The new year always brings a time of reflection and this year I want to share a female perspective of the history of local cycling in Virginia. Instead of only sharing my view, I have reached out to a few of our local cycling legends with the ultimate goal of posting a series of pieces that provide a broader perspective of the local development of our sport.
If you would like to contribute your perspective to this project contact me at
emilyjoyner@gmail.com Special thanks to Emily
Helmbolt, Liz Schleeper, Ruth Stornetta, and Laura Cook for getting the ball rolling by responding to my questions and, ultimately, making this series possible. Look for more about each of these amazing lady’s cycling stories in upcoming posts!
Inspired by these local legends and spurred on by the upcoming road season (our 11th year), here is the first post.
11 Insights from Local Legends
Advice for new racers; reminders for seasoned racers
#1- Find a team
Racing can be tough. Beyond the physical challenge of the race itself, the written and unwritten rules of racing can be complicated. On a team you can find support, camaraderie, mentorship, and a community. Teammates can help you learn the ropes and gain experience. Many of them will share similar goals making them great sources of motivation. The team atmosphere contributes to the enjoyment of the sport and the enthusiasm of others can be infectious! Ruth shared “I most enjoyed riding as part of a team. I always had a good time when I had a teammate in the race.” Find a club or team near you.
#2- Ride with lots of people
You will race with different people in different places, why not ride with different people in different places? Group rides, gran fondos, mountain bikes, recreational riders, wanna-be pros- whatever keeps it fun! Riding with a more diverse cycling community will widen your perspective and expose you to a vast amount of experiences. Most local shops offer group rides. If you are not sure where to start, consider giving your local shop a call to see when they are riding. If you already ride with a group, consider branching out to other rides occasionally.
#3- Train outside
The indoor trainer is a great place to get strong and the advent of truly interactive in-home cycling is introducing more women to competitive aspects of cycling every day. But if you want to race (and not crash or scare others) then there is no substitute for riding outside with people. “Find people who know how to train AND how to handle a bike to learn” is Laura’s advice. If you are a seasoned rider, but often train alone or ride Zwift, consider doing some extra group rides before the first race of the season. Riding outside with other cyclists on real roads helps sharpen your drafting and group riding skills.
#4- Appreciate local promoters
Since the beginning of time, 90% of the work has been done by 10% of the people (#facts). Promoters are the people who make racing possible in the local scene and give new riders a place to enter the sport. Jumping into a local event is a much less daunting than heading to the start line of a
regional 50-woman field (
a la USA Crit style). There are a small number of people in Virginia doing most of the work, and it has always been that way. Thanks to everyone who has promoted a race, double thanks to those who promote races year after year! Register in advance of the race day and show up to your local races when possible, that is a great way to support your local races.
Here is the VA Cycling race calendar. If you have the opportunity to volunteer at a race you should do it. Volunteering supports the promoter, the race community, and helps you better understand the work that goes into each event. Volunteering is easy, just email the race promoter a few weeks before the event!
#5- Women’s fields are often smaller
This might seem obvious, but to those new to racing the smaller fields may initially seem odd. These “field-size” differences (more men than women) are not immediately apparent in other sports like track and field, tennis, or swimming, for instance, but they are very apparent in cycling. Regionally this is nothing new; it does seem hard to get women out to local crits. One challenge is the risk of injury. It is no secret that crashes can happen during races. Luckily, the local women’s fields tend to have fewer crashes, but Ruth and Liz both remarked that crit racing might have been more enjoyable for them if they had been willing to take more risks. Other factors contribute to race-day numbers as well, but the historic solution to fewer women racers has been to hold one race as an “open” field with all racers from beginners to expert in the same race. Sometimes the women’s race is even combined with juniors. This trend is changing, as Ruth notes “promoters take women’s racing more seriously than previously”. This has been reflected locally as many Virginia promoters consistently offer a beginner’s race (categories 4 & 5) and a separate elite race (categories 1, 2, 3). Now beginners can show up and race with other beginners. Promoters have attempted to bolster women’s field sizes by providing reduced entry fees or by having equal prize money for men and women (some promoters have done BOTH!). Locally, women do seem to support the races that support them but there is incredible room for growth. There is always room for more women! Consider inviting your friends, sharing the events on your social media, and posting pictures that show how fun these events are!
