While USA Cycling hosts a variety of clinics and conferences, these haven’t included leadership conferences aimed specifically at women – until last weekend. Apparently the time is ripe, as USA Cycling’s Enhancing Leadership in Women’s Cycling Conference held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs was sold out, and declared a rousing success by all those involved.

“People are really excited,” Lynda Ransdell said. “They think this is the start of something … getting more women involved in USA Cycling in both racing and coaching.”

Ransdell, professor and chair of kinesiology at Boise State University, organized the conference with Kristen Dieffenbach, assistant professor of athletic coaching education at Western Virginia University. Dieffenbach said the conference wouldn’t have been possible without Sam Callan, USA Cycling’s sports science and coaching education manager.

“He deserves huge props for making this happen,” she said.

Ransdell also complimented the speakers who presented women-specific cycling information. “Every person that presented really presented something new, something that was valid and relevant for every one of us as coaches.”

Ransdell began Saturday’s program with a presentation on health and performance issues for female cyclists. This included detailed information about “the female athlete triad,” a disorder that begins with energy deficiency, which triggers menstrual-cycle disorders (for instance, cessation of the monthly cycle), and finally a deterioration in bone health.

Cathy Sellers, USOC coaching manager, spoke on survival skills for coaches, encouraging exploration of personal values, planning strategies, expectations for athletes, and the necessity for coaches to use their own energy wisely. She was followed by Lorri Lee Lown, founder of Velo Girls in California, who shared the history of her club, as well as strategies for creating meaningful women’s programs driven by local needs.

Kathy Zawadzki, a USA Cycling elite coach, sports nutritionist, and co-owner of a Stroller Fitness franchise, shared special considerations for training and coaching moms, highlighting facts and myths associated with prenatal fitness.

Jim Miller, USA Cycling’s director of endurance programs, described the evolution of his work with the women’s national and Olympic teams, including the establishment of a women’s house in Lucca, Italy, in 2006.

Saturday’s program concluded with an elite athlete panel that included two retired professional cyclists, former world champion Alison Dunlap and Sara Uhl, as well as Lindsey Bishop, current cross country expert national champion.

Dunlap, who now runs Alison Dunlap Adventure Camps with her husband, was impressed by conference participants. “It’s such good energy, and it’s very empowering,” she said. “It’s just so impressive to hear what everyone’s accomplished, and to hear what everyone’s doing in the sport.”

Uhl, a strong advocate for collegiate cycling and a member of USA Cycling’s collegiate cycling board of trustees, agreed. “I think the energy in this room was really positive, and this is a great group of women. They have made an investment to come here, and they are doing great things already.”

Sunday’s program included two experts in their respective fields of sports nutrition and sports psychology. Kathie Beals, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Utah, spoke on nutritional strategies to enhance cycling performance, sharing the latest research in her field and attacking common misconceptions about the best ways to fuel performance. She was followed by Suzie Riewald, a sports psychologist, who helped participants understand signs and symptoms of disordered eating by athletes. She reported that up to 65 percent of female athletes are affected by disordered eating, and facilitated discussion on effective prevention and intervention.

While the slate of presenters was obviously influential in the weekend’s success, Dieffenbach was quick to explain that an integral factor was the dedication and enthusiastic engagement of the nearly 30 participants from all over the country. While the majority of attendees were coaches, they were representative of female leaders at all levels of cycling, including racers themselves. Dieffenbach and Ransdell both agreed that one of the most powerful portions of the conference occurred at the end when small groups of participants brainstormed lists of what they will do for women’s cycling when they return home.

Rebecca Rusch, a professional adventure racer and current 24-hour world champion, was sent to the conference by Specialized, one of her sponsors. She was amazed at the wealth and diversity of information and networking opportunities.

“It generated a lot of ideas that I’m going to use for myself, and that I’ll pass on through my coaching, and then also pass along through Specialized and their women’s program,” she said.

Cristin Walker, current U23 national sprint champion, attended the conference with her mom, Lori, both of Houston. Along with many other participants, Cristin commented on how empowered she felt. “It was so amazing to meet all these women with the same goal – making cycling better for women.”

One of the main goals of the conference was to start a dialogue and provide female leaders in women’s cycling with an expanded network. It seems this was accomplished.

“This weekend fostered tremendous resources for me as a relatively new coach, and I hope to encourage more people to consider lifelong cycling,” said Eryn Hughes, a NorCal High School mountain bike coach.

When asked what is next, Dieffenbach and Ransdell indicated that this is just the beginning. Callan said prior to the conference that USA Cycling intends to keep supporting this effort, and they are considering conferences in different regions of the country as well as returning to Colorado Springs.

“I’m just so grateful that these women chose to come,” Dieffenbach said. “They gave up their weekend and time away from their families. We [Dieffenbach, Ransdell, and Callan] couldn’t do this alone, not without these women. I’m just really pleased that we put the call out, and they stepped up. USA Cycling took notice [of the enthusiastic participation], they were impressed, and that’s huge. Thank you to all of them.”