beth h

Rachael wrote: "Regardless, I will never win a bike or a prize from racing. What I have won is more subtle..."

And, in my opinion, no less sweet.

As another woman who will probably never "win" a race [against other racers], I win every time I am able to show up at the starting line and give it my all. My reward is in finishing, and in the glow of sweet exhaustion I feel when I am done.

That said, there has long been inequity in the rewards received by women and men who race bikes -- particularly in the pay scale of the those in the professional ranks. We should be asking what can be done to level THAT playing field so that more women who race will feel valued by the organizers of the sport, and will consider racing longer.

Thanks to all for the thoughtful discussion on this topic.