Get in touch with the James Hutton Institute: http://www.hutton.ac.uk/

Not just re jobs, but have a look at their staff / research projects – find one in your area and drop them a line to ask if you can come in for an informal chat. They won’t be offering you a job, but will be able to give you a lot of detailed information, especially relating to work in that area in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen is also hosting the British Science Festival in early september – largely aimed at the public, but also has sessions for ‘professionals’ – so another opportunity for informal networking and finding out what is going on re work in the area.

As a real life example of being a female cyclist:

When I ride with my local road club, I am the only woman, in a group of 30-40 guys. They’re all great, but it’s pretty intimidating to begin with, and even though I’m now comfortable with holding my own in the group, sometimes I feel self-conscious and that I stick out like a sore thumb.

So every month I organise a ‘women’s ride’ for the club, and because they didn’t feel like they’d be the only one, quite a few women come along. To be honest, it’s great to have other girls to ride with occassionally, we talk about stuff that wouldn’t be relevant to guys, and it gives us a more level playing field to compare our relative abilities. Plus it acts as an ‘icebreaker’ for the main club.

So, no I don’t see ‘women only’ cycling events as discrimination – maybe you guys just don’t really understand what it’s like being a woman who rides bikes (and often the only one in the group!). And yes, they do help to encourage more women to get into cycling, so hopefully in the future they’ll be an equal proportion of girls taking part and there’ll be no need for women only cycling events.

Good, interesting range of responses. Certainly shows that there isn’t a simple answer to this issue, but it does need to be addressed. Apart from the fatal accident statistics, the majority of cylists I know who ride on the road regularly have had at least one ‘close encounter’ and / or accident due to dangerous driving (and yes, in my mind that includes SMIDSY!) Equally, when I’ve been out riding with some of my friends who rare cycle on the road, I have been shocked by how they ride – in the gutter or wobbling across the road, unaware of the traffic around them etc.

Re the perception of safety as a barrier to cycling participation – this is not based on heresay, but one of the few population-level quantative surveys that have asked this question. Out of 19 different outdoor activities, cycling was the only one where ‘safety’ was a significant barrier (for the other activities, the main barriers were one’s that are often related to ‘lack of time’ / ‘bad weather’ etc). So it certainly is a factor which deters greater participation in cylcing. Maybe a Catch 22 – if safety is only improved by more cycling, but more pople won’t cycle becuase they don’t feel safe … where do we go from there?

Had a guy sit on my wheel all the way to the top of a hill, riding into a block headwind. Got to the top, and I paused to wait for my friend who was a fair way back. As he rode past me, he said ‘Thanks, shame you’re a bit too small as a wind block’! Fortunately I still had enough breath left to smile sweetly and say ‘wheel-sucker’ back at him :lol:

I just find it all part of the fun of road cycling … same as when you meet someone out on the same road and you both try to pretend you’re not actually racing each other as you bust a gut trying to get past …

atlaz +1

I would never recommend using a left filter lane as a passing area – it’s designed for traffic turning left, not for stopping in, nor for trying to rejoin an onwards road further along it. To be honest, if a group of cyclists did use a left filter lane as a passing place it could easily lead to an accident through misleading drivers about their intentions.

OP – it does seem a bit weird that you are now so obsessed by this that you’re prepared to find out what pub this group purport to frequent, on which evening, and then go there and ‘discuss’ it with them.

Am surprised and saddened to read so much antagonism towards cyclists on the road. Am also somewhat bemused as to why so many people get so angry about having to slow down a little, for whatever reason.

Like many of you, I’m a road cyclist, mountain biker, car driver, and hiker – and generally think the majority of folks in all ‘groups’ are on the whole decent and considerate.

In this specific example, I suspect there might be many, justifiable reasons why a group of road cyclists acted the way they did. When I’m out riding with a group, we are often wary of going single file as it leads to drivers trying to squeeze past when there isn’t enough room. Spliting into 2 groups isn’t usually practical or safe to have a car in the middle. And often stopping a group in a layby etc us pretty hard as there is limited room and it’s often not possible to spot such opportunities in time to communicate it through the group in time to allow everyone to safely stop.

