Thanks to the persistent efforts of Gina Kavesh and Martha Walsh, Seattle has a solid support system for women interested in cycling in general and bicycle racing in particular.
This year is the seventh annual Intro to Women’s Cycling and Racing Series, which is part of the Meet the Teams series and happens one Sunday per month for three months starting August 25. Like the Meet the Teams rides, these start at Pert’s Deli in Leschi.
These rides are only for women and are hosted by women representatives from some of Seattle’s racing teams. If you are new to the racing community, looking to strengthen your riding skills, thinking about racing in 2014, or looking to speak with other women about local racing teams or riding opportunities, this series is for you!
Each ride starts with a skills clinic followed by a ~34 mile ride to practice the skills with experienced women racers. Skills covered include: pacelines, riding a straight line, and racing tactics/techniques. Just like the Meet the Teams rides, the Women’s rides follow the same route around the south end of Lake Washington and Mercer Island. To help ensure a safe, manageable, and stress-free group ride, the large clinic group will break into smaller groups of 10 or less.
As an example of how many women transition into bicycle racing, I chatted with Alicia King who is a relative newbie to racing bikes, but has been competing in triathlons for some time. Alicia is representative of the way many women get into bicycle racing: Starting from triathlon experiences some women discover a greater affinity for cycling. This year, Alicia will be leading the women’s Hagens Berman Society Consulting Cycling (HBSC) squad.
You were with Herriott Sports Performance (HSP) last year, how did the transition to HBSC come about?
This past year of racing with HSP has been great. There were 3 women on the racing squad and while we were just a small group we made an impact at the races and celebrated a lot of podiums. I considered the transition after Loren and Mark from HBSC approached me with the leadership opportunity and demonstrated a serious commitment to women’s cycling. They spent a lot of time this past year surveying women around the area to find out what other programs were lacking and turned the results of the survey into an attractive women’s program. The team’s commitment and the generous sponsors (Hagens Berman, Society Consulting, cyclocrossracing.com and Hammer Nutrition) are making this program possible. The investment being made in the women’s program sets a high mark for other teams, and I’m confident we’ll pull together a solid group of ladies as a result. Just a week after announcing the HBSC women’s team we already have a dozen girls ready to join!
What are your personal cycling goals for next year? Now that you are in a leadership role on a cycling team how much time will you devote to tri?
I just celebrated upgrading to category 3 this past season, and I’m still adjusting to racing in the Pro 1/2/3 women’s field. I have Ironman 70.3 worlds next up in September and after that my plan is to hang up the wetsuit and instead of chasing 3 sports I’m going to focus on just 1 – cycling! Next season the goals I’d like to focus on are getting my TT time down further and adapting to racing in a field where the peloton rides faster and more aggressively. Improving in those areas will hopefully lead towards accumulating points for a category 2 upgrade.
Ideally, what would you like to see happen with the HBSC women’s team next year?
I’d like to see a supportive group of talented women come together and build something new. Being competitive and having an impact on the races we contest would be success in my book.
Describe the kinds of women you hope to attract to the team?
Team Players. Cycling is a sport where you can be a strong athlete, but without a good/supportive team it’s hard to succeed. We’re looking for girls who are committed to working together as a team to win and are passionate about cycling.
How does the HBSC women’s team intend to balance racing vs. women who are relatively new to cycling and just getting into it?
2 years ago I was completely new to cycling and joined my first team with the intention to just do time trials. Bike racing intimidated me and I was convinced I wouldn’t race anything outside of a time trial. I became addicted to bike racing after my first stage race. If teams create an open space for new riders to grow at their own pace, I think you usually end up with a bunch of folks who get hooked on racing bikes. At HSBC we plan to balance this by investing in coached skills clinics that will cater to the varying levels, training camps, and organized team rides where upper category riders will help mentor new riders coming into the sport.
The Hagens Berman Society Consulting Meet the Team ride is on September 7th. Details.
Women’s Intro to Cycling and Racing Series dates:
August 25
September 22
October 6
Arrive by 8:45 AM for the clinic.
