BWR & GENDER INCLUSIVITY
I made the trek to San Diego for Belgian Waffle Ride and - wow - I had so much FUN! The stoke was overflowing, the course was rad, and I was just so happy to both see so many old friends and make so many new ones. Plus…hugs! I’ve sure missed those.
This was my first time racing BWR because, I'll admit, in the past its not-so-inclusive reputation just didn't make it sound like a good time. I went this year feeling a little less than excited about it, but dang, BWR proved me wrong and I had the best time.
Here's where BWR did a good job being more welcoming to women:
The women's fields had a separate staging area from the men, which made the start a lot more organized for us.
There were a ton of rad women volunteering and cheering on course…and not in bikinis.
Cleanest porta potties I've ever used at a bike event. They were serviced each night, always had TP, and I never even had to wait in a line. Don’t underestimate the importance of this to women racers!
My wave started behind A LOT of men, and the guys were all super friendly as we worked our way through the traffic. I didn't encounter any agro vibes of dudes refusing to let faster gals pass them.
I overheard that the new 36-mile Wanna race was 75% women. Goes to show that A LOT of new riders are women, and creating opportunities for new riders to feel welcome at bike events is so important.
The event did a great job covering the women’s fields in their social media coverage.
Equal prize money for top 5 men and women in the Waffle category.
Joy McCulloch was added as a female interviewer for the Pre Ride Show to add perspective from inside the peloton and connect with many of the top women to highlight their stories.
Joy was able to interview Molly Cameron and highlight her initiative Ride Group and talk about gender & inclusiveness in cycling.
Here's what BWR can still do to be more gender inclusive:
Add Open Gender categories.
Add "Non-Binary" to the gender options at registration.
Intentionally hold a % of registration spots for FTWN-B (femme/trans/non-binary) racers.
Avoid dumb comments like "here come the good looking racers" when the women's field rolls up to the line.
On the registration page, label and organize the categories more clearly. The women's categories were buried at the bottom of the page, which made reg a bit confusing. Call the races Waffle Men, Waffle Women, Waffle Open Gender, and so on.
It’s awesome to see events continually working towards making their events more gender inclusive. It’s all about learning and continuing the conversation so that we can keep doing better and better. Continuous improvement will make a huge impact!
I am also so proud of my Flashpoint MVMNT teammates Nehemiah and Andrew for their impressive rides despite having a number of bad mechanicals on course. These two have some serious grit and tenacity! We also loved inviting others to #joinflashpointmvmnt by sharing what changes they want to see in cycling. We heard so much thoughtful input and enjoyed meeting a lot of great people.
Lastly, a big huge thanks to the Canyon crew for making us feel like family. The entire Canyon team went above and beyond to make this weekend one to remember. It’ll definitely be a highlight of 2021.
