The Women's 100

The Women's 100 is off and rolling. It may seem like a long road leading to the July 7th date, but it will be here before you know it. There have been some questions coming in about the Rapha Women's 100 — What is it? Where do I sign up? What do I win? Well, the truth of the matter is that the only thing that is really worth winning is the chance to unite women in riding 100km or more on July 7th, and any time in between.

The Women’s 100 started with the goal of taking 100 women to the very male dominated Etape in the same year as the 100th edition of the Tour de France. It soon became clear that these 100 women could help inspire tens of thousands of other women to ride. Thus the Rapha Women’s 100 was born – ride 100km on the 7th July, wherever you are. The 100 women going to the Etape are a mixture of Rapha ambassadors, bloggers and journalists who will write about their adventures and encourage others to get out and ride, especially on the 7th July. We’ll also have a number of spaces at the Etape to be won to complete our 100 women, so look out for this in the coming weeks.

As a build up to the big day, we'll be publishing stories and discussions on the Rapha site, from advice on riding in groups, tales from training rides and tips on the kind of nutrition you can enjoy on big rides. There are a number of people that are doing this for the first time and we have enlisted their help in telling of their experiences along the way.

Who To Follow?

Gem Atkinson
Gem continues to be an inspiration in whatever she does. Not only does she feature in recent Rapha photoshoots, but she has become a favourite contributor to this here blog. Today she steps in with a piece about Milan-San Remo and last week she wrote about some of her first riding experiences in The Rapha Women's 100. Gem will be participating in the Etape ride, so follow her on Twitter and Instagram - @gematkinson

Bangs and a Bun (Spikes + Heels)
The blogs of Murianne Carey-Campbell focus on some of the trials and tribulations of training for specific events - Marathons for one and this Etape in particular. They are a "no holds barred" look at the intensive training that goes into a ride like the etape, but also have a humorous side and definitely lean towards the sartorially inclined woman. This lady has style, class an more than enough attitude to get her through the rigors of training needed to complete a long day in the saddle. One great quote from her recent piece Toils of Training "…when it comes down to it, I have to ride it on the day - no one can do that for me." She is still getting her cycling legs under her, but will certainly keep things interesting along the way. Follow Muireann @bangsandabunn

Heidi Swift
The Grit and Glimmer is always a good one to follow. Heidi, who is a longtime contributor here with pieces like this one about favorite local pro racer Tina Brubaker Heidi is great in speaking in that "no holds barred" manner about all things related to Women's Cycling. Heidi is a regular contributor/editor for Peloton and Switchback magazine's and went to Haiti last month to race the MTB Ayiti race. Follow her exploits on instagram and twitter as well - @heidiswift

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Instagram has been the best way to see what is going on in all parts of the world as the Rapha Women's 100 starts to ramp up. It is a beautiful and easy way to share photos of training, racing and riding as well as just the minutia of everyday life. Follow these women on Instagram as we build up towards July 7th. They continue to inspire us with their daily photos both on and off the bike.

North American Based Rapha Women Ambassadors

Cindy Lewellen @Cindyleww

Kim Cross - @Kimhcross

Abby Watson - @Abbylwatson

Cynthia Young - @Youngcynthia

Sarah Tombaugh - @sarahtombaugh

Sarai Snyder - @girlbikelove

Beth Strickland - @bikebeth

Erika Christensen - @erikachristensen

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Other women we enjoy following:

Jen Nordhem - @jennordhem

Julie Krasniak - @krasniakjulie

Gabby Day - @gabby_day

Cait Dooley - @attnkatdaley

Jen Abercrombie - @jencrombz

Susan Peithman - @speithman

Amy Campbell - @kittenrager

Bridie O'Donnell - @bridie_od

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Also get involved on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Facebook Event Page for the Rapha Women's 100 has garnered more than 1,000 participants already. Here you can discuss where and with whom you'll be riding between now and on July 7th. So follow along.

Add a hashtag to your photos (any photo hashtagged #womens100 will show up on the Rapha Women's page) as you ride. Organize a group ride and post it to the Facebook Event Page.

Bonne route.