It’s “Meet the Teams” season, which is an opportunity for racing-minded cyclists to meet members of many of the Seattle-area teams.
The racing scene can be intimidating so this year Gina Kavesh (Wines of Washington), with the help of a few of her friends, is also hosting an “Intro to Women’s Cycling and Racing Teams” series. This series is similar to the Saturday Meet the Teams rides, with the exception that this series is for women only, and each ride is hosted by women representatives from a variety of teams. This series is targeted for women who are new to the racing community, looking to strengthen their riding skills, thinking about racing in 2009, or just looking to speak with other women about local racing teams or riding opportunities.
Gina Kavesh and women from team Group Health demo paceline technique at Leschi.
The Ride
In advance of this Sunday’s Tour de Estrogen, I got an email from Gina that read: “Feel free to play ‘girl’ one of the Sundays if you want to (join us).”
Say no more, Gina. The life of a cycling blogger is tough, but someone’s gotta do it. Gina pitched the ride as a chance to “play girl,” but to me it sounded more like an invitation to ride my bike while surrounded by women. That combined with perfect weather made for a fantastic ride.
The morning began with a paceline clinic led by Gina and demo’d by racers from team Group Health. After the clinic we split up into three groups organized by speed and a mix of racers and newcomers. I think 18 mph was the suggested upper limit of the “fast” group. I rode with the medium group, and our pace went over 20 mph every once in a while, but the ride leaders kept us in check when the pace got too fast.
Throughout the ride, the racer-hosts chatted it up with the newcomers, and provided friendly and supportive coaching and skills tips. The riders supported me as well: More than one of the women checked to make sure I wasn’t suffering estrogen toxicity.
The women debrief on Mercer Island.
We regrouped on Mercer Island where Gina debriefed a bit and then split into one group looking for more mileage that cycled around Mercer, and another group that headed back to Leschi.
It wasn’t until the Mercer Island section that I realized I had an opportunity to ask the question that burns in the back of the mind of every male cyclist:
“What’s your opinion of guys who shave their legs?“
Unfortunately, my sample size was small, but the range of answers went something like this:
1. “Men do what???”
2. “I don’t care. It’s irrelevant.”
3. “I’m not the kinda woman who likes hairy guys. Shave it all off.”
So guys, choose the answer you like and shave away, or not.
Ride Details:
Upcoming dates: October 5 and 12
Time: 9:00 AM at Pert’s in Leschi. Prepare to be on the road by 9:10 AM. Please don’t be late!
Route: Around the south end of Lake Washington (about 25 miles round trip from Leschi.)
Skills: pacelines, riding a straight line, and racing tactics/techniques. Depending on turnout, we’ll break into groups no greater than 10 to keep it manageable and go over the basics, making sure to keep things fun and stress-free.
Bakery Stop: Pert’s either before or after for sweets & coffee.
Other Women-specific Cycling Groups:
Team Luna Chix
Team Seattle Tailwind
