?

Over to you!

Back to the rides... I think you should be able to ride whatever bike you want to, and NOT have it only fixed/ss. Regardless, I'm gonna bring my road bike anyway - I like my knees too much to do long rides fixed! :-)

IMHO there's not much point in having Ladies rides or a Ladies space if it is to be in name only and nothing else. There are LOADS of other rides for guys go on, and if the Ladies do ever decide in the future they want to mix the gender ratio up, there's nothing to stop you having a "ladies bloc" on one of the main rides.

I have been thinking about this and whether I should move the afterworkers thread into the main rides forum, but the reason I put it there in the first place still stands: they're not meant to be women-only rides, but I did want them to have prominence in a place more women were likely to look. I think that is a fairly good point, though you may disagree

so often when i go out with my FF group from RP to Box Hill, the ladies always hang back and discuss relationships, gossip and shit, early on.. then paste us on the return leg, assuming once all that stuff is out in the open. could it be that girls are just better than blokes when it comes to riding a bike and dealing with life?

i'd love to join you one day for a ride, 'cept i think you'll leave me for dead at some horrible junction :(

Back to the rides... I think you should be able to ride whatever bike you want to, and NOT have it only fixed/ss. Regardless, I'm gonna bring my road bike anyway - I like my knees too much to do long rides fixed! :-)

Chris, I did Cambridge fixed. It was fine! I'll probably do most of these fixed. I still need to have my geared bike repaired.

Back to the rides... I think you should be able to ride whatever bike you want to, and NOT have it only fixed/ss. Regardless, I'm gonna bring my road bike anyway - I like my knees too much to do long rides fixed! :-)
fixed is not bad for your knees on long rides if you use the right gear.

I'd like to do the ride on 23rd on my SS but not sure whether the current gearing would be suitable. It's 46/20, which is a lot better than the original 46/15 it came with. I'm toying with the idea of changing the big ring to a 44 for long rides so I can get up hills without having an asthma attack. I'll think on it some more.

CW...any ride I lead will be relatively flat. Like I said on saturday, if I can get up it, it isn't a hill. Which reminds me I need to change that rear cog, now I've finally pulled my finger out and bought a larger one!

Deal! I'll give it a go then see if I need to make any changes. Oh, and Ms.Chris, I bet my knees are more fragile than yours :-).

the towpath can be slow going but pleasant out towards Broxbourne. not sure I can make the 23rd, but here's one I made earlier

NB. this route only planned not tested! (although have done most bits of it on various other rides, might still be worth a reccy)

Thanks for this hoefla! The ride up and down the Lea Valley is really nice if there was one or two of you, having done it, but tow paths aren't so conducive to group riding eh? Will check out the Epping bit though!

could it be that girls are just better than blokes when it comes to riding a bike and dealing with life?

Yes!

i'd love to join you one day for a ride, 'cept i think you'll leave me for dead at some horrible junction :(

Come dude! We wouldn't drop anyone!

I went on a ladies ride because I liked having a relaxed ride to the beach, truly was the best ride I've been on, even though it was pretty short (for me).

Also I brought a girl over with me, it wouldn't be right for me to send her over on her own to you ravaging lots.

Oh, right, another reason I don't go on afterworkers - 50 miles AFTER WORK? With a work day THE NEXT DAY? I'm out. That's why I like the look of these rides. 30-50 at the weekend, regularly. Build me up to not being exhausted at the end of 50 milers before I can consider doing anything that long mid-week. Oof!

Go on then....

23rd Oct: The Only Way is Epping (Forest)

1. Poots
   
2. Sally
   
3. avellana
   
4. jayloo
   
5. 2 wheel pony
   
6. cafewanda
   
7. betstacey
   
8. ms.chris
   
9. blowfish
   
10. T4
    

Good work woman.

Yo, if there is room for another, I might be number 11. What's your route?

I was dreaming of the L'Eroica, this could suffice :-) x

Chris, I did Cambridge fixed. It was fine! I'll probably do most of these fixed. I still need to have my geared bike repaired.

fixed is not bad for your knees on long rides if you use the right gear.

Deal! I'll give it a go then see if I need to make any changes. Oh, and Ms.Chris, I bet my knees are more fragile than yours :-).

thanks all for your words of encouragement. I ride 42/16 and it's great around the city, but for longer rides, I just prefer gears. A higher ratio just hurts my knees faster and a lower one would be way too spinny.....

if you have some ideas/tips please let me know

23rd Oct: The Only Way is Epping (Forest)

1. Poots
   
2. Sally
   
3. avellana
   
4. jayloo
   
5. 2 wheel pony
   
6. cafewanda
   
7. betstacey
   
8. ms.chris
   
9. blowfish
   
10. T4
    
11. Lolabelle
    

Yo, if there is room for another, I might be number 11. What's your route?

Plenty of room! Get involved : ) Route, tbc!

23rd Oct: The Only Way is Epping (Forest)

1. Poots
   
2. Sally
   
3. avellana
   
4. jayloo
   
5. 2 wheel pony
   
6. cafewanda
   
7. betstacey
   
8. ms.chris
   
9. blowfish
   
10. T4
    
11. Lolabelle
    
12. blackspring