Podium Girls

[old_windbag]

I know what made you think that, now if you go back and read the post which you thought was saying that without prejudice of who wrote it, do you think that you might have misunderstood?

I thought that he meant something rather different.

Quite! I've been picked up on by Mr Fox several times now. I even completed the homework he asked me to do in a following post and he didn't acknowledge it or mark it. I'd like to see a day in the life of Mr Fox.... it would be interesting, in between letters to the times. Anyway at the end of the day I give him the creeps. Mr Fox, I have never hit a woman, raped a woman, sexually harrassed a woman, made money from a woman or used the services of a pro*titute....... but I'm seen as a misogynist anyway. I also grew up in a family of three women, losing my father young so it was this environment that must have made me the misogynist I am . But throughout life one should always keep a sense of humour.... which is often missing here.

Also Sjs waiting for a huge reaction to the Mary Beard misogyny? Yet couldn't react to the link to the video showing the real life issues of discrimination and violence to women, in that case due to religion. I cry when I watch that, its a pity others feel criticisms of mary beard lie higher on the scale of priorities.

[pwa]

I am saying that you can lessen or increase your exposure to harassment by what you do and where you ride, I have made absolutely no suggestions about what anybody should do, except for my own children and myself.

While that may be true to some extent, for most women, the alternative is never to go anywhere alone. Because invariably, somewhere, there will be comments from someone.

Because inappropriate touching, verbal harrassement and even assault can and does happen anywhere. I've lived in areas that other people thought were bad neighborhoods, where a certain amount of street smarts were a reasonable to thing when out and about. I never had any problems there that I can recall.

One of the worst harassment experiences I ever had cycling, happened in a relatively small town in the UK in the middle of the day, when I was towing the kids in the trailer. It wasn't the sort of place that it would have occurred to me to avoid; a B road going out of town that I used frequently. Someone stopped on a roundabout so the passenger could verbally assault me. He spewed the worst filth I've ever heard come out of anyone's mouth (and I've heard a fair bit). And not just little of it, either. He carried on until it was clear for me to go and I was able to make my turn. Some of it was sexual in nature. Some of it was body-shaming, some of it was just filth.

As for sexual assault or harrassment, most of my significant incidents have occurred at work, not in bars or on city streets, nor walking amongst hoodlums.

Being the subject of verbal or physical abuse leaves you with a legacy of anger, frustration and a mix of other emotions, so I hope you have managed to move on. But, as I'm sure you know, women are not the only ones to suffer. When I was in my early twenties I was cycling slowly up to traffic lights on red when a car pulled alongside and the front seat passenger leaned out and put a hand over my brake hood. I instinctively grabbed one of his fingers as if I were thinking of pulling it violently back, and he pulled his hand away. The lights changed and I made sure I didn't go in the same direction as that car. For several miles after I felt vulnerable, in case the car reappeared. In addition to that, on two other occasions in my early twenties I was physically attacked without provocation, suffering scratches and bruises. Young men were, and still are, the most "at risk" group when it comes to this sort of attack. They are, of course, far less at risk of sexual harassment and attack.

I believe the podium stuff gives out the wrong message, but in a silly and fairly trivial way. But if you add up all the trivial things they become, together, more important.

[roeboy]

Are Podium Girls necessary ?
Probably not.
Does it promote the Sponsors by having eyes on them ?
Yes.
Does it do any harm to the girls or womankind ?
No.
Are the girls doing any harm making money by way of their looks ?
No.
Are they forced ?
No.
Are the girls taking advantage of their looks by renumeration ?
Yes.
Are they happy to do it ?
Yes.

To be honest it matters not to me that they are there.
I know they are there,but I don't focus on them.
I look at the the ones lucky enough to be on a podium receiving prizes for their efforts,and the girls are a quick glance,nothing more.
And only because they are there,not for my pleasure.
Mountains are being made out of Molehills over pages and pages of this thread.
It's a non issue.
So when we have a comment "Please sign the petition",and a link to it,I feel as if the OP thought he was being a revolutionary.As if he was thinking he was a champion of a cause everyone should be campaigning about.
Sorry old bean,but it is not even a ripple on my concsious.
The world's in a mess,and you feel offended by pretty girls.
Wow.
No.

Hardly, I just sat down with the wife to watch the first tour of the season the Giro and we were both embarrassed and annoyed by the same old sexist behaviour carrying on, as though nothing was wrong and we still lived in the 1970’s.

As cycling is my sport I thought I try and do something about it, I didn’t anticipate the way this would pan out, I just thought maybe if we could do something small and simple you know it would make the world slightly better.

Well done you for not focusing on them

[Ellieb]

I notice that there are 7-8 times as many posts on this thread as there petition signatories. Not sure Christian is listening.

[Metal8]

Oooer missus. Get a grip

[Trail Beater]

I notice that there are 7-8 times as many posts on this thread as there petition signatories. Not sure Christian is listening.

Maybe there are less Metrosexual men on here than we think.
It's interesting that they just happened to be watching with their partners at the time.
What were they really thinking ?

[old_windbag]

What were they really thinking ?

Yes, anything for a quiet life.

Is there a man in existence who hasn't come out with an innocent remark in front of their girlfriend/wife and then had the ensuing "What did you mean by that?" argument. I'd be surprised if one exists.

[kylecycler]

I just sat down with the wife to watch the first tour of the season the Giro and we were both embarrassed and annoyed by the same old sexist behaviour carrying on, as though nothing was wrong and we still lived in the 1970’s.

