Every woman I know who rides has a story about a guy who couldn't handle getting passed
Sarah came home from a ride last week and told me about some lad who caught up to her on country lanes, didn't say a word, just sat on her wheel.
Uninvited. Silent. Out in the middle of nowhere.
I don't think this is a cycling etiquette debate. That's just creepy.
Week before that, she passed someone. Just riding at her endurance pace. She got maybe 200 meters ahead when he came sprinting back around her, clearly twisting himself inside out, zone 4 or higher, just to get back in front.
I mentioned this to a few female friends who ride.
Every single one had similar stories.
I've created two new characters in my head.
The uninvited wheelsucker & the fragile ego guy who can't let a woman stay ahead so he burns matches he doesn't have just to restore some imagined natural order.
I find myself now (sitting on the toilet 😂) scanning Strava files searching for the flat endurance ride with one massive power spike
One of the characters has struck 😂
If your sense of self requires every woman you encounter to be slower than you, you might need to reexamine that identity.
Wake up call, girls are good at cycling!
I won't last 5km in a female world tour race.
This is a public service announcement post - don't be one of "those guys"
You think nobody notices. Everyone notices.
The women you're creeping out notice.
Other riders notice and avoid you.
Cycling culture talks about respect.
About looking out for each other.
Competence isn't gendered.
Performance isn't gendered.
Only insecurity is.