Why the impatience? Does a few minutes really matter? Personally, I can happily sit behind a group of cyclists and admire some very fit legs :) If I’m on my bike (road or off-road) I have no problem slowing down for ramblers or dog walkers that are often using the back roads round here. And let’s just appreciate the fact that hopefully most road users will get home safe and sound to their family and friends.

Good choice flippinheckler :) Made up a large part of my ride today! Might see you out on the road tomorrow – wave if you see a group of girls on road bikes …

For me “athletic” is about what you do – ie being fit and physically active. It’s a shame if women are perceiving this as something to avoid, or see it as ‘not feminine’.

Lots of assumptions (both here and elsewhere) about what ‘body shape’ athletic women have, when in reality they are all different. Personally, I consider myself to have an athletic body, purely on the basis of doing a lot of cycling, mountaineering, and swimming. Yes, it’s given me muscles (especially in the legs), but I’m also a slightly built size 8 (ahem, Hora!), and definately have curves in some places :)

I like my body, it’s fit and healthy and most importantly let’s me do the things I love. The only downside is getting clothes to fit, but I’ve no intention of putting on extra pounds!

philc – I have a triple and a mtb rear cassette (for extra gear-age) on my road bike … the riding Gods are not just angry but apoplectic :)

Personally, I just enjoy the fact that I can spin up the steepest mountain climb while others are gurnying and grunting their way to the top.

Get what you want, and enjoy!

+1 Peterfile and DGOAB

Re cardio activities – personally I hate the gym, so spend most of my time road cycling, mountaineering, swimming and (occassionally :oops: ) mountain biking. I get real enjoyment out of pushing myself physically, but have noticed that others maybe don’t get the same ‘pleasure’ from having a mental mantra of ‘yes my legs hurts, but I’ll not get any better if I don’t try harder!’

Working on what your OH already enjoys, it sounds as through increasing cardio activity through walking would be the best option. It’s already something you enjoy doing together, and it can easily be made into a ‘workout’ by just increasing the pace. Walking at a speed which makes you feel breathless / light sweat, will be just as effective as cycling. Alternatively, things like oreinteering can balance physical activity (anything from a brisk walk to a full run) with the mental challenge and competitive aspects, plus the social scene.

At 5’3″ with ‘female proportions’, I would definately recommend getting a women’s specific bike. It’s not only the frame size, but as DGOAB says, covers things like crank length, bar width, brake reach etc. Also, opting for new means she can try riding many bikes – absolutely crucial! I took my time and tried a lot to find one that fitted me best. Getting the fit even slightly wrong is not only uncomfortable, but can lead to spine / hip / knee problems.

For comparison, I’m 5′ and ride a 48cm Specialized Dolce. It’s got a 50.6cm ETT, small bars with short reach brake levers. My inside leg is 29″, so I have a short torso. I tried other makes, sometimes in ‘smaller’ frame sizes, which felt too big, so frame size isn’t the only factor to take into consideration.

I’ve got a FS Titus mtb, Specialised Tricross (set up as road-based tourer), and a Specialised Dolce road bike.

Only my Titus has been better than my OH’s (both ex and current), and although my mtb cost more than both my road bikes put together, I now am more of a roadie than a mtb’er – I guess showing that for me it’s not all about the bike :)

With all my bikes, I’ve chosen, spec’ed, and paid for them myself. I’m curious as to how many women out there are riding what their partner got them, or have decided for themselves? (That’s not saying one option is better than the other!)

Quite a while ago, when I was working as an Access Officer up in Scotland as the Land Reform Act came into force, I wrote an article for Singletrack on what it meant for mountain bikers.

The same applied then as to now, it’s just basic common sense. If you’re on your bike, consider avoiding a very busy walkers route on a bank holiday (especially one which is more likely to be used by less experiened tourists), if you’re a dog walker, consider avoiding going along a route mainly used by mtb’ers on a day when they have an informal event.