As cycling is my sport I thought I try and do something about it, I didn’t anticipate the way this would pan out, I just thought maybe if we could do something small and simple you know it would make the world slightly better.

Well done you for not focusing on them.

This photo always makes me smile. Not cycling and not the podium, but same principle - Victory Lane at Daytona in 1971...


Pedro Rodriguez and Jackie Oliver in front of their Gulf-Porsche 917 after winning the Daytona 24 Hour endurance sportscar race. Pedro is standing next to Miss Universe, no less, while Jackie is engaged in animated conversation with Miss Speed Weeks.

You'd have to suspect that Miss Universe is trying to make the same point as you've been making here, roeboy (and I get it, unlike some of the rest) - Women's Lib, remember that (and it wasn't funny then)? - but you can tell which driver thought he'd got the better deal.

I've always seen sexism as being down there with racism (and all the other isms) but maybe there just has to be a balance, like with everything else.

[old_windbag]

I've always seen sexism as being down there with racism (and all the other isms) but maybe there just has to be a balance, like with everything else.

The day that you create a race of humans that do not exhibit discriminatory behaviour or sexual deviances then I'll applaud you all. We are animals with characteristics and behaviours that have been inherited and evolved over many generations. We'll always have in built discriminatory behaviour in whatever form that takes from sexism as talked about here to traits such as not associating with people of a certain class or religion. Everyone does this at some level subconciously. We will also continue to have paedophilia, paraphilia etc. All that can be done as a society is to minimise the effect of these behaviours on others, you can't eliminate them they exist because of the complex organism we are. In some respects to actually be able to talk of the more vilified topics above, openly and not in a "witch hunt" style may create a safer more understanding society, rather than as now where many behaviours go underground and the damage discovered many years later. Sexism is just one of many faults we may have but you'll never eradicate it, yes not having podium girls may remove one tiny aspect of what many feel is sexist. But the condition will still exist at the same level in society. Just as paedophiles will always exist even if they are not committing any sex crimes.

On a lighter note regarding paraphilia, a documentary once pointed out that the most unusual case they'd seen was a man who could only get sexually aroused if he was looking at images of safety pins. We really are unusual and complex.

[Trail Beater]

Never underestimate the beauty of the Safety Pin.
Medical cabinets everywhere will be getting plundered as we speak.

[old_windbag]

Look at this porn image trail beater from PlayPin monthly



What poses and multi-race too. You'll not just be beating the trail viewing those puppies.

If everyone on this forum was truthful and honest about their loves, hates, sexual preferences etc I'm sure the picture painted would not be that of politically correct individuals with vanilla lifestyles that many seem to want to convey. I've worked with many who had lives in complete contrast to their vocal PC'ness. I've also met married men who'd say "there are some things you don't tell your wife" when we'd be out on nights out etc. All unknown to their other halves, so the world looks perfect to them.

[roubaixtuesday]

Windbag,

Inconvenient to have to acknowledge the views of people who disagree with you,  isn't it? 

So much easier just to dismiss them as not being "truthful and honest". 

[old_windbag]

Inconvenient to have to acknowledge the views of people who disagree with you, isn't it?

So much easier just to dismiss them as not being "truthful and honest".

Mr Fox are you telling me that ( myself excluded as I'm not perfect as most will gladly point out ) "everyone" on this forum lives a fully truthful and honest life? My comments weren't dismissing opinions but to set the record straight that each and every one of us has "imperfections" in our nature/character that we can hide behind with a cloak of PC statements. As I say I've worked with many who had an image on show to the public for acceptance and approval, but behind that in private life they lived to different values. In my own life I harbour secrets that if divulged would cause major disruption to others lives, in a relationship one half may never know what the other half gets up to. That goes for both sexes, and until the day it all gets found out the world is a happy one. I find it hard to believe Mr Fox that you would think the CUK forum to contain anything other than a general cross section of our imperfect society. We may be cyclists.... but we can still be some of the other "ists" that this forum is discussing. I like to think that being objective and accepting and discussing human traits that we would become more understanding of why they exist in the first place, not just say "all those people are disgusting, we don't behave like that, theres no room in our society for them", so what do you do to remove them?

How many times do we hear of a major crime and the perpetrator is described as "he was a really nice family man", "they kept to themselves, never bothered anybody","oh they were a pillar of the community, they did a lot of charity work". Too often I feel.

[Trail Beater]

[quote="old_windbag"]Look at this porn image trail beater from PlayPin monthly



What poses and multi-race too. You'll not just be beating the trail viewing those puppies.

Brilliant old_windbag,I couldn't stop laughing.
I'm a Modernist Minimalist btw.
Which is another way of saying I don't have a lot of furniture

[old_windbag]

Which is another way of saying I don't have a lot of furniture

I have nothing in my living room except bikes! I sit on the floor .

Interestingly and bizarrely related to my comment earlier about cyclists being of all "ists". I caught up with a bunch of roadies on a 120mile ride a couple of hours ago. Its rare that I ride with a group( first time for years ) but I went balls out to catch them and got a draft in the bunch( me sans mudguards and rack ). Anyway we came to a major road junction and the cry went out "whoa halt car coming". So everyone stopped, waited for car to pass and it turned into the junction, no indication. The roadies were all shouting "oh you muppet" etc, then someone said "oh its a woman", then another "oh I might have guessed". So even amongst cyclists the comments that people on here rail against exist. It's life, no different to women coming out with "oh men, they only have one thing on their mind". Generalisations but its just the way people are and the banter between sexes.