How To Get More From Your Bike Riding | Manon's Cycling Advice For Women

Cycling is a sport for all but that doesn't mean that every rider faces the same challenges. In this video Manon looks at some of the unique issues that female riders face and, more importantly, shares some tip to help overcome them! So if you're a woman who loves cycling, this video is for you!

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[gcn]

Are you a female bike rider? What tips would you give others to help them get more from their riding?

[pyromaniac]

"Don't really get that problem in Wales, cause it's always beautiful weather" that's because Manon is an absolute ray of sunshine.

[marie-everacette]

Thank you so much for adding Manon to your roster. I used to watch GCN over my husband's shoulder and think "It must be nice being a man". Especially after that story of the two guys riding in Morocco and overnighting outdoors in the Atlas mountains. Now, thanks to Manon, I actually feel included.

[Brookes]

Manon exerts so much of her passion for cycling, as well as her personality is so likeable 👍🏻🚴🏼‍♀️

[eagleironic]

Manon, I am so glad you’ve been added to the GCN team! More women specific content please. Fenders crossed we can start having some para content too please. The more inclusion the better!

[Tachigami]

I'm surprised they didn't include tips or hacks for dealing with menstration on rides! This is a huge issue/thing women specifically must deal with!

What to use? Pads? Tampons? Skip the ride all together? My advice would be to use a menstral cup! They take some getting used to, but are the most practical thing ever in terms of period management! They hold more than a tampon, and you can wear them for 12 hours. The best choice for long or short rides! If you're worried about leaks with the cup, stick a panty liner right on your shammy pad. Saves you from having to wear underwear beneath your cycling shorts which is the worst.

[raynersaggers]

I learnt how to do French Braids/plaits purely helping my daughter get a better/comfier helmet fit... Later the specialized win tunnel revealed it was also the most aero! 👌

[sallychurchill]

Thanks for a great informative video Manon. It was finally nice to have some women specific content on GCN. Hopefully this is just the start and we get to see some more soon.

[kkareniq]

When cycling I like to use a headband covering my hair under the helmet. That helps to:1) dont messy too much and 2) dont dirty my hair in a windy day.

And for safety concerns, I second the advice for sharing the location in real time with somebody. The whatsapp is a great tool for this!

[Sevendaver]

Great vid, I shared it with my daughter. She lives in Canada and I live in France. It is one more way that I am able to stay connected. Final thing about saddles that even experienced riders have trouble with is saddle width. A saddle that is too wide can make you feel like you hap hip dysplasia and one that is too narrow is not comfortable.

[molybdnum]

Bonus tips from a friend : Bib shorts have varying strap placements (outside, over, in between, or single-strap inbetween). If you are having some chest discomfort try a different strap layout. If you're stuck with men's bib shorts try using a hair tie or a ribbon to tie the straps together in the center or bobby pin them to a sports bra where the angle is comfortable.

[samalysse]

Any advice on dealing with aggressive male cyclists? My female friend had a guy that she passed respectfully and shortly after, he made a point to speed back up and cut her off, saying "I'm sorry, I'm just not the kind of guy who can let a girl pass me" 🙄 I've also had older men that when passed, they intentionally speed up and tailgate me as if they're angry I've passed them! (When they were going much slower than me to begin with). It's so frustrating! I know most cyclists aren't like this - but I never know what to do in these situations.

[shellypalumbo]

Thank you so much Manon for bringing a soley ladies perspective to cycling.
Of all of the challenges that faced me as a newbie cyclist, the saddle choice and nature call issues were the most confounding.
I literally plan my routes around clean, public restroom facilities and my personal needs for the day. Also, I always pack individual sanitary wipes for my ride since there never seems to be toilet paper available.

Be persistent on the saddle search. I finally found my perfect one in a Selle Italia lady gel flow. It took a few wrong choices but finding a saddle that fits your anatomy make all the difference in comfort cycling. Great point on the chamois cream. I found that Sudacrem works the best for me. I always use it.

[QueenShanine]

I use a bondi band from my running days under my helmet every ride. This headband is thin and great at catching loads of sweat which prevents the salt from sweat getting into my eyes (it burns so bad!).

[ibassnote]

Don’t underestimate your male audience! I think the more we all understand the differences between our bicycling experience the better!

[becksta]

Thank you for some womens riding content!
The live-tracking is something especially single riders should know as it can take away the fear. This is for some women still a big issue and honestly I had my times when a dude suddenly appeared by my side cycling and asking "Hey, whatcha doing what's your name" and continued to follow me or dudes writing messages on social media and getting aggressive when not answering back/saying to to rides. This is not cool. I thought about using my multitool in case this stranger would become too close. Like we women use our keys on our way home in the night. Now I also immediately delete all strangers messages that begin with guuuurl let's ride". There is a huge amount of great cycling guys out there but a few nasty douchebags can make a big impact - sadly.

[SioLazer]

Yay! I saw a few GCN shows ago you said this was coming. thanks! There are two bibs I know of that are easy to use the bathroom with on: Assos and Velocio. Am I the only woman who doesn't care if you see me in my sports bra? I just take off my top, hang it from my bike and go to the toilet... If that's too much for some, there are base layers that are basically a light shirt that goes under your jersey.

[jcsrst]

Incremental change. Don't keep changing things, do it slowly. Too much change at once makes it hard to find out where the problem is. Pearl izumi makes women's bib shorts that have the back straps more to the side so you can pull them down without having to contort yourself!

[billincolumbia]

Manon, you have grown so much as a presenter. Great work here.

[rainbowrianne]

FEMALE CYCLING CONTENT? AM I DREAMING? HOORAY!!!!