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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Cyclepassion - More like Cycle-oppression...ZING!


[While the title of this blog is "Get a Grip on Mountain Bikes" and not "These are Jamie's Opinions, Take 'em or Leave 'em," this blog will be riddled with my opinions on bike culture, and all that it encompasses. So, take 'em or leave 'em.]

Having used to write for a girls' empowerment blog, where I spotlighted the pervasive sexism that our culture can't seem to shake in the media on a weekly basis, I should not be shocked by anything sexist by now.  But every time I'm confronted with another image of an otherwise strong female in a compromising or submissive position, naked or scantily-clad, the feminist knot in my stomach tightens even more. This time I felt that twinge of disappointment when I found out about a calendar in Germany called Cyclepassion, that features famous female cyclists in the same way SI showcases the year's latest swimsuit trends.

The women are superimposed over a larger-than-life bike part, in a coy, seductive way, or going so far as to provocatively straddling the object. But the calendar "balances" the ridiculousness by also including photos of the women in action, tearing it up like the bad-asses they are. Those are neat. Then turn the page again and oh my god, LEGS.  Sonya Looney, a professional mountain biker, was interviewed about her recent photo shoot for the calendar and she says,
Sonja Looney, beautifully dirty!

"They had actually asked me to do the calendar the year before and I had said no because I was a little bit uncomfortable putting myself out there in that sort of sexy way... people may look at me that way, but I like to portray myself more as a positive, fun ball of energy than a sex symbol, and I was afraid that posing for the calendar would detract from the image that I've made for myself in cycling."


Pro cyclist...? Oh right,
she's sitting on a tire.
That makes sense now.
Yes, go Sonya, tell 'em how your amazing, fit bod is for your career and not to benefit the lecherous gaze of strangers! ...But then she went on:
"But they asked me and I thought about it for a year and finally said, 'As long as I'm in control of what I'm wearing and what I'm doing, it could be fun.'"
...*forehead smack* It took her a year to decide this was a good idea?? Girls on bikes are already sexy! High heels and cleavage are an unnecessary addition to nature. I don't care what anyone says, this is not a case of female empowerment. It is female delusion to think that by taking off their clothes at the behest of a male-focused enterprise, they're creating leverage for themselves in a male-dominated industry.

The bulk of cyclist culture was created by dudes, and only relatively recently has this culture pervaded mainstream society enough to attract ladies' attention.  What we're seeing happen is a divergence of industries, separating male cyclists from female cyclists, but with different levels of attention on each.  If the cycling industry spent the same amount of energy on promoting female cyclists or women's events as they do for men's events, maybe then we would see a boost in the number of women riders at the starting lines.

Cycling needs to be normalized for all genders - not making female riders out to be exceptions to the rule.  And normalizing cycling certainly won't come from glorifying female cyclists as sex goddesses! That does the exact opposite for the cause.  How are women going to gain respect within a vast industry of men when they concede to superficial feminine standards?  For the purpose of fairness, I researched the equivalent of Cyclepassion for men.  I couldn't find anything pin-up worthy (save for Thomas Dekker, who just happens to also be an underwear model for Cavello. Well, would you look at that.). But what I DID find was this super awesome bike photographer lady named Laura Fletcher who is doing EXACTLY that, creating a calendar of sexy pro biker men as a middle finger to Cyclecross for not doing the same thing to male riders. In a Skype interview, Fletcher says,
"I mean, don’t get me wrong, if you want to pose for a calendar, go for it, male or female. But I think that with all the equality that women are trying to get in this sport, it’s a bit shit that the Cyclepassion calendar exists where a male version doesn't."
Heather Irmirger,
Single Speed World Champion, 2011
Yes yes yes YES, you go, Laura Fletcher. AND not to mention, all the proceeds of this work-in-progress calendar will be going to charities and towards women's cycling causes. To go off of Fletcher's quote, my intent with this post is not to demoralize the athletes who agreed to pose for Cyclepassion - it's to shine a light on the residual systemic ostracization of women, left over from decades past when this sport first got its start.

Heather Irmiger, gettin' down and dirty.
I understand that there is also a tricky line women cyclists must walk to be treated as equals with their athletic counterparts and to stay true to themselves.  Because no matter which category of cycling you're into, it's not a sport for sissies.  You gotta look hard to play hard, which can take a tole on anyone who Look, if you want the world to see your sexy, perfectly-toned physique, by all means, show the world! You worked hard for that body, after all! But do it for the right reasons. (Cyclepassion isn't even giving calendar proceeds to charity! *Scoff!*)

Sigh....Welp, I'm exhausted. There's only so much I can say in a blog post without talking in circles. I hope I did not deter any of you with my 'raging feminism' from reading this blog in the future.  But these trends can't go unnoticed or they will keep happening. If any part of this post enraged you, share it with others. Have these conversations with your fellow riders and sponsors.  If this post mostly just annoyed you, then chill out and sit tight for the next one. If anything, remember the take-away moral of this post: be yourself, do it for yourself, and sign up for more races, ladies!!

Peace and bicycles and all that jazz. 


Friday, September 13, 2013

Damned if I'm Going it Alone

Wednesday night was my first cyclocross experience. Let's see, how did it go... I fell at a corner right before the end of the first lap, was lapped by nearly everyone in my heat, and came in second-to-last, beating only a 12-year-old boy. Oh yeah, and after all that I signed up to two more in the series. Sooooo chalkin' this one up as a success!

