FEATURE
‘TOGETHER, THE OPPORTUNITY IS THERE SO LET’S MAKE SURE WE’VE GOT THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BUY IT’
creating the bikes that they’re developing for women. This is very much for us all together, men and women, getting the right people in the room to help drive the conversation to help us tap into that.
“I wouldn’t sit in a room and pass comment on the perfect male saddle because I’m not in a position to do that. But I certainly would add value to talking about the right fit of a jersey for women to make women feel more comfortable. Together, the opportunity is there so let’s make sure we’ve got the right product for the people that want to buy it. Let’s make sure we’re communicating to them in the right way.” Retaining women in the cycling industry means the working environment may need to be slightly more flexible, with
maternity pay options, and even things like team building exercises – not everyone, men included, want to go out and ride really hard for two hours on a road bike. By making small changes to the working environment, more women will be enticed into joining the industry, and crucially, staying and progressing. “Even if you can just educate your colleagues, it just adds more value to your business,” added Castling. “If we can make this more of an equal playing field, make people aware of all the issues that people have to deal with, from childcare all the way to menstrual cycles and menopause, for example, it’s really important. And I think that’s where women really do add value.” The cycling industry has taken a hit in recent years with well documented supply chain issues among others, but, there is still fantastic work being done by remarkable women throughout the sector.
And if there’s anything we should focus on, it’s that women’s cycling is growing, and it can thrive with the right people in the right positions to enable that growth. Programmes like Uplift aren’t going to solve everything, and not every woman will feel the need to utilise something like this – but, the fact that it is there and it has gone from concept to creation means the appetite is there, and tens of women will now benefit from Burnside’s hard work for months (and we hope years) to come.
18 | December 2023
www.bikebiz.com
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