The Future of Women's Cycling

As I sit in Yeti's Grind on my day off enjoying a delicious roast from City on a Hill Coffee and a huge bacon and egg burrito topped with salsa, I begin to think about a comment my little sister wrote on my Facebook page the other day. In her best effort to get me to come back home and express how much she misses Danielle and I, she mentioned that "Cierra Thinks you should come back home, have a baby, teach me how to ride on a bike on the mountains, you look better WITH glasses, come to Disney with us this April, and a lot more". While the first two "thinks" I bet will not happen anytime soon, the third stuck out in my mind and brought back some memories from my family's last visit to Eagle.


A few years ago, my family was out when we used to live in Vail and everyone rented bikes. At the time, I was not into racing yet and leisurely rides down the bike path were on tap for the afternoon. While my little brother about 13 at the time could ride any grade we took him on, I felt bad for my little sister who just wanted to ride with her big brother, but due to her lack of riding experience and steep hills could not follow us. Two years later they returned to Colorado and we rented bikes again. What a difference... my little sister was fearless when it came to any obstacles in her path. We went over to the bike "skills" park by the Eagle ice rink and she was so excited to ride over logs, rock gardens, and go over the jumps with way more speed than I am sure she was intending to give. My little brother on the other hand, now struggled with the technical riding skills attempting to "jump" with my sisters 20 inch mountain bike and nearly lost his 'boys' on a hard landing.


The thought of teaching my sister to ride and race a mountain bike made me think about girls and women in our sport of cycling and how strong of a field we have today. More importantly, I would like to commend some of these women for being outstanding role models for girls in an age where public controversy seems to be the norm among teenage celebrity figures. 


Three names come to mind: Emily Batty, Heather Irmiger, and Rebecca Rusch. Click on any of their names to check out their personal websites to learn more about them. While each of these athletes have very unique and different personalities, they all have a common goal. To become the BEST at what they do, to win races, have fun, live an active healthy lifestyle, and most of all promote and expand the influence of women's cycling.


A year or two ago I read a story in BIKE magazine, an issue that was dedicated to women in cycling. This is where I introduced to Emily Batty, a promising young rider from Ontario, Canada who despite the common notion that mountain biking is a dirty sport, she takes pride in still being "a girl" on the bike by wearing makeup and jewelry while racing. Now, her white necklace she wears to every race is somewhat iconic with her image (pictured right). To add to that appeal, she still maintains that hometown girl attitude and, along with hectic training and racing schedule she still manages to make time for her husband and pro racer, Adam Morka. Lesson #1 to live by: Do what you love and be yourself. 


With failures like Lindsay Lohan and others in the spotlight for my sister to look up to, I think about the positive influence girls like Emily Batty can have on our youth. So by all means Cierra, next time you stop out here in Colorado I will definitely teach you to ride on the mountains! Until then, look up to this girl ---->

To me, Heather Irmiger is a perfect example of a healthy lifestyle. If you follow her on Twitter @irmigrrr, you will regularly see her post some pictures of a new ultra-healthy dish she has prepared for herself and husband Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. She believes in well-balanced, organic nutrition and it shows in her results. 2009 SingleSpeed World Champion and countless podium finishes in the UCI World Cup field, will make anyone shift to her diet. Still don't believe me?? Just check out her photoshoot for this years Cyclepassion calendar. Google it... Here is a good story about the couple that made it to USA Today in their bids to race for the Team USA at the Beijing Olympic Games: MTB Couple Lesson #2 to live by: Take care of your body, eat well, and stay active.

Last but not least, we come to the current 2 time Leadville Trail 100 winner and 2009 24 Solo World Champion, Rebecca Rusch. Commonly known as "The Queen of Pain", Rebecca rides at a whole new level when it comes to ultra-endurance races. At 42 years old this year, it is no easy feat to put your body into the pain that she can mentally get through. She is a role model for all women young and experienced, proving that no matter what age you can still be at the top. Racers like her, Dave Wiens, and Ned Overend continue to push the bar higher, showing everyone that experience outweighs age in the sport of cycling. Rebecca is pictured here below: (Congratulations to Rebecca on her latest win at the 24 Hours of Argentina this past weekend) Lesson #3 to live by: Aim high and set goals, only after this can you unlock your true potential.

All three of these women I find particularly important in my wife Danielle's aspirations to become a strong racer. Her struggles with Type 1 Diabetes help fuel a desire to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as prove that even with a life long disease, you can still achieve your goals. I thank you Danielle; for your determination, dedication, and companionship in our common interest in the sport of cycling.

I know there are countless other women who have contributed to the rise of womens cycling and I thank you all. We continue to see more and more amazing events every year such as the Beti Bike Bash in Denver. The Beti Bike Bash, in its second year is a women's only race/festival. Another great thing to see is cash purses for pros that match the mens fields. The Whiskey Off-Road for example, a race that Danielle and I will be attending/racing in April is evenly splitting a $20,000 purse for the mens and womens pro field. Sadly, this was not a common thing in the past. The future of womens cycling is moving in the right direction for sure... are you going to be a part of it??

TMP