It’s really not rocket science is it? Think about where you’re going, who else is likely to be affected by you being there, consider whether you’re likely to cause excessive erosion if it’s very wet and you’re crossing boggy ground, and make an appropriate decision.

Most of all, responsible access tends to be the most enjoyable access :) After all, surely most of us would prefer to not ride a path packed with walkers?

DGOAB – sounds great. Would be good to hear how you get on with disc brakes – I’ve considered them for my tourer as trying to stop with the weight of fully laden panniers can be “interesting”! I also had 650 suggested, as I’m only 150cm, but have stuck with 700 with no problems (and much easier if you ever need to borrow a spare inner tube)

Am now considering a very lightweight bike though, as the bike / rider weight ratio for us smaller females is pretty poor compared to guys.

DGOAB +1 (have you got your new bling bike yet?!?)

You’ll find it gradually takes over, and before you know it, you’ll not only be wearing full lycra (anything else would seem weird!), but considering:

– spring training camps somewhere sunny (Majorca was ace!)
– learning to find the biggest fast chap in front and stealthy sit on his wheel before nipping past him on the final run having saved your energy
– consider guys with shaved legs to be completely normal!

Have fun :)

More than contented … I am happy :)

2 years ago, I hit rock bottom. I’d lost my long-term partner, my home, half my belongings, several friends, and living with my dog. None of which was of my choosing, which made it even harder.

But since then I’ve learnt many things – that happiness comes from friends, especially when they are positive about life, from small and simple enjoyment like strolling on the beach, and most of all from getting the most out of every day. I’ve also learnt that money and promotion isn’t the main focus in my life, and have been happy to turn down opportunities for “improving my career”. Instead I get to carry on living in a place that I love, spending my time in the hills, and being with a great group of friends.

So now I embrace the good in my life – this morning’s ride in the sun, laughing with friends, planning a holiday with my new chap, and curling up on the sofa with my dog. None of these cost lots of money :)

We’re staying here:

http://www.tuscan-retreats.co.uk/properties/al-melo/

(the company has lots of properties in the area). Got a 20% discount, so a week is £500, which I was amazed at as it has a private pool, grounds, and sleeps 4/6 (whereas villas with private pools in the rest of Tuscany seemed to be in their £1000’s!). So far, the company has been really easy to book with etc. Return flights to Pisa were only £55 / person, and car hire about £120.

Worth googling ‘garfagnana acomodation’ – I think owners direct did a lot of properties too.

I’m about to head for a week in the Garfagnana in northern Tuscany – beautiful chestnut forests and mountains for hiking, lots of little Tuscan hilltop villages, great food, and easy drive of places like Pisa, Florence, Lucca (walled city), and Bagnidi Lucca (spa town).

Flights to Pisa or Florence can be very cheap with budget airlines, and accomodation in Garfagnana is very reasonably priced as it’s not on the ‘Chianti’ tourist trail.

I’m 44 and don’t have childen. The ‘why’ is very simple – I just don’t want to.

And yes, it really is as simple as that!

I didn’t have a messed up childhood, I don’t have a ‘selfish’ lifestyle now, and I find it pretty insulting that people think those are reasons for not choosing to have children.

Personally, I don’t particularly ‘enjoy’ hanging out with children – I’m perfectly happy spending time with my friend’s children as they come as a ‘package’, but given the choice, I wouldn’t choose to spend my time with children, and prefer to spend my time doing a range of other things. These aren’t all supposedly ‘selfish’ activities (although I do enjoy biking, climbing, travelling etc), but also caring for others (they just don’t happen to be children).

As the majority seem to say, it really is an individual choice, and one is not ‘better’ than the other. The only things that do really pee me off is the ‘you’ll change your mind’ comments, along with ‘having children is the best thing ever’ (for you maybe, but not for everyone), ‘you only understand ‘unconditional love’ when you have children’.

