[Closed] riding with the girls?

Thanks for that pointless contribution Xiphon.

Glad to help

Shush - we mustn't mention girls only rides, Simonfbarnes gets a little 'hot under the collar'.

If its a trip to the lakes, i shall ditch the road bike for once and get out the mtb!

*has no useful input into the thread as i have become a roadie and rarely get the urge to go mtbing* 😳

Hi Lucy, I was just wondering....
Due to the proximity of the letters on the keyboard, have you ever done a typo and hit 'P' instead of 'L' when typing your name? 😆

After a year teaching the SO to ride I have noticed a few general points (however take them with a pinch of salt, every one is different):
the most limiting factor is her head. Basically, she has a very different perception than me/men about what is hard/dangerous, and what is not. Once she decided it's dangerous/hard it's very difficult to get her to ride it. Same goes in handling the bike, once she has decided no she cant get to tip the bike, well she won't. Second limited factor is fitness, but that is the easiest one to overcome. You will have to remember when teaching girls that they over think. We blokes just ride and deal with the consequences later. Girlies tend to do the things in a different way.

HTH

munghe chick, how come you waasn't allowed???? 🙁

Juan I agree with your points there for a lot of woman! However I'm the other way if I haven't ridden something I can spend ages there trying to ride it! Recently it involved riding a steep verticalish down however I would get to the hardest steepist point, stop and get off! SO kept shouting at and with a lot of jeeing up and psyching I managed it, now every time I don't even think about it I just drop straight in and it feels good when the boys bottle it now!!
Jedi .. argh don't be grassing me up that I've told you, some of the boyd didn't want me there 🙁

sorry for not keeping up with the comments...busy week sorting out the early and abrupt end to the ski season in the alps as its been 28degrees the last two weeks! Awesome for the bikes though! been thinking about all the advise while riding this week and its great, really helpful and makes me more aware when i'm riding. I think there is a lot of confidence stuff with biking but i also think its that women go through a different process of learning. Munge-chick you might be like me in that i hate having a area on any train that i can't ride but i like to be able to try lines again and again and gain my confidence that way. So happy to hear that you girls out there are organising times and places to go ride together...thats what its all about! nice one

Yup if something stumps me it's not often I will walk away from it without doing it! plus that usually means riding it twice, once is a fluke, twice means you can do it, unless the 2nd time it still makes you feel sick ... in which case it shows I'm on my limit!!!! Bring on the Alps in the summer, just tweaking my brand new bike, shorter stem and potentially some carbon bars and I'm away 😉 Hoping it's going to be dry and dusty this weekend for our 50 miler.

nice...50 miler...that's pretty epic! we are still making the most of lift access here at the mo but then when we hit the inter season it will be all about the peddling! good training i suppose as i am doing the mega this year, any other ladies out there riding the mega this year??. Such a shame that there are not more women riding in your area Munge-chick. Looks like the north has a pretty awesome scene though! I was at uni in Leeds and the riding was great so perhaps taking a trip up there would be good! thanks again for the input, really helped in designing the women's week out here and we will definitely be incorporating loads of your helpful ideas.

At the risk of enticing xiphons rage i am going to give you girls the link so you can see what its all about. If you have any queries or questions give me a shout and after all the advice the page will be updated so keep checking! There has been such a huge response to my origonal post and there are obviously sooo many girls out there wanting to ride that its inspired me to work even harder on this women's week! thanks

http://www.themountainbikechalet.com/mountain-bike-chalet-womens-weeks.html

Yup well the 50 miler is prepping for the summer, SitS, bristol Bike Fest and the like should be entertiaing. The Girlie trip looks ace but I can't justify another holiday this year and don't have enough leave, I would definately contemplate it in the future though as I rarely get to ride with other girls, let alone ones that are of a similar riding ability.

We are off to Chamonix and Verbier for 2 weeks in the summer so should get some ace riding in!

At the risk of sexism...

One thing that seems obviousn to me is that girls do not have cojones (at least so far in my experience) and therefore do not have their thinking clouded by 'grow a pair' and 'MTFU' type issues.

therefore it seems likely to me that they will realise some skills training would be a good idea rather earlier in the learning cycle than your typical bloke - who thinks that everything would be OK if only he had bigger balls - and doesnt need to know about cornering or braking - just about hucking bigger drops.

