WOMEN WHEELERS FEMALE CYCLERS WANT A SPOT AT THE HUB OF COMPETITION.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS 

Staff Writer

Girls can ride, too.

That's the message Irene Johnson and her band of lady cyclists are trying to get out.

Later this month, the Amgen Tour of California is coming to Santa Clarita -- a major event in the sport of cycling -- but this group of ladies argues that their all-women's pro-cycling race could be the real event to watch.

"Women's cycling has really taken off in the last couple of years," Johnson said. "We ride just as fast and put in just as much work as the men."

In recent years, women have become the fastest-growing consumer base for cycling, accounting for 45 percent of all bike purchases in the nation.

But most large-scale cycling events -- including the eight-day, 700-mile Tour of California due to hit Santa Clarita on Feb. 24 -- exclude women from participating in competition.

In more than a dozen years of pro-cycling, Sandra Kolb has experienced plenty of snubbing firsthand.

Smaller prizes

Kolb said most female races get less media coverage, and prizes tend to be smaller.

"We want to make the public aware that women are racing domestically just as much as men, and we hope to get one day of the California tour before its run is over," Kolb said.

John Fries, co-owner of Bicycle John's -- with locations in Northridge, Burbank and Acton -- has watched his female clientele steadily increase in the last few years.

"With the gym and working out becoming more popular with women in the last couple of decades, and spinning workouts taking off in the last few years, cycling has been the next level for many active women," Fries said.

And Fries has taken women's cycling on as a personal mission. He invests about $40,000 annually in women's cycling and has committed to sponsoring a race for the ladies next year if they are not included in the California tour by then.

"Sponsors need to recognize women; it's about equality," he said.

Despite obstacles that women's cycling continues to face, Johnson is excited to have an event celebrating female riders on a day when all eyes will be on bikes.

There will be two races the morning of Feb. 24. At 9:30 a.m., women's category three and four will compete, and at 10:30 a.m., women's category one and two (or pro racers) will compete. The pro-race has already attracted riders from as far east as Georgia.

Prizes will include cash for the top 20 in the pro-race, a Cannondale bike frame and wheels from Shimano.

"We are just trying to have some fun," Johnson said.

For Johnson -- who discovered a passion for cycling after knee surgery meant she could no longer do high-impact workouts -- having the spotlight on women's cycling is about getting more women to enjoy a sport that has given her so much.

"Cycling gives you such freedom. You get to hop on your bike and go to places you might not otherwise go," she said.

Long rides

Johnson remembers how she used to bike all the way from Van Nuys to Redondo Beach, stop for some breakfast, and turn around and ride back home.

Cycling is such a part of Johnson's lifestyle that even her family's move to Santa Clarita was no coincidence.

"We moved here because we knew about all the bike paths and the wide streets with less traffic," Johnson said.

She hopes the race this month will attract enough attention to get women included in the Tour of California next year, or at least encourage more women to get on their bikes and ride.

But she doesn't want to discourage anyone from also watching the men in the bigger race.

"We will be done with plenty of time for people to watch the men finish. We are encouraging people to do both, not one or the other."

For more information visit www.santaclaritagrandprix.com or call [phone].

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Women cyclists warm up Saturday before a ride in Valencia. Women pursuing active lifestyles are the fastest-growing consumer base for cycling.

(2) Irene Johnson gathers bicyclists before a ride Saturday in Valencia. Women cycling enthusiasts have organized morning competitions for Feb. 24, the day the Amgen Tour of California rolls through Santa Clarita. Organizers hope for a women's category in next year's California tour.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News