Friday, March 15, 2013

Women Riding Self-Contained…A Rare Species?


Have you tried bicycle touring? San Diego is along the most popular Adventure Cycling Association route- the Pacific Coast trail. This post comes from Nicole Blouin who is part of a group called the Two Wheel Travelers, a women's bike touring group who has done this route before. We at SDCBC are excited to hear about more and more women cyclists taking on touring! Read her experience with touring below and let us know if you have a story to share!



Recently a woman from UT emailed me about riding self-contained with our informal group, Two Wheel Travelers, and said she thought that “we were a rare species.” I’m finding that while this might be true, our numbers are on the increase with very little risk of extinction. For an example on how little it takes to revive the species, check out:


All newbies, one weekend and an incredible amount of high points. Claudia, who loves travel, found out how easy it is to go right out the back door. Clare loves to ride-sleep-eat-repeat, so having her days be all about this was amazing. Denise discovered she can do consecutive days, and Monday morning surprised her with bike withdrawal. Murchie expressed how it’s different than a day ride…more relaxing, no rush and nowhere to be.

“It’s hard to find other women who can leave the hair dryer and makeup at home and get dirty” (Patty in NY). So, we just need a way to connect and roll on. “I have all the gear and a finely honed sense of adventure” (Carrie in NM). So, we just need to organize the rides and they’ll come. “Sounds good, but what does self-contained mean?” (Jean in TX). O.k., so some of our species might need a little education before taking flight.

If you are passionate about cycling, there’s nothing better than a new road every day. Many women don’t consider that their bicycle can take them beyond a day, or they think of it as epic, and not simply pedaling off with a rack pack and credit card. It can be done anywhere, on any bike, for any length of time, with any amount of gear or lack thereof.

Find out how: www.twowheeltravelers.wordpress.com

 -Nicole Blouin 



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