the organizers are literally defining competitors (in a women-only event) in sexual terms.

oldtalent – Member
Seems fine

atlaz – Member
it seems some women DO find it at least purile/irritating and some find it offensive. Perhaps they’re all frothing handwringers too.

Just picking up on that point.

I know some women, ohh I do, in fact some of my best friends are women. 😆

So, these women handwringers. Do they fancy a job? It’s been a while, y’no…
😆 😉

that you can no longer say no dogs, no blacks, no irish – is that what upsets you ?

I look forward to you addressing all females as whores seeing as its “fine”

Good point well made Junkyard

It’s irony/ a joke between women – get over it

The irony of that remark is that most of the women mountain bikers on this thread (and the women that were asked for their opinion by other folks who have commented) don’t find it either funny or ironic.

It’s not funny/mad/crazy/zany/ironic/insert A. N. Other qualifier here, it’s just dull. Dull as owt. Dull on a stick, even.

If there are going to be women-only races I want them to be races. I’ll race any ****, me, because I’m a chippy cow with an inferiority complex, so if I’m thinking of entering your* event I want to be in a category that makes me feel like I can race any ****, not some shitty crazy/zany/wacky ‘in’ joke** name for a category that’s almost a throwback to the 70s. My mother-in-law, etc… Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a humourless shrew and I’ll happily break out the C-word as and when it’s called for 😆

* not ‘your’ personally, ‘your’ generally.

** I do get that ‘whore’ isn’t meant in the usual sense here, it just means someone who can’t get enough of racing enduros. Still lame, mind.

it seems some women DO find it at least purile/irritating and some find it offensive. Perhaps they’re all frothing handwringers too.

Given that that the event was well subscribed, with plenty of women apparently being fine with the category names, maybe the organisers were quite happy that they wouldn’t attract a section of women riders that wouldn’t see the funny side?

A little (very little) bit like SSUK shouting it’s shonky bollocksness from the rafters – stony-faced roadie type points racers with no sense of fun are warned off, and the event is what it is as a result.

So I checked with some whore friends, they said they didn’t want to be associated with filthy mtbers.

A little (very little) bit like SSUK shouting it’s shonky bollocksness from the rafters – stony-faced roadie type points racers with no sense of fun are warned off, and the event is what it is as a result.

Not even a very little bit like that. Decent effort though!

‘If I have to explain it, you won’t understand’ springs to mind here. There’s no red-faced frothing outrage at all, just indifference to the event because of the category names. It’s the same kind of thinking that causes ads for women-only group rides to mention there’ll be cake and coffee after. FFS, I know there’ll be cake and coffee/tea/whatever because 1) I like cake and tea and 2) I’ll probably be **** starving at some point in the ride so, yes, I will stopping for something to eat- you* don’t have to reinforce the fact that We’re Women Out Riding Bikes In A Male-Dominated World And Aren’t We Awesome For Having A Go.

It’s the organiser’s fault for not being confident enough in their event that they’ve used such ‘naughty’ (giggle, etc…) names for the categories. We don’t need ‘permission’ to ride or race bikes but these category names seek to ‘make it ok’ for us to have a go. It’s not feminist at all in the slightest ever, it’s just a bit shit and ‘Oh? Really? This? Again? Are we still doing this?’

* not ‘you’ personally, ‘you’ generally.

kayla, with you 100%. See my comment early on page 1. I’ve got 3 nieces, 8-11 (different families if you’re scratching your head at the maths!) and in a little way, I represent mountain biking to them. I think it’s a brilliant sport/activity/pastime/way of seeing the country and I’d be very happy if they got into it. I’d be a bit upset and embarrassed for the sport if they saw this race and the categories. I might be being overprotective over sensitive, but I’d feel like I had some extra work/explaining to do.

Just doing a little devils advocating, thought experimenting up there^.

It’s the same kind of thinking that causes ads for women-only group rides to mention there’ll be cake and coffee after.

Jeez, that’s just wrong.

Any decent ride should have cake and coffee during as well.

nedrapier, I got it! 😀

My niece (7) is into boxing and kickboxing and I’d love her to grow up knowing she can do anything she wants (within the law, obvs, and abiding by Rule #1) and doesn’t need permission from anyone to do (or be) anything she wants.

I’m not militant about this sort of stuff, just forthright. Like I said before, I’ll race any ****, me!

edit- Bez, well, yes, obviously… 🙄 😆

Wouldn’t put me off no (I’m a female btw), I can understand that it may offend some folk but all I see is this… event organisers (who ever they are, I don’t know them btw) are just probably trying to spice things up and add a bit of humour to their events, if anything it has caused plenty of publicity and a bit of a stir around women’s mountain biking, which I think is a good thing, well played!

Life can be far too serious sometimes and there’s more important things to worry and complain about that category names in a MTB event, which people very kindly go out of their way and put a lot of time and effort into organising.

I do get that ‘whore’ isn’t meant in the usual sense here, it just means someone who can’t get enough of racing enduros. Still lame, mind.

Thank christ , mind breaking it down for those that clearly don’t despite having it explained already?

Just a thought, instead of moaning about it on here has anyone who is in a reasonable position (ie. the few women who have commented here) to make a case against it contacted Air Maiden to voice their concerns? If you think it’s regressive or whatever then nothing will change if you don’t do something about it.

(I should add that I feel pretty much the same though can see where the joke is and that this is how in-jokes get folk into trouble. However given I’m not eligible to compete I don’t feel it’s in any way my business to force my views on the organisers)

Businesses can be self limiting. If even 20% of potential racers are put off it could make or break the event in the long run as I’d imagine that once you’ve been put of Air Maiden events, you wouldn’t go back to check out whether they’re still using the names that put you off.

