round up roll up write up – it’s all good

This post has been brought to you by the goodness of things being all good.

 

As earlier stated, I overcome rejection in the best way that I know how. By celebrating the best of life as life has offered it to me. Now that I am over my slight miffing, I am feeling more spiffing.

 

But I digress.

 

Most recently, life offered itself to me in the chance to ride in the Dirty Deeds Cyclocross race in Melbourne. I am not the fastest, most talented, or fittest of riders. And I am actually quite scared of riding downhill fast. But I like mud and I like people and I like going to Melbourne and combining all three. On a bike. Even better. I was totally honoured by the kindness of even being able to be in the field. Because someone was going to help me out with a bike.

 

Sadly I was not able to take this offer up. Lucky for the universe and the cycling world at large, many others were able to do this. You should check out the round up roll up here at the Dirty Deeds blog. Much thanks and support must go to the organisers (esp Blakey, Nik and Brendon) and to the many many others who made the day possible.

 

Aw. It was fun for all the family. There was even a freaking unicycle.

(photo from here)

For those who are as visual as Soul Rebel, then you should consider checking out Brian Managano’s shots of the hot shots.  My main man Mik is also a major postie postie picky piccy type and he rode the damn thing on a bamboo bike. So full props there. Seems like everyone is into it. You will, with just your fingers and google and the words “Dirty Deeds Cyclocross” probably be able to find enough photos to create an animated gif of the entire experience allowing you and your cool friends to relieve it in about 1 whole minute.

I won’t go crazy reposting shots I didn’t take. Because it takes me too long to put the credits polite like.

 

And this is the slow news.

 

And so I want to slow it down and say – top work to the ladies who rode. And top work to those who supported those ladies. And top work to the ladies who didn’t ride but supported friends to do so. You make me hear this song.

 

It is a complex and crazy imprecise science trying to work the maths of getting roughly equal numbers of men and women doing anything at the same time. This is okay. Sometimes men and women do things differently. Sometimes they are just people and rock up at different rates kind of people.

 

But sometimes, also you notice that there are a few less women on board that you’d hope for. And you think you could do better to encourage that situation to improve.

 

So I’d like to say thanks to the DDCX team for taking some time and consideration to the idea of how, when, how many, in what way women participate in their race.

 

Apparently, in the recent CX Adelaide races, there have been 25% – 30 % women riding*  and the Melbourne crew were keen to find ways to get there percentages up in full support of all the Cyclocross riding women** out there.

 

This is not a new endeavour for the crew at Dirty Deeds***, and to be fair, I would say that there is a lot of long term support out there (by guys, girls and mixed betweens) for getting more women (diverse) riders to feel comfortable with participating in events. I believe that this consideration was quite complex in some ways, but I’d like to say – from the very far sidelines at least – I’m really grateful that the conversation was being held at all, even if it was a complex one.

 

It shouldn’t be that easy to create a situation of equal fair play in every context – or we’d have bloody well organised it by now****.

 

So kudos for putting it on your radar DDCX.

 

And kudos to the women who rode.

I’m going to have a little chatski to each and every one that I can follow up with. I shall stalk you in the best way possible. In that, maybe if I already know you, then I’ll send you an email. If you don’t know me, then that would be creepy and I hope instead you might read your name here and get in touch with me instead.

 

But let’s start with the results, off you hop to go look at these.

 

Women’s podium:

(Here is Brian’s nice photo of the amazing women’s podium. I see some friendlies THERE!)

If you are a finisher, or you are a did not finisher I have to state right here and now THAT I DO NOT CARE.

 

If you will take two minutes to let me know who you are, what your story is and if you had a goodly time. Then I would love to hear it, and share it.

 

Because you are a starter and I feel – from all that I have learned about competitive sport of late (read, the three or four good sporting clichés that I learnt from the Herald Sun) I believe that there is basically no more certain way to lose a race than to not race it at all.

 

Getting in the race, being in the ring, saddling up your pony, bringing your game face, riding like you stole it – whatever it is you are looking for, for my mind at least – you have already won.

 

 

*figures not scientifically determined and maybe mis-remembered by me

** okay, maybe you don’t know yet that you’re a cyclocrosser. But you will know it soon!

*** many of whom are men that I consider to be in the “I would not be the least bit ashamed if my son/brother was like you”

**** apologies if it’s been organised already, I probably just missed that memo