beth h

Dear everyone: I now have a list of nearly 50 names of women who have indicated that they would sign up for a separate WOMENS' singlespeed category at next year's Cross Crusade.

Since the list is so big, I am thinking bigger. I also plan to contact the organizers of the PIR short-track xc series (June-Aug) to see if they would be interested in adding a womens' singlespeed category to the mix.

It's not clear yet how this category would be added. Originally I'd thought of three options:

1. Make the singlespeed category separate (put the Mens' B's somewhere else) and count women and men in two separate singlespeed classes. This would make for a singlespeed-ONLY race.

1b. Leave the Men B's where they are and invite women singlespeeders to race with men singlespeeders but score them separately.

2. Let women singlespeeders race with the rest of the women but score them separately (using a different number series/plate color/whatever).

3. Add another race slot to facilitate option # 1 more easily (Men's B is a large category).

I was told by several folks that adding another race to an already-full day of racing was probably never going to happen, so that leaves us with either 1b or 2.

In informal discussions, the response has been surprising to me: more women would prefer to race with the rest of the women and be scored separately for riding singlespeeds. More male singlespeeders have said they would welcome women singlespeeders as a sub-category racing with them, especially if it meant moving mens' B's (on geared bikes) somewhere else in the raceday schedule. (Personally, I would favor the latter approach but I am in the minority among female respondents on this one and I don't know why.)

I hope to set up meetings with the respective organizers of these two race series soon, perhaps by March at latest for short-track and May for Cross Crusade. I would welcome your additional (constructive!) comments at my PM box before then. Thanks much!

Remember if you want to help create a separate category for womens' singlespeed racing please PM me with your name and contact info to get your name on the list. The more names we have the more seriously we will be taken and the more likely this could happen. Thanks!

Beth Hamon
Velo Bella