Venus de Miles celebrates female cyclists with ride, festival

Venus de Miles isn’t the typical bike race because, first, it’s not a race, but a ride, and second, the main attraction is the festival afterward. And, like the name indicates, the riders are all women.

“You’re uplifting the women’s cycling community,” said Mariel McCown, event coordinator for Venus de Miles. “You’re giving them a platform to ride and be pampered. It’s all about them.”

Venus de Miles, founded in 2008, is Colorado’s first all-women’s bike ride and celebration of sisterhood. This year, the ride will continue the tradition of three course lengths, the Tutu Crew of ride-along mechanics, and a Finish Festival at Bohn Park in Lyons, but with a couple of changes this year. 

The 100-mile course will be dropped and the 30- and 64-mile courses will remain the same with the addition of a 48-mile course as an option for a more intermediate course—the courses all will be through the scenic Front Range.

“The century is for expert women only. It’s incredibly challenging at a 7,500-foot elevation gain over 100 miles,” McCown said. “The excitement and turnout are dwindling, so we decided to offer a medium-length ride.”

The three courses are designed to be inclusive of all skill levels from first-time to expert riders. The courses aren’t timed, nor are awards presented for first, second and third places, but riders have the option to measure and time their own performances.

“There’s no places, no podium, it’s just a ride,” McCown said. “There’s no competition among the riders. … There’s a cheering squad, so no matter your finish time, they’re still cheering for you.”

The cheering squad will be made up of volunteers and ride finishers equipped with noisemakers and cowbells, and they’ll be wearing “fun getup,” McCown said. “… It really feels like a big, exciting finish.”

Venus de Miles had its start when a group of female cyclists at Greenhouse Scholars, a nonprofit that provides post-secondary scholarships and programming to high-achieving, low-income students, wanted an alternative to bike races, which they found to be male-dominated and competitive. The women came up with the name for the ride by playing off the Venus de Milo ancient Greek marble sculpture of Aphrodite, the Olympian goddess of love and beauty, and switching in the word “miles” for “Milo” to refer to the ride.

“They wanted to start a super fun, women-only race … and a less competitive community of cyclists,” McCown said.

Golden resident Linda Stieduhar, a Venus Ambassador, has been riding since the beginning and actively brings awareness to the ride, offering feedback and support.

“It’s an opportunity for other women of all ages and fitness levels to participate, and it’s camaraderie, being out there with other women doing things you love,” Stieduhar said. “You get to celebrate with other like-minded individuals and enjoy yourself.”

One of the community groups, Venus Bike Club in Boulder, formed when riders met at one of the rides and wanted to start their own, all-women recreational cycling club. The cycling club raises funds for Greenhouse Scholars and sends about 50 riders to Venus de Miles each year. 

“We’re still very friendly and connected, but we’re different entities,” McCown said.

Venus de Miles started with 600 riders and is expected to have 1,000 this year with 700 signed up as of mid-July. The tagline for the ride is “community in motion.”

“Real community is made in real life,” McCown said.

Last year, more than 800 riders participated in Venus de Miles, and to date, more than 16,000 riders completed the courses. Again this year, the 30-mile course will be along farm roads in Boulder and Larimer counties, supported by two aide stations. 

“People dress up and play music, and they’re like little party stations along the route. It breaks up the ride,” McCown said.

The new 48-mile course will continue past the 30-mile turn point through Larimer County, while the 64-mile course will take rural roads around the historic town of Masonville. 

The two longer rides also will have water stops, and the longest ride will have a third aid station. The aid stations are equipped with snacks, hydration, restrooms, a medical team and Tutu Crew support. 

“The Tutu Crew is the only men you will see on the ride,” McCown said. “The Tutu Crew wears tutus, dresses up crazy, and provides mechanical assistance and emotional support for the riders.”

The Tutu Crew consists of five to six men per course, including the husbands and families and friends of some of the riders. The crew handles basic bicycle maintenance, such as changing a flat tire or reinstalling a chain, as well as carrying extra snacks and hydration.

The 64-mile course will leave the earliest with the other two rides staggered so that riders will arrive at the Finish Festival at about the same time. Start times for the rides will be 7:30 a.m., 8:15 a.m. and 9 a.m. respectively, and the Finish Festival will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

“That’s the event. The cycling is secondary,” McCown said. “We wanted these women to feel like we’re celebrating them after this amazing feat they accomplished together. … It’s really a celebration of community and sisterhood.”

The Finish Festival, which welcomes the larger community, is expected to have a turnout of about 1,000 to 1,100 people. The riders will receive complimentary lunch and spa-style facials and massages in the wellness recovery area, plus they will be able to participate in wellness activities and shop at the vendor expo. It’s expected that there will be at least 15 vendors specializing in health and wellness, nutrition, self-care, art, home improvement, cycling and recovery participating in the event.

“We’re aiming to pamper these riders, so they can relax and feel taken care of,” McCown said. “The complimentary facials and massages are unique to us. … People love it. That’s their favorite part of the ride.” 

The festival also will feature music, either live or a DJ, and several announcements throughout, as well as food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Before the ride, there will be multiple training rides and community events for riders to meet each other.

“There’s really something for everyone,” McCown said. “We aim to have a lot of variety in terms of what type of vendors are there.” 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a name spelling and a reference to the 64-mile race. BizWest regrets the error.

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