Women’s cycling clinics a popular draw

Posted by Stephanie Chase (Racing Correspondent) on July 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm

A Sorella Forte rider at PIR.
(File photo)

When Colleen McClenahan from local cycling club Sorella Forte (means “strong sister”) contacted Adnan Kadir from Peaks Coaching Group about putting on a women’s cycling skills clinic, Kadir didn’t know what to expect.

After twenty-five women showed up for the first one he quickly realized two things: there was a growing need in Portland (particularly among women) to learn specialized cycling skills, and, perhaps more importantly, that he was going to need some help.

Kadir called up a coaching colleague Jeb Stewart from Enduro-Fit Coaching. Together the two decided to offer a series of women-specific skills clinics focusing on topics ranging from practicing pace lines to sprinting to time trialing.

The sessions accommodate a wide variety of skill levels and participants are grouped by their ability, providing a comfortable environment to learn more about competitive cycling and gain the skills necessary for success.

Kadir and Stuart have been so pleased with the turnout that they have outlined topics for future clinics and hope to offer sessions for both men and women in the spring.

For women with full-time jobs, families or limited funds, Stuart’s and Kadir’s $20 clinics are ideal. They help women train more effectively and develop as athletes even if they’re unable to devote all their focus to the sport. The clinics are particularly helpful for newcomers who don’t feel like just jumping into a race and hoping for the best.

There are two clinics remaining. The clinic on July 31st (tomorrow) will focus on time-trialing skills and the session on August 7th will cover several topics.

Visit the EnduroFit website for more information.

BikePortland.org contributor Stephanie Chase writes about racing from a women’s perspective. See more of her articles here.