For those who don't know what exactly it's about - here are the lines in question: "For me, going mountain biking with my girlfriend means riding together, chatting and having fun. She rides ahead, I ride ahead, as it happens - just like with male colleagues. However, the reality for many cycling couples I meet on the road is usually different. Are they riding against each other? The man often rides ahead at his own pace while the woman listlessly puffs along behind or, for example, runs down the entire descent because it is too difficult for her. Why is that? To jeopardize the relationship or to "etch" her desire for biking with a lot of lactate? The former is probably more obvious. It's better to ride alone or adapt and enjoy the hobby together. You also have to consider that with the growing number of female bikers, it can happen that a lady makes you look really old."

In all fairness, I have to say that some men have probably taken the above lines to heart (or there are more and more "kick-ass ladies" who whizz past their men with their hair flowing). I haven't done any studies on this phenomenon, but it does seem to have gotten better. However, it's also quite possible that female mountain bikers have simply become much better, and usually without the annoying "don't act like that and ride that" care of their partners. Women don't "act like that" either, they want to and can do it when the time is right. The women's community in mountain biking is getting bigger and bigger and is pushing itself to technical and physical heights. It's all ladylike, we men have no say in the matter.

When women ride with women, it's also a great enrichment for mountain biking couples. Meanwhile, the men of creation can hit the trails together. Both can improve, feel good or let off steam in their clique - or simply ride to the nearest café and enjoy the time. With enough free space for both men and women, joint rides become much more important, and if there are differences in performance, there should be more tolerance to adapt to your partner. Perhaps in the near future it will soon be the women who have to take their men into consideration when mountain biking.