women's racing - I Love Bicycling

More and more bike manufacturers are developing specifically women’s road bikes to meet the needs and the growing population of female cyclists. Women have different body geometry than that of men and often require different saddles, different frame designs and smaller handlebars and shallower drops to allow them to feel most comfortable and in control while riding. Depending on the goals, experience, and budget a woman has for road cycling, there are various women specific bike models to meet her needs.

Here are 5 Women’s Road Bikes That Will Meet Your Needs

Trek Silque SLX

The Trek Silque SLX is a mid-range endurance road bike designed for the woman cyclist looking for the utmost comfort while doing long road rides. The Silque SLX comes complete with an OCLV carbon frame, internal cable routing, Shimano Ultegra components, as well as their unique IsoSpeed decoupler. The IsoSpeed decoupler is specific to the Trek brand; it is a suspension unit built into the seat post designed to absorb impacts on a bumpy road. Initially manufactured for racing on cobblestones, the IsoSpeed decoupler is perfect for any woman cyclist who is looking to stay on the road for long periods of time in either a fondo, bike tour, or any longer rides.

Price: $3300 USD

Scott Contessa Speedster 15

The Contessa Speedster 15 is the perfect entry-level road bike for woman looking to get into road cycling. The Speedster comes equipped with Shimano 105, an aluminum frame with a carbon fork, and aerodynamic geometry for a fraction of the price. The Contessa Speedster 15 has a compact design and is a perfect all-around bike for any road cycling adventure.

Price: $1400 USD

Liv Envi Advanced Pro 0

The Liv Envi Advanced Pro 0 is a high-end road bike that will meet the needs of the woman looking for the leading edge in aerodynamics, light-weight, and responsiveness. This sweet bike comes with SRAM Red etap 11 speed, an advanced grade carbon frame and Giant SLR 0 Aero wheel set. This bike is for the women looking excel on climbs, punchy sprints and technical corners. With its aerodynamic frame and slick paint job, this bike’s race-ready geometry has it ready to be pedaled fast!

Price: $7500 USD.

Specialized Amira Comp

The Amira Comp is a road racing bike at an affordable price point. It comes with Shimano Ultegra components, a carbon frame, internal cable routing and a competitive geometry. With a matte black paint job it is a stealth bike that is sure to provide a responsive ride. At its mid-range price it will meet the needs of the woman looking to upgrade to a more competitive bike while avoiding breaking the bank.

Price: $3000 USD

Cannondale SuperX Women’s Force

The SuperX Women’s Force is a women’s specific cyclocross or gravel-road bike. This bike provides the rider with unparalleled stability, traction and support. It comes equipped with SRAM Force components, a BallisTec carbon frame, and aggressive geometry specific for cyclocross racing. With its compact handlebars, women’s saddle, small frame size options, and awesome paint job, it is the perfect cross-racing machine for any woman hoping to excel off the paved road and to look good while doing it.

Price: $3600 USD

The growing market of women’s road bikes has created many opportunities for women get a bike that will fit her lifestyle, body, and budget. Depending on what you are looking to accomplish on the road there is a bike to meet those needs, plus often a cool paint job to go with it!

Want To Know How To Properly Buy a Bike?

Check out how to buy a bike that gets into the homework you should do prior to going to a bike shop, what questions to ask when you get there, what to look for on a test ride, and a few other details to make your buying experience seamless.

Whether you’re a cyclist or not, you have probably heard of the Tour de France. It’s one of the world’s largest sporting events and is the biggest cycling event on the planet. The race you probably have not heard of however but should, is the Giro Rosa. It is the largest women’s cycling stage race in the world and this year marks its 27th edition. The Giro Rosa is a race you should follow along with the Tour. It’s just as exciting and offers a different perspective on racing. And if you have a daughter, get them into it to show them that there’s more than just men racing at the top level of the sport. July is a month of bike racing for all to enjoy.

What is The Giro Rosa?

The Giro Rosa is a ten day stage race in Italy which is part of the Women’s World Tour. It also is the only Grand Tour left on the women’s calendar which used to include the Women’s Tour de France.

Where is the Giro Rosa?

The Giro Rosa takes place in Italy starting in Gaiarine which lies about fifty kilometers north of Venice. The race then travels into the Alps in the northeast of Italy for a number of mountain stages. The race then moves toward the flatter lands of noth-central Italy before moving along the coast of the Mediterranean. The race then heads to the outskirts of Milan and then finishes back in the Alps in the town of Verbania which is situated on Lago Maggiore, a lake with stunning views into the mountains.

Who is Racing in the Giro Rosa?

23 teams are racing in this years Giro Rosa of which the majority are from Italy and Europe but include riders from all over the world. Three teams to note are the Wiggle-High5 Team from Great Britian, the Cylance Pro Cycling Team, and Hagens Berman-Supermint both out of the US. Here is a full list of teams by nation.

Italy
Alè Cipollini
Aromitalia – Vaiano
Bepink
Inpa – Bianchi
Servetto – Footon
S.C. Michela Fanini
Top Girls Fassa Bortolo

The Netherlands
Boels Dolmans
Rabo – Liv
Liv – Plantur

Germany
Canyon – SRAM
Cervelo – Bigla

USA
Cylance Pro Cycling
Hagens Berman – Supermint

Belgium
Lensworld Zannata
Lotto – Soudal Ladies

Spain
Bizkaia – Durango
Lointek

Slovenia
BTC City Ljubljana

Great Britain
Wiggle – High5

Kazakhstan
Astana Women’s Team

Norway
Hitec-Products

France
Poitou – Charentes.Futuroscope.86)

Argentina
Xirayas de San Luis Team

When is the Giro Rosa?

The Giro Rosa starts on Friday, July 1st and runs through July 10th.

The Jersey’s of the Giro Rosa

When you tune into the Giro Rosa, you will see a few different colors from that of that other race in France. Instead of a yellow jersey, pink is worn by the leader of the race which is also Italy’s color. Purple is the sprinters jersey which is awarded to the rider accumulating the most points at designated sprint lines and finishes. The green jersey is for the QOM or the Queen of the Mountain and is awarded to the rider who receives the most points from designated mountain top sprint lines. The white jersey is for the best overall young rider who was born on or after January 1st, of 1993. The blue jersey is for the best overall Italian rider.

How to Watch the Giro Rosa

Unfortunately the coverage options for the Giro Rosa aren’t as great as the Tour de France but there are still ways to watch and follow. Rai Sport in Italy will have some coverage of the race which can typically be found on CyclingFans.com. Additionally, you can follow the race live on twitter @GiroRosaCycling with hashtags of:#GiroRosa and #UCIWWT. Here is a short video of the race from last year although it is in Italian.