Ride Like A Girl!

That’s right, it’s time to woman-up! As research shows female pros race harder than the men, Dr Josephine Perry takes unsparing advice from nine of the sport’s most awe-inspiring women

In the dark old days, women may have been patronisingly referred to as ‘the weaker sex’, but in modern era cycling their strength has never been more overt. Research published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology andPerformance in August compared four years’ worth of racing data from 20 male and 10 female WorldTour riders. It showed the women’s average heart rate was 152bpm (79 per cent of max) compared to just 133bpm (69 per cent of max) for the men, while the women’s average power was only 0.2W/kg lower than the men’s. Of course, women’s races tend to be shorter, but the unavoidable fact is that women race harder, spending far more time in Zones 4 and 5. Should men and women therefore train differently? Maybe. More importantly, when it comes to training and racing hard, men clearly have a lot to learn from women.

Only a few months ago, a new land-speed pedal world record was set: 183.9mph. Yes, it was set by a woman. And in long-distance races female riders are increasingly climbing higher up leader boards and even onto overall podiums. So what lessons can everyone learn from cycling’s toughest women? We asked nine female record-breakers, medal winners, distance demons and comeback queens to reflect on the secrets of their successes.

THE FASTEST CYCLIST ON EARTH

‘Be inspired by others’