Diablo Fit: Pretty in Pink

The Cinderella Classic bike tour takes to the Tri-Valley streets

Euphoric might be the best word to describe the finish line at the Cinderella Classic women’s bike tour last Saturday: Families were clapping and cheering, husbands were offering flowers, and all the while children could be heard shouting, "go mom," from the sidelines.

Starting in Pleasanton, the tour passed through the Amador, Livermore, and San Ramon valleys as it made a 60-mile loop back to its starting point at the Alameda Fairgrounds. In its 33rd year, the Cinderella Classic is the largest women’s bike tour in the nation; and since its inception in 1977, the ride has swelled from a mere 200 participants to its current rider limit of 2,500 (a figure which sells out in about five days).

Cinderella Classic Founder and Co-Chair Bob Powers says the idea for the ride began as a way for the men in his cycling club, the Valley Spokesmen (who sponsor the tour), to give back to their wives and girlfriends for supporting them.

“This was just our way of saying "thank you" to our significant others who were providing support for us when we were doing centuries or double centuries (races),” says Powers.

Happy with the growth of the tour, Powers says that over the years he’s been able to watch the ranks of women in the sport grow and is grateful to have been able to contribute to the progression of women’s cycling.

“When this started, women were not riding like they are today.” He explains that in the past, many women just couldn’t hold the pace of their significant other. But now, in only a few decades, Powers says there has been an infusion of female participants into the sport who are bringing with them a heightened level of skill and dedication.

“Today women are a lot stronger and more into it. In fact, some of the women in our club can run us into the ground! It’s just the evolution of time.” And the numbers don’t lie. Out of the 2,311 women who showed up for the tour, he says that 902 of them were beginners and first timers to the Cinderella Classic.

Because of the tour’s non-competitive atmosphere and the extensive rider support, Club Sport cycling coach Glenda Smith has been using the Cinderella Classic for years to help motivate women to get fit. She says it provides women the perfect opportunity to push themselves toward better health.

This year, as part of Club Sport’s annual nine-week Cinderella training program, she coached 42 women, many of whom were completely new to the sport and who’d never ridden long distances.

“I love getting people to do things they never thought they could do before,” says Smith about her program. “Most of these women come out of a spin class or come out of a step class. They’ve never even thought about doing a 60-mile ride before.”

One of the main incentives that inspires her to keep coaching are the amazing results that the ride produces. Some women have lost as much as 30 pounds in the program. Others have used it as a way to overcome emotional setbacks or cope with physical handicaps such as asthma.

“They’ve really learned to become self-sufficient and raise their confidence level. These are women who came in and didn’t know how to change a tire or even to put air in their tires and now they can do all that. It’s very empowering for them,” says Smith.

One of the program’s riders, Gail Manning, couldn’t agree more.

“I really wondered whether I could do this ride, but by the fourth week of training, my coaches helped me to feel confident, and best of all I learned I didn’t have to do this alone,” says Manning.

For more information about next year’s Cinderella Classic, CLICK HERE. And for more information about club sports beginner cycling programs, visit renaissanceclubsport.com. 

 

 

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