Bicycle Friendly America Winter 2018 - 21

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF WISCONSIN WOMEN CYCLING

media, cycling clubs are better at expressing their club's style
and goals (i.e. casual, focused on training for an event, or if
their all in to compete, to name a few). With that, I encourage
women cyclists to not give up riding but to find a group that
fits your style and goals. If you're still unsure, your local bike
shop may be able to help you find the right group.
TURNING THE CORNER
I was in (pre)-retirement when the idea of starting this business came to mind. As a cycling enthusiast and former event
planner, starting Wisconsin Women Cycling was a natural
move for me as it combines what I love - riding my bike, being with friends and building new relationships.
With the help of friends, family and volunteers, in three
months Wisconsin Women Cycling was off and rolling out
its first century ride. Thanks to everyone who helped, it was
organized, inclusive and fun.
Our first event was the 2015 Wisconsin Women Century,
held on the last Saturday in July, offering distances from 16 to
105 miles for riders to choose from with "manned" full-service
rest stops.
Several of the ladies' post-ride surveys asked for training,
mostly because they were not prepared for the rolling the hills
in this area of Wisconsin. That resulted in the formation of
WWCycling Club. Through group rides and social activities,
we bring women together to improve riding skills and promote
the benefits and joys of bike riding.
Ride leaders stepped up, and the season kicked-off the following year on Mother's Day 2016 with the first annual Cindyrella Classic. As a day of declaration, riders select a distance to
ride at the Wisconsin Women Century.
Over the next 10-12 weeks, we help them focus on their goal
using a tailored schedule, workshops, weekly group rides, hills
training or a combination thereof. We celebrate their accomplishments at the WI Bike Festival. Not because they completed their distance, but because they made the healthy choice
of being there every week to ride, learn and train.
All of this is possible because of the volunteers. And those
who "manned" our rest stops expressed an interest to ride to
support women cycling, so 2016 also brought with it the first
annual Holy Hill Classic. With over 5,000 ft in climbing on
the hottest day of the year, the Holy Hill Classic is not intended for the novice rider. This coed semi-self-supported ride is
similar to the WI Women Century, held the day before, but has
an additional 1,000 ft of climbing.
In 2017, we added Bike4aCause. A community ride supporting local nonprofits. Proceeds from all our rides benefit our
foundation, the Wisconsin Women's Fund, Inc.

"That awful ride" didn't have anything to do with traffic. It
had to do with riding in a group or with one's husband / significant other who would always be more interested in going
fast or crushing a hill than in the ride itself. We'd often exchange numbers and say "Call when you're up for a ride," and
we would. Today, these women are some of my closest friends.
When talking with women about what I do, many start off
with, "I'm interested in riding but I'm not a racer..." I let them
know that we're not about racing or going fast. Some do like to
compete, and others like to ride fast and hard but WWCycling
is all about getting you comfortable on your bike and helping
you develop your skills so you enjoy your ride, however you
define it.
On the road, WWCycling Club holds weekly group rides.
All are no-drop and are defined as Casual, Beginner, Intermediate, Brisk and Advanced. Our routes are flexible and are
determined by who shows up.
Off-road, we offer a weekly mountain bike ride for women
and summer camps for youth. Plus our members volunteer at
local women's mountain bike and cyclocross clinics. We're a
very active group and there is something for just about every
style of rider.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Over the years, it was infrequent to connect with women
on the road or trail. But when I did, we'd get excited and share
stories. It was common to hear stories of "that awful ride" that
nearly turned them off to riding.
WINTER 2018

BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA 21

https://www.wiwomencycling.com/wwcycling-riding-club https://www.wiwomencycling.com/2017bike4acause

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Winter 2018