I think I'm going crazy. No race bug has bit me yet, however - I think it's just a case of loss of integrity to the point of raising hands up and saying 'why the hell not'.  I told a friend after the race that I won't decide how I feel about this trending sport until I fix some mistakes. Here's a brief list of what went wrong on that first go-around:
  1. Raced on the Giant 27.5 (wide handlebars)
  2. Didn't stretch beforehand
  3. Not clipped in
  4. Raced on the Giant 27.5 (heavy as f*%^ to lift over that barrier)
  5. Had no actual experience with repeating sharp turns. Like, ever.
  6. Never practiced dismounting and mounting. 
  7. Raced on the Giant 27.5
So the race was a bust. OK, and...? Jump first, think later. How else could I rule out my being the next natural Gabby Day? But all was not lost. To balance the self-deprecation, here's what looks promising moving forward. 

I...
  1. Showed up
  2. Was able to smile after falling and when I was visibly the least experienced on the course (i.e. no jersey with a sponsor's logo on it) 
  3. Didn't have a glass of wine before leaving the house (nod to new friend who learned a valuable lesson as well that day)
The hardest part for me was the mental endurance - maintaining a modicum of competitiveness.  Although this and the next two races in the series are non-competitive, it's still a test of your skill against others'. You're racing for your right to show up to the next race.  You're on the course so you can go home worn out, the pain being the accomplishment.  See, I've only ever competed in team sports: Crew, when your lethargy could forfeit the entire boat's chances at placing; and Ultimate Frisbee, where you experience physical sickness when your team isn't mad at you, they're just "disappointed." So because I don't have to feel that shame when I race as an individual, I tend to go easy on myself. Which almost always amounts to not feeling as beat as I could feel after a race.  So that's something I will need to overcome. 

Maybe riding with more women and participating in clinics will take the place of a "team" - it really goes without saying that the whole POINT of sports is interaction with others.  Inclusion in something greater than yourself, something that's based in history and the future at the same time. While it was a huge relief to experience my first race with one another racer new to the sport lined up next to me, we could use a lot more of our kind at that starting line, beginners. If there's a nugget of a thought saying this might be worth your time, then trust that it IS worth your time. It tickles me to read article after article saying how 'crossers have the best senses of humor out of all the cycling sports, because taking yourself too seriously in this sport could cost you more than just a bruised ego. And in my experience thus far I have yet to encounter sneers and jeers (at least within earshot). 

I hope this article of unsolicited advice was inspiring, dear Noob. If it wasn't enough to convince you to shed pride and join me two weeks from now at Fletcher Park, I'll leave you with this quote from Sarai Snyder, founder of Girl Bike Love: "Of course you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it and I’ll be damned if I’m going it alone."

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Jumping on (over?) the Cyclocross Bandwagon!

GET SOME! Tomorrow is the first of a three-part Cyclocross series at Fletcher Park at 6pm (more info here). The most grueling flat course anyone could hope to not die on, some say. So obvi, I'm gonna do it. Because who could pass up a chance to kick their own ass!

Really all it took was watching this video and remembering the shame from walking away from the Jackson Park short race a few weeks ago with my ego crumpled up and handed to me. I mean, why think too much about it? It's like going into a movie that you know NOTHING about, except for maybe the genre. You have no prior judgments or expectations, and in all likelihood, you leave the theater thinking, "Yeah, ok. That wasn't bad."  While I won't be doing a practice run prior to doing a practice race, I will shed some light on what sort of obstacles to expect. You know, like flaming hoops. Or bears. 

shouldering
The whole point of cyclocross is that eventually you'll be running your bike across some impassable segment or obstacle, like a muddy passage or boards sticking out of the ground.  Whatever the flavor you must dismount and throw your bike over your shoulder. Easiest way to do this without whacking yourself in the face is to grab the down tube with your right hand to hoist the top tube up onto your shoulder.  Then take your left hand and maneuver the handlebars into your chest so the front wheel is secure.  If you have bar ends you can reach your right hand through the drop and grab onto the drop bar so your left hand can be free to help balance you as you run through the muck and the mire.

dismounting & remounting
Before you can shoulder, you need to get off the bike. Obviously. As I've mentioned in a previous post, it is so extremely important when riding on any terrain, road, MTB, cross, to prepare yourself for what's ahead. Especially in cross racing. You are a better judge of your athleticism, so take that into consideration when deciding when to dismount before a hurdle or runny slope. I find it really hard to kinetic instruction when it's written out, so I found a pretty straightforward short clinic video about how to properly place your feet and hips when dismounting. 


I'll have more to say about each of these pretty standard maneuvers after tomorrow when I have to do it for the first time ever, just repeating it over and over and over and over again.

APPARENTLY, it's an "old race trick" to race super hard 2-3 days before another race. So this will be my bike training this week for the Mountain Medley Triathlon this Saturday at Camp Green Cove/Mondamon! Hopefully I won't die. If you're thinking about doing this tri too, then come join us tomorrow at Fletcher Park!! If nothing else, Sierra Nevada is sponsoring it. Sooooo.....beer.

Welp! here goes nothin'.