For those who’ve said that they’ve carried on doing their ‘pre-kids’ activities – The only thing I have noticed is that amongst the folks that I meet doing biking / climbing etc – most of the guys have children, whereas most of the women don’t. It certainly seems to be harder, or less likely, for a woman who has children to do outdoor activities. Is probably related in some part to childcare responsibilities which do lie more with women than with guys?

The sound of waves on the beach

And the constantly changing bird calls in the early morning dawn chorus

mangoridebike & Coyote – thanks :)

On a personal level – my brother. He has severe mental and physical disabilities, and has spent his life often in pain, but several years ago he learnt how to cycle on a specially adapted bike. He went on to compete in the Special Olympics as a cyclist, and won a gold medal in the time trial.

Of the more ‘famous’ cyclists – Beryl Burton: outstanding athlete, won numerous championships and held several world records.

Madness – fantastic! Go Dudes … :)

Abandoned unpacking boxes in my new house …

– Rode my first Audax on Saturday: 110km round Anglesey, loved it!
– Holed up for a couple of days with new chap :wink:
– Out in the mountains all day tomorrow

Fantastic weekend :) Not sure what that Jubilee thing was though …

Riding bikes
Friends
My brother and sister
Great cheese and wine
See the smiles on people’s faces when you take them riding for the first time
Deserted beaches
Sunsets
Mountain tops
And my new chap … who is on his way over to see me right now :)

CFH … and there was me thinking everything on STW was an accurate reflection of reality :wink:

TooTall – OK. I used to lecture in environmental politics / policy, so not completely dissimilar.

As a marker, I was often looking for the following:

– clear, focused question

– rationale / justification for the hypothesis

– good balanced lit review

– clear methodology and data presentation

– discussion which links back to the research q, hypothesis, and data findings.

– conclusion which indicates – key findings; contribution to the existing body of research on this topic; suggestions for further research.

TBH, at Masters level, no-one is expecting you to be producing the next Nobel prize level of work, but to show that you have grasped the fundamentals of undertaking a research project (on a mini-scale) from start to completion.

Thanks all – i am looking forward to it.

DGOAB / Mr Agreeable – I was wondering what was the score re route finding! So do you get a map when you sign on in the morning? Is this likely to be waterproof, or should I bring a clear map case / cover?

TooTall – what subject area? MSc dissertations can either be ‘wordy’ or ‘numerical’, so advice depends in part on what subject area you’re working on.

From previous lecturing experience, there’s a couple of common points of advice:

– focus your question (one of the biggest challenges is actually getting a proper research question, which isn’t too vague)

– keep the scope manageable – remember it’s a Masters, not a PhD!

– leave a lot of time for writing up – even things like getting your reference lists written up correctly can take more time than you expect.

Good luck, and enjoy it! Research can be fun :)

CFH – either you’re never done a MSc dissertation or made love to a beautiful woman … or if you have and you draw that comparison, you were doing one of them very, very wrong 8O

LOL :) What kind of women did they ask to come up with that list?!?

The “what do you look for in a guy” questions has come up a few times amongst my female friends. The “list” was as follows:

– ride a bike (road or mtb) and / or climb and / or mountaineer etc

– not want a family

– be honest, interesting, independent, and have a sense of humour!

… erm, that was about it! (although we had a long conversation once about whether shave or not shaved legs were on the list …)

nich3000 – I recently very similar situation to you (but with less serious implications)

Same place – Majorca, climbing up the road to start Sa Calobra, tried to stop, failed to unclip, fell over sideways. Fortunately for me the context was somewhat different – I was coming to a halt to re-group with the other riders I was with, and fortunately fell sideways onto a road which at that point had no traffic coming down it. But I think the causes might be similar to you – riding in a strange country, distracted by thinking about riding Sa Calobra (I’d only seen pictures as was somewhat concerned about the hairpin bends / steepness etc), and anxious about riding with a new group of people most of whom were far better than me.

