00:00 You did so well.
00:03 Girls supporting girls.
00:05 Oh my god, I'm so happy.
00:08 This was the moment 17-year-old Emma Ochoa found out she had won her time trial at Canberra's
00:14 junior cycling tour.
00:16 It's really important to see that girls are going out there, hitting it out with the guys
00:20 because girls are just the strongest guys really.
00:24 Traditionally a male dominated sport, getting women into competitive cycling can be an up
00:29 hill battle.
00:31 It's really good to see that today it was a bunch of 20 girls in my race, whereas last
00:35 year we only had about 10.
00:36 We're starting to get Tour de France, FAM, and all of those French, all those European
00:43 women's classic races.
00:45 And while things are looking up for the sport, there's still a long road ahead.
00:49 All the rides in the morning with the club you could say, they're just all like 40-year-old
00:54 men plus, so it's a bit hard to train with the girls.
00:57 The 2023 Murdoch University study found men outnumber women in cycling 2-1.
01:03 And with most girls giving up sport between the ages of 15 and 17, programs like this
01:07 one are hoping to break down the barriers for girls in cycling by encouraging them to
01:11 set their sights on competing professionally.
01:14 It just provides an opportunity for girls to be part of the racing scene in this particular
01:19 instance.
01:20 And anyone that's involved in sport knows just how important that is.
01:24 Through general life, long-term health benefits, but also the social interaction.
01:29 It just kind of makes you feel like there is others out there who are like you, especially
01:34 because it's more a male-dominated sport.
01:36 The support...
01:37 Emma!
01:38 Yep.
01:39 Helping them to go the distance.
01:41 I'd always dreamed to go pro, but we just have to take it step by step.
01:45 Encouraging more girls and women to get on their bikes.
01:48 Yeah.
01:49 Yeah.
01:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments