It’s almost that time again, time for another women’s race clinic. You’ve got about five weeks to talk your friends into doing the clinic and joining our demented cult. Check out the race flyer.

We asked Karen Ulrich to get us a first hand account from someone who did the clinic before, and she got us this gem from Jennifer LaPlante. Thanks, ladies.

@##=#<1,L>@##=#When I was 8 years old my older sister convinced me that my mom’s routine trip to the grocery store was in fact her escape to Hawaii to find a brawny, bronzed boyfriend. Terrified that I might lose my mom to Mr. Hawaii circa 1986, I ran down to the garage, grabbed my sister’s bike, and tried to race after my mom. Only I didn’t know how to bike. I was devastated: my mom was off to Hawaii and there was nothing I could do. Luckily, the closest she came to her Hawaiian sweety was the sugar aisle in the grocery store and she was home later that night. But I vowed that I would learn how to bike so that I could stop her in case she ever tried to go to Hawaii again. Every day after school my twin sister, who didn’t yet know how to bike herself, would watch and give me tips as I tried to maneuver my older sister’s purple banana-seated bike. Eventually I made it one block closer to Hawaii.

Fear of Mr. Hawaii might have gotten me into cycling, but the Women’s Bike Racing Clinic held in Manhattan’s Central Park was what got me into bike racing (and how I learned that purple banana-seated bikes with streamers are perhaps not the best race bikes out there). I see so many strong female riders—riding around Central and Prospect Parks, up and down 9W, through the city on their way to locations not quite as ambitious as Hawaii—women I am sure would, as did I, love to get into racing but just don’t quite know how. The Women’s Bike Racing Clinic is the how. Think of it as the gateway event: ride in the clinic this year and, if you find the thrill of it addictive, you’ll be racing in no time. More than half of my teammates were introduced to racing through the clinic. I rode in the clinic in 2004 and found it to be such a supportive, informative way to be introduced to the sport of competitive cycling. There was a brief introductory chat, followed by pointers from seasoned racers and answers to questions about the race format. We then had an 18-mile race against the other clinic attendees, with women racers riding alongside to offer tips and encouragement. The race was followed up with awards, plenty of loot, a Q&A session to discuss what happened during the race and feedback about the difference between the clinic and what one might encounter in a real USCF-sanctioned race. I think the nicest thing about the clinic was leaving with the sense that, despite the obviously competitive nature of women’s competitive cycling, there is a great deal of camaraderie, encouragement and support amongst female racers. The clinic introduces you to the local racing scene and its players before you even pedal to the line of your first race. So when you get to your first race, you’ll already see the familiar faces of women who are happy to give you tips and cheer you on.