#6- Try new things in races
There are many ways to win and to lose a race. The best way to learn is by doing. Have fun and enjoy the process. Go for the break away, a final lap “suicide” attack, or attack the corners. You will grow as a racer by trying new things, don’t just sit in. Ruth recommends to try and “learn something from every race”. Another trusted strategy is to double up on races; more races mean more opportunities to learn. If there is only one women’s race you are eligible for you may be able to race with the men. Women can race with the men one category down or one age-group up. For example, a cat 3 female racer can compete in a men’s cat 4 race and a 35-year-old female can join the 40+ men’s master’s race. The men’s fields are often larger providing an opportunity for experience.
#7- Don’t take strategy personally
The vibe for road racers tends to be more serious than the vibe for cx or mountain bike races. The serious nature combined with the importance of strategy can make road racing seem like a pretty unfriendly sport. “This turns a lot of women off, and they tend to take things too personal” explains Emily H. For example, when no one helps you pull back a breakaway, leaves you out on the front to do more than your fair share of work, or attacks you immediately after you single-handedly pulled back the break- these things are not personal! Everyone has a goal and they will use strategy as much as strength to reach that goal. It’s not personal. It’s just racing.
#8- Embrace that internal motivation
External rewards can be few and far between in racing. Rather than focusing solely on prizes and upgrade points, take value in the physical challenge, the setting and achieving of goals, the rivalries, the successes with teammates, and the in-the-moment experience of racing. Emily H. shared a similar sentiment, enjoying “the thrill of the race- turning myself inside out to go as fast as I could, figuring out the best strategy to ensure my team was successful” were a few of her motivations for racing. Liz said her favorite races were “more about the experience … rather than the course”. It’s great when you win money or upgrade points flow like wine, but during the race remember to be in that moment and enjoy both the wins and losses. The adage it’s about the journey, not the destination definitely applies here.
#9- Be friendly to new women
Due to the more serious vibe in road racing, we don’t always radiate the message “Welcome! This is fun!”. I am not suggesting we change the way we race, but we could do something as simple as being friendly to new riders (wherever we encounter them!). Emily H referred to the mountain bike community and specifically the LIV ambassadors and the Bell Joy rides as positive examples of how “women can be with other women in supportive learning environments”. She credits the grassroots movement with the increase of female participation in the sport. At road races a basic first step might be to welcome all new riders regardless of how strong the person is or how pro their kit looks. I often forget how intimidating it can be as a beginner coming in among teams of women who have known each other for years. When you see someone new, go say hi and introduce yourself; she just might be your future teammate!
#10- Support our community
We are a community first and competitors second. Even if you started riding for fitness, once you get into the cycling community, that often becomes one of the most rewarding aspects of the sport. Sure, you can enjoy personal successes in cycling - improving your 40k time, increasing your FTP, riding your first century – but there is something special about sharing the ups and downs with others. Cycling is a team sport and active mentorship is key. In Virginia, Emily H. believes “the main impetus to growth were the actual teams- national level and local. Women were starting to develop and manage teams.” In fact, it was Emily H’s team that mentored me as a beginning cyclist. There I had my first experience being on a women’s team and was able to learn from experienced female cyclists. Starting my own team was an attempt to bring something similar to Virginia Beach. In a similar vein, Laura mentioned that Liz was an influential mentor in her racing development. Find a mentor or be a mentor. What makes us stronger as a community, makes us stronger as individuals!
#11- Save your oxygen for breathing
We all have our thing and this one is mine. In the spirit of #7, 9, 10 and particularly in light of #5, when we are racing, let’s race! Imagine you are 40 minutes into a tough 60-minute crit, everyone is at their limit, and suddenly you hear yelling from the back row. No, it’s not a crash, it’s someone “discussing” race tactics with another competitor. Yelling at others in the middle of a race makes things seem personal when the strategic element of racing seldom is. Comments regarding safety are one thing (e.g., Hold your line!), but if you want to bestow your knowledge of race strategy on the women’s field, hold a clinic. All races are learning experiences, but most of us aren’t up for a lecture when we are planning our next move. From time to time we may get a little overzealous, but it is worth keeping in mind the big picture. We are all out there to have fun.
9th Annual Shamrock Criterium Bike Race
