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Is cycling the best workout for women?

By Adam Marsal

Yoga, aerobic or zumba, this is just a shortlist of typical women’s sports. But where’s cycling? Is it just a fun social activity or can it be considered a genuine way to workout?

There are a lot of bicycle clubs for women only riders across all Europe. You can find this kind of club in almost every big city on the continent. The reason? When women ride without men, they feel more comfortable and less under the pressure of the competitive testosterone.

Women see the fun in cycling

”Women usually get at least as much out of cycling as men. You could argue that they get more out of it – we find female cyclists are more likely to make cycling part of their everyday lives than men, who often forsake the ‘fun’ aspect to become a little more competitive and macho than their shape might imply,” says Phil Bingham from Oxford.

Phil and his wife Liz found the company VeloVixen, which was awarded as Female Specific Retailer of the Year recently. They knew there were millions of female cyclists out there. And they realised they were rarely being given good access to stylish cycling kit or high quality service when they found it. Now they produce a huge range of products that, not only work really well for cycling, but are also stylish.

“Without wanting to generalise, women tend to be realistic and pragmatic about their cycling. They want to make the most of it and improve their technique and performance, but not kid themselves that a 150km solo ride in driving rain is as much fun as a shorter ride with friends that ends up with coffee and cake!” Phil said to Welovecycling.

What do you think? Is cycling the best way to exercise? Please share your opinion in the comments.