THE lycra ladies are on the rise and rise. Never before has Goulburn Cycling Club enjoyed such strong female membership.
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But it’s not just the quantity that’s building – it’s the quality.
The senior women riders are making their presence felt in races around the State.
Last Saturday they figured prominently in a strong women’s race near Wollongong.
This weekend some of them will line up as genuine contenders in the State Masters Road Championships at Griffith.
For Kylie Brooker and fellow “cycling sisters” such as Shannon Apps, Nadine Moroney and Michelle Crawford, it’s chiefly about having fun.
She’s been a regular cyclist now for about three years.
“More local women are getting involved in cycling. It is great to see,” Kylie says.
“I got into it because my husband (Ricky) was riding - we thought it could be something that we do together.
“Most of the women I know who are cycling are also doing it because their husbands are into cycling - so it seems we are trying to keep up with our husbands!
“But now I just love it. It is great fun.
It is like a disease - it is very catching.”
Nadine has been riding socially for about 10 years but only joined Goulburn Cycle Club last year.
“I wanted to improve my triathlon but I have now done several road races which I have really enjoyed,” she said.
“The camaraderie within the club is very strong.”
Shannon joined the club in May 2012.
“I had always been active either swimming, running, doing the local aquathon or going to the gym,” she said.
“Cycling had always interested me but I was always too scared to give it a go.
(Husband) Glen got a bike to get fit and he said that I would really enjoy it, there were a few women at that stage just starting out as well so down to the Greengrocer I went and got a bike.
“With help from Michelle Crawford we got going.
“After a bit of time on the road bike, I thought I would give track racing a go, I enjoy the track as much as the road.”
Michelle is Goulburn’s most successful ever female cyclist.
The Goulburn Sporting Hall of Fame member has won numerous state and national titles on the track.
Like Kylie and Shannon, she’ll be in Griffith this weekend flying the Goulburn flag.
She’s regarded as a mentor by other female riders.
“Michelle’s the trailblazer,” Kylie said.
“She’s been great for advice and helping us girls get motivated.”
Goulburn Cycling Club president Adam Lambert said local membership was strong with 141 male and 35 female riders registered.
The ratio was closer (about half) among the juniors, he said.
He said female membership was thriving.
Seeking more women
“For the first time in the history of our club we were able to hold a Women’s Track Championship - and it was fantastic,” he said.
“It is all about inclusion. It does not matter about gender.
“We would love to see more women getting involved as the numbers grow the camaraderie also grows.”
He reckoned Kylie and co “all hold their own against the blokes”.
Kylie, meantime, said she would love to see more women getting involved in local cycling.
“While there are some women in the club now - we would love to see a lot more, not just for racing but also to come on group rides - they could see how much fun it is,” she said.
“To have more women involved would be fantastic because at the moment we have to race against the blokes.
“There are not enough women to have our own races.
If there were more women we could have a women’s race.”
Watch out for the Brooker, Crawford, Moroney, Apps quartet in NSW Club Team Time Trial Championships to be held at Nowra in July.
“One of the best things about bike riding is it’s great to race together as a team,” Kylie said.