I'll get me coat

boys are idiots, they switch their brains off

Love it!

Shush - we mustn't mention girls only rides, Simonfbarnes gets a little 'hot under the collar'.

Winterfold - you're not far from the truth, in the majority of cases. There will always be exceptions to every generalisation (believe me, I know!) but it's true that there is a different 'thinking' going on in a boy's group out biking than a girl's.

Oo - just read the link to the week in Les Arcs - tempted...

Rachel

allthegear

i was coached recently by a girl on my local trails and you see it was er challenging for quite a few guys to not be able to do stuff in front of her and I was obviously a bit wierd for seeking advice from a bird.

jedi scores good on getting you over all the macho sh1t - which can so easily lead to A&E

Winterfold that kind of goes back to what I said on my very first post that yes men are more aggressive which tends to be to them thinking they have bigger cojones. I think also that men TEND (not always) to start from a younger age and as already suggested messing about on BMXing and other two wheeled activities as kids.
Jedi has been coaching this morning with Mr MC haven't had full low down but sounds like they had an ace day involving crash of one of them cracking helmet ... tehre you go maybe he had the biggest cojones, who knows!!!!!!!

I would definately be up for some sklils training, we all often do it when we go skiing so for a sport we all do every weekend is it not good to get some outside advice and development. Originally when I suggested skills days my mates all took the pi** they soon came around to the idea and booked the skills day with Jedi and not letting me go 🙁 anyway. Point is I would be up for skills day with other girls of a similar level, I would also love to go on a girlie MTB holiday but with 2 weeks in France and 1 week in Spain (and all those new bits of bike bling) I don't think my purse strings will stretch that far!

hang on - lucyayres - why does a girls only week cost £100 more? We're not [i]that [/i]much extra work are we??? 😕

Rachel

munqe-chick

Hopefully the guy who cracked his helmet is OK.

I would say that one of the key bits of jedi's jumps and drops course is about acquiring the 'mental skills' to know when you should try something and when you should not. It's about turning off the little 'MTFUer' that is in all our heads (all means all). Jedi's success and transformational coaching is in large part down to putting male riders in touch with their inner riding chick. Checking stuff out first, not being afraid to say no, not succumbing to peer pressure etc etc

But... you can still screw up and hurt yourself. We are not robots. If it wasnt dangerous it wouldnt be fun. Both sexes get that.

EDIT

I also agree the 'Ive been riding a bike since I was 6, what do I need lessons for?' attitude is very prevalent. 20 years of riding a bike the same way you rode it when you were 6 does not Gee Atherton make.

FURTHER EDIT

I definitely see the place for 'Chicks only' skills courses. Although if the coach is any good there isn't a real need as the MTFU vibe (which I guess an expectation of which can put females off mixed courses) will be swiftly eradicated. But you need to feel comfortable to learn and if that means single-sex courses then they are a good thing.

20 years of riding a bike the same way you rode it when you were 6 does not Gee Atherton make.

unless you're Gee Atherton??

LOL good answer

but... you know what I meant 🙂

[quote=winterfold]I also agree the 'Ive been riding a bike since I was 6, what do I need lessons for?' attitude is very prevalent. 20 years of riding a bike the same way you rode it when you were 6 does not Gee Atherton make

No, my riding has changed since I was 6 - each ride building on the experience of the previous. Experience has taught me how to jump and bail when needs be..... not some coach.

If I was aiming to be the next Atherton, then I would seriously consider professional coaching. I'm sure every athlete at the top of their field (or aiming to be at the top) receives some coaching of some description?

If I did end up on a course, I'd probably be told I do everything wrong...

xiphon, you dont need a course for that. its common knowledge 😛

xiphon - allthegear and I were having a bit of joke there but your reply suggests you have reflected on your riding in the meantime, and I say that makes you unusual, or in a minority at least.

When I crossed over into MTB from roadying I thought 'well I'll be fit, but will lack skills compared to even a crap MTBer' but after spending an hour or so watching dozens, if not hundreds of riders on my local trails I am quite clear that that was a misconception. Most riders in my neck of the woods, but that's not all :wink:, seem to approach their riding with a 'I learned to ride a bike when i was 6 and know what I need to' mindset.

