Sister Cycles and Inequality

Sexism.

It's just not an issue that's openly discussed in cycling enough. More generally in sports the issue is ignored: the aspiration to machismo demands that woman are treated as biologically inferior and when women do perform at a high level, they are seen to possess masculine qualities which place them at odds with their own gender. Rebecca Adlington has been talked about as a freak of nature, and just imagine the psychological damage suffered by Caster Semenya.

Professional cycling is, I believe, no better or worse than any other sport when it comes to sexism. There is no female equivalent of the Tour de France, and women are of course not allowed to compete in the men's. In Britain, we show little interest in women's pro cycling. Nicole Cooke won the Giro d'Italia Femminile (the Italian equivalent to the Tour de France and the most high profile women's cycle race) in 2004. Yes, she won the whole race. But in 2004 all anyone in Britain could talk about was 'the human Seabiscuit' and his 6th Tour win! Cooke, a Swansea girl, also triumphed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning a Gold medal in the Women's road race. She was joined by Victoria Pendleton and Rebecca Romero. Ring any bells? Probably not. Bradley Wiggins and (Sir) Chris Hoy took the glory in the national press.

But what about leisure cycling? Why should sexism exist among the more amateur cyclists or those whose main achievement is the daily commute? In today's Guardian, there is an excellent piece by Dawn Foster on the sexism she encounters on her rides. This may take the form of abuse from drivers, verbal ("I hope you put as much effort into the bedroom!") and physical (slapping their backsides as they passed by) . All cyclists receive abuse, but I would disagree with those who suggest that this is just the white-van-man tailor making his insults for his audience. Such abuse is not equivalent to the "Shut the f*ck up you Lycra c*nt" school of abuse that male cyclists suffer. It is much deeper and more ingrained.

But what is worse that troglodytes with driving liscences are the other (male) cyclists. The machismo associated with the professional is increasingly transposing itself onto the amateur. When cyclists hear that female cyclists are much more likely to be killed on the roads, the response is to blame the women for not riding assertively or fast enough, as is done in this Guardian article. Is it not because safety information is targeted to men or that motorists act differently when confronted by a female cyclist? I speak and ride with plenty of female cyclists, and to say they do not ride 'properly' is just wrong.

Most male cyclists have these two images of the two gendered classes of cyclists in their heads:

Amateur cyclists, regardless of ability, love to pretend they are Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong or Mark Cavendish. For a relatively small sport, say compared to football, a huge amount of money is spent on replica kit. Far, far more cyclists shave their legs than actually need to because it is the ultimate mark of inclusion akin to tattooing. This may all be down to the cyclist's mentality, based on the two mantra "just ride the bike" and "get the miles in". All cyclists admire Tom Simpson who died of exhaustion while climbing the Ventoux while on Tour de France in 1967. The rise of richer cyclists (or MAMILs) aspiring to reach these limits of glory with the cash to pay for their costumes will increasingly shift the professional sexism to the amateur level.

If even the commuter cyclist continues to aspire to such 'glorious' feats, the place of the female amateur cyclist will be squeezed.

We must not allow this to happen. Cycling has long been a sport based on inclusion, not on exclusion. In fact, the bicycle itself has a history of breaking down gender roles. Women in the late 19th century only became free to wear trousers outside of work so that they could cycle. The bicycle was embraced by Soviet Russia - it was Lenin's favourite method of transport. Cycling has the power to break down the divisions of gender, class, race and sexuality. A machine pulled from a skip (like that belonging to Flavio Zappi) can be transformed into a racer, and the "just ride the bike" philosophy informs us that kit, chamois creams and moulded plastics is all irrelevant lumber, certainly at amateur level. Everyone can ride a bike of one sort or another. There is nowhere you cannot ride.

Yet cycling isn't even close to fulfilling this potential.

My argument is then that as the interest in professional cycling has taken off, more and more of that 'professionalism' has been transposed into the leisure and commuter sphere. And that is no good thing for women.

Images: The Guardian, Cycling Weekly