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19 Mar

The misconception of women’s cycling on social media

Posted 19. March 2018 By Monika Sattler

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I have been riding for nine years and had the opportunity to live and immerse myself into the cycling culture on three continents. I am far from being a professional cyclist but I do like pushing myself whether it is racing a 330km Tour du Mont Blanc or completing the 2650km Haute Route Triple Crown. I ride my bike because I enjoy it and it offers so much more than just burning calories.

I am usually the only (or one of two) woman on the group rides I am joining. One thing I am always want to make sure is that I am respected as a cyclist.

But I found that cycling is “sexy-fied” on social media. With a huge discrepancy between women and men in cycling I am always excited to come across female cyclists on social media. A lot of these girls wear nice cycling clothing and an expensive bike is in the picture too. But I am disappointed some of them are not cyclists at all and show cycling in a wrong light – especially for women’s cycling.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against looking good on a bike. But some of these pictures convey the wrong message about women’s cycling.

If I was new to cycling, the sports itself would look quite intimidating – especially for a woman putting myself into tight clothing on a bike feeling vulnerable riding on the road. Now if I additionally would see those perfectly shaped, insinuating “female cyclists” on social media I would get the wrong impression about cycling. With my imperfect body to put in tight clothes (and let’s not start with the “I-am-too-fat discussion”) I would be completely disheartened to start cycling.

But cycling is not about looking good; it is about adventure, nature, friends, discovery, community – besides that it is a fantastic workout.

If you are looking to escape from a stressful day, a bike ride works magic! If you want to just talk with your friends, take a spin to the next coffee shop. Post-ride coffee tastes wonderful! With your bike, you will be able to see countries, regions or even your local neighborhood with a completely new perspective.

This is how you can get started:

  1. Take those pictures I mentioned above on social media with a grain of salt.
  2. Women’s cycling is growing. Check for women-specific group in your area.
  3. Find a cycling friend who can help you get started.
  4. When you are in Mallorca, it would be great to have you come along to my rides as well!

Let’s start the cycling adventure!

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Tags: Women's cycling

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#124SPC - Stage 4 The week started with 5 passes #124SPC - Stage 4 
The week started with 5 passes in the Solothurn area on the agenda. 
I was not on my own but rode in company. This made some uphill sections feel a bit less long or steep...😉 It was a perfect day for being in the saddle, until we got hit by some heavy rain on the last pass of the day. But I would call it a great stage anyway and I am motivated to take on the 13 passes (most number of passes in a day) tomorrow. Let's get them ticked off the list...1 ✔️ 2✔️ 3✔️...

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...and hey - 8 passes were added to the list of completed passes today.

#124spc #swisspasses #sundayfunday #surprises
#124SPC - Stage 2 Another 7 passes ticked off the #124SPC - Stage 2
Another 7 passes ticked off the list.
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Especially enjoyed getting up the Col the Chasseral even though I was a bit low on energy at that point - but the scenery is always nice and today, I also had great company which made the stage seem to pass much faster. Spirits were always kept high. And that's how I will be approaching stage with 8 passes (of which I know only 1). 
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#124SPC - Stage 1 So this was the first stage out #124SPC - Stage 1
So this was the first stage out of the 26  planned to accomplish my 124 Swiss Passes challenge.

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The suppport team did a great job on their first day of working together. 
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