07/11/2026
Cycling culture long expected women to simply adapt to male training norms, endure needless pain, and figure out the rest alone.
At Solas, we take a different route. True progress happens when we replace silence and outdated assumptions with openness, community, and genuine scientific understanding. We ride stronger when we back each other up with the right knowledge.
For Women and Girls in Sport Week, we’re breaking down five widespread myths that hold riders back, along with what the research actually reveals about our bodies on the bike.
Swipe through to see what the science says, pass this on to a teammate, and tell us: which of these did you have to unlearn the hard way?
Podium Partners: HighlandOS Group, RSE, The Envoy Group, Ark Estates and
Supported by: The Athlete Lab Scottish Cycling
References:
Slide 2 - Cowley, E.S. et al. (2021) Invisible sportswomen: the s*x data gap in sport and exercise science research. Sports Med, 51(12), pp. 2577–2585.
Slide 3 - Tarnopolsky, M.A. (2008) S*x differences in exercise metabolism. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 40(4), pp. 648–654.
Slide 4 - Sims, S.T. and Heather, A.K. (2018) Reducing gender bias in sports and exercise medicine. Br J Sports Med, 52(15), pp. 987–988.
Slide 5 - Hermans, K.S. et al. (2021) Urogenital overuse injuries in female cyclists. Int J Sports Phys Ther, 16(5), pp. 1230–1241.
Slide 6 - Mountjoy, M. et al. (2018) IOC consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med, 52(11), pp. 687–697