It’s like the bike shops around where I work who complain they don’t get enough business during the week but close at lunch (so they can ride) and are done for the day at 5pm. I can’t get to them during the week and at the weekend I’d have to drive past bike shops to get to them. So bollocks to them, if their own “concept” causes them harm, that’s natural selection.

Disclaimer: I am a man, with a penis and everything.

I marshalled enduro maiden last year, friends of mine did it, on the day nobody really gave a shit about it. It came from “race virgin”, like “if you’re a race virgin, what is this person that’s done 1000 races” I thought it was a bit weird but it’s basically trivial compared to all the positives it had- last year (don’t know about this year) it was a proper full-on enduro race using EWS stages at the golfy, and a huge number of the entrants had never done any race before let alone something as daft as this. It was fantastic.

Lynn does ace events and she gets things done that other people don’t. Perfect example: the people at the golf course usually hate us, bikers park in their car park and get in the way. She convinced them to provide parking, the club house, and a wee army of marshalls. Unbelievable.

rs – Member

Do the entrants get a 20s head start if they ride a cove bike with a funny name?

I suspec the head marshall rides a Cove bike with a funny name so probably not

kayla wins the thread

Somebody could just send them a link to this thread (and before anybody asks why don’t I, it would be better if a potential customer did).

Smashing. Do I win a fiver? I won a Ladybird ‘Space’ book at school BITD, this one-

No, just the adulation of a load of middle aged blokes. Sorry.

Oh 🙁

It’s obvious they’re using the word “whore” with the more modern meaning of using something a lot.
Still, it’s a bit silly.

It’s obvious they’re using the word “whore” with the more modern meaning of using something a lot.
Still, it’s a bit silly.

They’re not using it just in that context though, are they? Three of the four categories are named after terms that are used (often negatively in the case of Whore and Cougar) to describe women according to their sexuality. That’s not exactly a coincidence, is it?

The fourth category really should be “enduro jailbait” or “enduro lolitas” 😈

Does cougar really mean ‘over 30’? I thought that was the american version of GILF.

Does cougar really mean ‘over 30’?

Does “whore” really mean “done it more than three times”?

If only there was an easy way for finding out information like that on the internet…

I do get that ‘whore’ isn’t meant in the usual sense here, it just means someone who can’t get enough of racing enduro

This would be true if the categories were novice, regular and whore, not virgin, cougar and whore.

I find it all a bit sad and to be honest it does put me off. It doesn’t make me feel offended as such, but it makes the event sound like it is aimed at lad/ladette market rather than the family-friendly market.

…it makes the event sound like it is aimed at lad/ladette market rather than the family-friendly market.

Yup, that was the one thing that I couldn’t? get my head around back in the days of Page 1: it would probably just be an unremarkable bit of take-it-or-leave-it irreverent humour among adults, but it seems weird alongside the encouragement of 8 year olds to get involved. If my daughter was 20 and entering the event then great; at 16 (the minimum for that event) then maybe it’s workable; but if I was looking for events for her to go to aged 8, then for me this naming would count these events out. Maybe the kids don’t find out until the age of 16 that they’re aspiring whores, I dunno. Just seems like something I’d steer clear of as a parent of a younger child. YMMV. Wrong end of the country for us to show up to anyway 😉

Bez – Member

it seems weird alongside the encouragement of 8 year olds to get involved in it.

There isn’t any encouragement for 8 year olds to get involved; enduro maiden is 16s and over. Mini Maidens is a separate event run by the same people, there’s no crossover.

aracer – Member
If only there was an easy way for finding out information like that on the internet…

Quite right, posting on Singletrack, which is exactly what I’ve done.

How is your research going retro?

There isn’t any encouragement for 8 year olds to get involved; enduro maiden is 16s and over. Mini Maidens is a separate event run by the same people, there’s no crossover.

Fair dos then, I guess. I figure there must be a de facto “career path” from Mini to Baby to Virgin to Whore, though, which still seems a bit creepy.

sweet jesus of baby Nazareth

Maidens is a separate event run by the same people, there’s no crossover.

Apart from the fact that the day they do turn 16 they are in a sexualised bike race category and the fact that the people who work with these young people hold these values that some of us are finding challenging…

It’s the organiser’s fault for not being confident enough in their event that they’ve used such ‘naughty’ (giggle, etc…) name

or being confident enough that they don’t give a toss what internerds think

I think he’d actually be in the cougar category

matt_outandabout – Member

Apart from the fact that the day they do turn 16

Last I checked, that doesn’t happen when they’re 8.

And “the fact that the people who work with these young people hold these values”- what values?

And “the fact that the people who work with these young people hold these values”- what values?

Well, getting ~70 women riding in an Enduro race.

I assume all those being negative all have done more for the female side of mountain biking than Airmaiden.

Photo of women being insulted in last year’s race.

Any single speed whores cougars fancy a dabble at single speeding come and sign up but be ready for the bitchiness!
https://www.ssuk17.com

I assume all those being negative all have done more for the female side of mountain biking than Airmaiden.

Life isn’t that simple. Yes, they’re doing something positive for female MTBing but they’re also doing something which many perceive negatively and which could be easily changed with no detriment, except to the organisers’ egos.

which many perceive negatively

I’m unclear on what research proves this. There’s *some* on this forum, yes. If we made all of our decisions based on how people on web forums feel, we’d be in a pretty sorry place.