Meet our groups: Winchester CTC shares its success with female riders
The number of women riding regularly with Winchester CTC has definitely increased in the last year or so. While we haven’t specifically targeted any particular gender group in the way we promote the club there are some key things that we consider have made a difference.
Perhaps the most important factor for us has been having female ride leaders who can act as role models and encourage other women to try rides.
This has been particularly effective with our medium pace rides which had previously been very male dominated. It can be intimidating if you think you might be the only woman on a ride, and seeing that the leader is a woman can give a bit of reassurance.
Women encourage women
We have a booking system which allows riders to see who else is booked on the ride. If women see that other females are also riding, it can encourage them to book on too.
In fact, some of our rides have more women than men and that seems to create a considerate, empathetic culture that women enjoy because they feel supported by other, like-minded women. They are also more likely to bring along a female friend next time. Of course, that doesn’t mean that men can’t be supportive too!
On our website and Facebook page we post ride photos that show mixed groups. We emphasise the supportive and sociable nature of the group in our ride descriptions so that no one is worried that they will be left behind.
Making connections
One thing that has worked very well is the connection we have with the local Winchester Breeze group. One of our ride leaders is also a very active Breeze leader and regional coordinator, and she has been instrumental in encouraging Breeze riders to try a Winchester CTC ride if they are looking for a slightly longer or possibly more challenging ride.
Many women who first started cycling with Breeze have developed more fitness and confidence with group riding, and have now started to ride regularly with us too. Conversely, we can encourage newcomers to try Breeze rides if they want a shorter ride than the ones we offer. So making connections with the local Breeze group has been mutually beneficial.
We have trialled some introductory rides, again led by women, as another strategy to encourage new riders, including women, to give us a try.
As Secretary, I normally send a follow-up email to any new riders to see how they found their first ride, to get informal feedback on their experience and suggest different options if needed. This helps us to give feedback to leaders too, and they are always delighted to hear from me that a ‘newbie’ has enjoyed their ride.
