Celebrating Strong Women

I have to celebrate the coverage of Sarah Hammer in the newest issue of ROAD magazine. As the wife of the editorial director, I am often playing the role of social conscience when it comes to the coverage of female cyclists (or lack thereof) and the use of women’s images. I don’t hold back with either my encouragement or my outrage. Right now, I am just darned proud that they have put this great image of a strong woman on their cover. The interview provides a positive view of a woman competitor achieving her goals. Something we could use more of in our society, since a competitive woman is often viewed as a negative. Plus it is a welcome change to see healthy rather than emaciated images we usually see in the media. I hope they get a lot of positive feedback for the cover and the interview, especially from women. They need to know that women are reading their magazine and they need the encouragement to do more coverage of women.