I’m always looking for great cycling blogs and websites to keep myself informed (and occupied at my desk at work). Today I was checking out Bike Shop Girl’s blog and clicked on the link on her site for Velo Bella. I admit, I mostly clicked because I liked the name. Something about the Italian, I think. Bella is just a prettier word than Beautiful. I can’t explain it. And once I got to the site, I realized I was also partial to the black cat in the logo, as I have a much beloved black kitty of my own (whose name is Ramses. I really wanted to name him Colnago, but even the Trusty Boyfriend thought that was a little too bike-y).

At any rate, I really liked what I saw. Velo Bella is everything a female cyclist needs. It’s a club. It’s a team. It’s a blog. It’s a pretty site with a pretty name. They’re based out of Watsonville, California–but as their site says, they’re “popping up in spots all over the country.”

The thing that’s truly great about them is that they are for women at all levels of cycling. Their site says:

The Velo Bella mission is to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle through cycling and laughter. We inspire women to get out and ride a bike, race a bike, and to eventually grow the pool of talent and have a lot of fun along the way. While the core Velo Bella Team is a committed group of female racers, membership includes female cyclists interested in completing their first race, century, or even group ride.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth mentioning again: I am terrified of just riding with the boys. I want to be able to roll with them, on the road and over hills, through technical single track, and urban assault cycling (the Trusty Boyfriend can ride up an entire flight of stairs!). But it seems like all the boys in my life were born with some kind of bicycling ability built right in. So where do I go to find other women riders who aren’t terrible, but also aren’t great? I think Velo Bella might have some ladies for me to ride with, and that has me kind of excited!

But of course the Velo Bella riders aren’t all newbies. Many of them are doing quite well in serious races. Check out this story for example, about cross rider Kari Studley’s excellent finish and photo in VeloNews!

Seems like there’s something for everyone. I’m adding them to my list of blogs, so you can check them out! I know I’ll be getting in touch with them soon!

I just found out about Velo Girls, a Bay Area women’s cycling club that has awesome skills clinics. Basically, you show up and for four hours they give you the inside info on how to ride like a pro. I’m personally planning on attending one of the mountain biking clinics so I can master all those skills that the boys have.  There’s also clinics that will help you learn to master climbing and descending, riding in a large group, and racing tactics. And if you’re a total beginner, they even have a basics clinic that will teach you how to do an emergency stop and how to look behind you while holding your line.

In addition to the skills clinics, their site also lists other resources for women riders, including rides of varying lengths and difficulties, route sheets, and coaching information.