Which is why they pull up on basic drops on big bikes, then take the 'cissy line'* while a 16 year old girl flies down it on a knackered old hardtail.

* my coachesses words, obviously I would never be that unPC.

winterfold - Member

At the risk of sexism...

One thing that seems obviousn to me is that girls do not have cojones (at least so far in my experience) and therefore do not have their thinking clouded by 'grow a pair' and 'MTFU' type issues.

😀

lol - love how you come on this particular thread and use "like a 16 year old girl" as a measure of rubbishness. oops...

🙄

Rachel

If you've been [s] on the darkside[/s] [i]a roadie[/i] all your life, then I agree jumping on MTB and hitting the trails might have some nasty consequences.... "no fear and no idea"

... but from what I have read, most who go on these courses, seem to indicate they've been riding MTB's for years? So one would expect their level of confidence/common sense to be pretty seasoned?

Isn't learning to jump/ride off drops/ride down steps something you learn when you're a kid, and use throughout your riding life?

Not trollin'..... being serious. For once.

HA ha loving the You tube clip!!! PMSL

Isn't learning to jump/ride off drops/ride down steps something you learn when you're a kid, and use throughout your riding life?

Hopefully this may change.

It's funny though how people seems to perceive a right and wrong way to ride bikes.
I am lucky enough to live in a place where 4 DH/4X world-champs race at local enduros. You obviously get to speak with them from times to times and what appears to happen is that riding has evolved a lot and will probably evolve a lot more. Latest(ish) fashion seems to be to ride weight forward specially on the steeper sections of trails.Such thing would have been inconceivable a few years ago. Furthermore, if you look at them going through a section of trail, they will all ride it differently. They are a few key points, but they all ride pretty much each on their own way. And yet no one would dare to suggest that nicola has a bad technique because he doesn't ride the way fabien does ;-). I think one of the big misconception in the world of biking is that you must do things the 'correct way'. I concur that there are the basic skills, but then, everyone adapts said skills to its own riding. And girls are no stranger to that, if their riding is nowhere as rad to the power of sick as bloke so be it, as far as it get them at the bottom of the trail in one piece with a smile on their faces I can't see anything wrong with it 😉

Allthegear - obviously I didn't make myself clear ( and we agreed about stuff earlier in thread )

What I saw was a number of riders not taking on a drop while being more than adequately biked then while they were faffing a young lady rode it with style on an old hardtail . She wasn't rubbish - they were.

Xiphon - don't disagree with anything you've said, but I don't think many people did actually do much skills/trials/BMX when they were young, if you did good for you, if 'they' did then they seem to have forgotten.

Only guy I can remember doing that from my part of the world was Carlo Griggs. Fair enough - he didn't need a skills course and I doubt he does:)

EDIT That YouTube vid says it all - very funny

Like many other girls I came to the sport late and initially relied only upon guts and determination to try and keep up with the guys I rode with!However after some pretty epic stacks ( almost ruptured spleen, torn ACL,countless haematoma's etc) I had lost confidence and the ratio of fun/fear in riding had taken a turn. This is what i want other girls to avoid!! In Whistler the mountain runs women's evening groups which were amazing. Each week you chose what skill you wanted to learn and you went with a group who was at the same level of riding you were. Juan I totally agree that everyone has their own style and having fun is the most important part. But in the women's groups was where I really began to have fun on my bike. Sounds cheesy but it was a really supportive environment, but also competitive and made you want to improve. We were all pretty much the same level so you knew if one of you did something then the rest of you could. Sometimes riding with the guys I chicken out of stuff that if I see a girl do it I'm like shit...better give it a go! I am lucky that i get to ride a lot with both girls and guys and I love both, but if I want to ride and learn or session stuff I tend to go with the girls, it just works better for me.