End result, I was distracted, and temporarily lost my ability to unclip. I suspect it was the same for you – focused on the buses and the drop. For me, I just ended up feeling embarressed about falling over sideways in front of everyone, but for you it’s obviously been more scary. But the ‘actual’ physical impact on both of us has been the same – a few bruises etc.

It’s easy to focus on ‘what could have happened’ (I do it far too often), but it’s important to think about what ‘actually’ happened (the buses stopped, you weren’t injured).

In terms of dealing with it, all the above advice is good. Maybe suggest that you take your road bike on a traffic free cycle path and practice riding up and down clipping in and out over and over again. Lots of actual positive reinforcement of how you can do this quickly and easily, in a non-stressful situation.

Thanks for the heads up.

Softshell jackets are good – now have a girl’s one in pink :)

Jerseys are ‘lightweight’ as mentioned above – but good for summer wear, and the socks are always worth picking up if you’re in need of a cheap pair.

But somehow I also seem to have wandered out with a load of plants and potting compost … that’s going to interfere with my biking!

Got up early to get out before the worst of the weather arrived, but have a stinking cold so bike was rejected in favour of a shuffle along the beach beside a wild sea, in memory of my friend whose funeral I was at yesterday. She was only 34 and died in a car crash last week – time to remind myself that we never know when our lives might be suddenly cut short and to make the most of our time right here and now, regardless of the weather.

I’ve found my average speed is really variable, depending on the weather (windy / wet), riding solo or in a group, and especially how much climbing is involved (usually lots round here!)

It’s been more useful to join a club and see where I ‘fit’ relative to a large number of people. The fastest guys and girls in the club kick my arse in terms of average speed (but then they are very, very good!), I’m ‘middle of the pack’ riding with the ‘intermediate’ group of guys, and I’m quicker than the slower group.

On average, gender and age start to have an impact when you look at the fastest racers, but for most of us it’s possible to become a “good intermediate” rider with sufficient effort.

But I think it’s easy to become obsessed with the ‘numbers’, as in the end I just ride because I love it :)

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I’ll look into them tonight.

Sandwich … rather curious! Is there a particular reason why you can’t put up a link?

Any other suggestions? A friend mentioned the Italian Bike Hotels – anyone used them before?

I’ve got some ideas for general areas – France / Spain / Italy eg Provence, Vercors, Dolomites, Pyrenees, Tuscany, somewhere in Spain?

But not really got any idea about specific places / accomodation etc, so looking for suggestions / recommendations from anyone who might have been there / done that already :)

No (almost the opposite)

Yes – mainly road riding nowadays (does that count?)

No

I don’t think any of my biking friends fit the STW stereotype

Depending on the season:

Winter – merino wool buff and Gore Alp X waterproof shorts

Summer – Ruu-Muu Violetta cycling dress – feminine, summery, and practical :)

Cheers guys!

Right, trying not to get confused – xt 34 x 11 mtb cassette will be fine, might need a new ‘long cage’ / xt mtb rear mech (but check current one first), will need a longer chain – can I add extra links to my current one or would I need a new chain?

billysan – I ride in Snowdonia so steep hills are commonplace. I know most of the guys I ride with manage with “standard” gears, but they usually then have to stand and grunt up the hills. The gearing on the tricross just works for me, and despite it being a heavy bike I can often hold my own or go faster uphill than some of the local roadie boys. Withl the Dolce I just have to struggle more, am often slower uphill, and put more strain on my knee joint.

Thanks druidh. So if I wanted that gear ratio on the Dolce I could keep the current shifters and front chainring, and replace the rear cassette AND the rear mech with a mtb one, and that would all be compatible? Would XT give me the same level of performance as 105?

Ah, coffee! How could I forget about the most important element of cycling :) Am getting excited now …

DGOAB – when are you over there? I’ll be there from the 1st to the 10th April – if you’re around during that time, and based in the same area, let me know if you fancy meeting for a coffee at some point?