Article from Bike Shop Girl.
The name Liz Hatch is a sensitive subject in the women’s cycling peloton . The sexy blonde has made many pro women cringe. Last year I mentioned her name during an interview with Team Vera Bradley and they weren’t happy. Why? Some call her a wanna be. Not fast enough to compete with the great girls. Some call her a sand bagger.
Here’s the writers personal take on Liz Hatch
People tune in to the sport to watch her. They want her autograph. How many female cyclist have hit the pages of Maxim? Guys drool over her and line the streets of the races she partakes in. On one flip of the coin you could say this is a negative spin, but for me I encourage it. She flaunts her good looks and is proud as a good looking female. Who cares if she isn’t the fastest in the peloton? She’s out there and could kick my butt. She is the only female cyclist I know of with 11k+ followers on Twitter. We need women like Liz Hatch for more people to be interested in cycling as sport, where do we find them?
Is Liz Hatch different than women’s beach volleyball?
When you think of beach volleyball, you think of women in small bikini’s throwing themselves across the sand. Normally they are tan and in great shape. The fact they are normally 6ft+ doesn’t hurt. Guys tune into this. Girls idolize this.
Going back, there was Marla Streb. She was a killer fast mountain biker with long hair and a killer smile. One of the first of her kind in mountain biking. On her book she posed naked with her hair flowing. Did she sell out? I don’t think so, she harnessed and utilized her femininity to sell books and get more women on bikes.
What do you think? Where could the bike industry be if we had more pretty icons in the peloton?