Rachel- the women's week is £100 more because it includes transfers (£60 normally) goody bag, massage, t-shirt, photo shoot and smaller groups(which means more guides) and more structured skills session. There will be an option to not have that package which would be cheaper if you are interested.
We are currently in the process of designing a pump track and skills area for the sessions which will include some drops and jumps to learn on. Hope that explains things...if you would like to email me directly feel free lucy@themountianbikechalet.com

loving the discussion and views and that big balls vid is hilarious...and a little disturbing!

Lucy - you spelled your email wrong. Also, what about blokes coming out that week with their missus when both ride?

haha thanks.

lucy@themountainbikechalet.com

For the women's specific week we were hoping to have a women only rule...however if we have a lot of requests for couples to come out then its possible to change that. At the moment it will depend on bookings. There are still spaces on the other weeks where everyone is welcome and we will certainly still be able to cater for women who come on those weeks.

This is an interesting thread. There are definitely differences between men and women on the trails. I find my abilities vary with the, ahem, time of the month hugely, so I have to plan my riding around that - it's frustrating as hell to be limited physically and mentally in that way. Sometimes I'll be able to throw myself down/off pretty much anything, other times I can barely stay upright on a fire road.

But I need the drive I get from having to work really really hard to keep up with the guys, both technically and physically. I'm not sure I would put anywhere near the effort in if I was in a relaxed female only environment!

Oh - I don't know - a female-only ride doesn't [i]have[/i] to be relaxed!

Riding in a male-only group is very different to riding in a female-only group. There is much more "ribbing" and generally knocking each other in the male-only group, when I've been out with only women there has been much less of that - almost none.

It might be that the ribbing leads to men generally taking greater risks and so on, to fit into the group. All that pack hierarchy nonsense. 🙂

Fascinates me, TBH

Rachel

Allthegear I was just thinking the same thing it fascinates me. I love riding with the blokes as I'm not particularly "girlie" anyway however on occasions it would be nice to have someone slightly closer to my skill level. As there is a big void between me and the boys so when we start a DH they are gone before I even have a chance to start pumping and chasing them and pushing myself. So I end up riding DH shouting at myself in my head "Ride harder, take a better line woman, keep pumping, bend your arms more, get your ass back" etc. So I just think it would be fun for a day to do something with a bunch of similar like minded women of a similar level. Hey I don't it's ever going to happen so I'll carry on dreaming. Bring on this weekend's riding.

Well, I'm not exactly a "traditional" girl, either!! 🙂

I think I'm going to sign up for the Women's Week Lucy has mentioned - sounds like fun...

I must admit, I'm about to sell my DH bike. I had a back injury last year and it has brought it to my sharp attention that I'll never ride hard enough to warrant 8inches of travel on any bike. TBH, though, I've used my 5 inch FS bike out in Morzine and I don't think I was any slower. The only things holding me back are in my head, not on my bike...

If you ever ride up in the Dark Peak or the Dales, let me know - I may be around...

Rachel

Just saw this elsewhere and it just about sums up why guys seem to ride differently to girls...

Testosterone - making men do stupid things since 3,000,000BC...

Rachel

I got my girlfriend a course with Mike @
http://www.mountainbikeskills.co.uk/.
She said it was a wicked tailored course to suit her specific requirements, its brought her riding on so much.

not a plug, just some good feedback.

Just out of interest, do all the female riders on here experience any other differences between the two sexes?
For example, I'll ride at quite a slow consistant pace to the chaps but can go on and on and on riding.
Whereas they'll blast down trails and ride up quite quickly (even technical stuff) but then need a good rest inbetween.

HA ha Bunnyhop that is EXACTLY how a lot of the boys ride .. not all of them though. But usually I'm at the back on the ups with the boys get to the top and carry on, they are like "don't you need a rest"..mmm "no". Oh the testosterone on occasions (but not all the time) some boys really don't like it if you go in front of them on a DH AND are quicker than them 😉

That's down to the different proportions of fast twitch* muscle and smooth muscle in male and female bodies. Women have more smooth muscle that isn't as powerful but lasts longer. It also doesn't look quite so 'blocky' on your arms etc.

*Sorry to the medics on here - I can't remember the proper names.

Rachel

So how was peoples riding? Survived a 45 miler off road it was awesome just shame sun wasn't shining and I actively thought about jumping as I approached stuff not sure I got any better mind 😉 shattered now mind!!!