Personally I think the best thing we could have, is a mentor scheme. Wanna try an Audax, not sure what's involved? Join our mentor scheme. An experienced rider, offers to ride with the newbie, showing them the ropes, explaining what it all involves, answering questions, etc... Make it voluntary on both sides.
I think it's a good idea, but the AUK approach to brevets is quite dogmatic and having a "pacer" would be against the "unsupported" approach to a randonnee.
Personally, I would strip Audax down to "it's a ride between control points where you carry a card to validate and you need to finish by xx o'clock", but many like the long list of rules
I'm not talking about a pacer, I'm talking about someone to keep you company for all or some of the ride. Someone to ride along with you and answer things like "What happens if I get to the cafe after the official control closure time marked on my card?" If you want to also let your mentee sit on your wheel because there's a stonking headwind, that's your choice. It's about being welcoming, and helping introduce new people.
I think my conclusion last time was that I'd never have justified the time required if I hadn't been divorced. I never particularly noticed the proportion of women:men, but then I work in IT.
I was asked recently about the strong correlation between working in IT and long distance cycling IT types seem to be disproportionately represented.
I suspect the main thing is that you won't be what you can't see. If most/all of our pictures are mamils then that's seen as what an audaxer looks like. So we need lots of pics of dumpy middle aged women in publicity material, looking like normal people rather than as if they've already acquired a load of special kit.
Agreed, which is why it's been great that the last few editions of awoowoo magazine have had women on the cover. Tho this has seen some people commenting that it's getting too much, that there are too many women featured on the cover and it's all equality gone mad. Ignoring the fact that we're still talking sub 25% of all editions to have had a woman on the front... Not to mention that of the pictures of people inside the magazine, women are very much a minority.
This isn't just an issue with AUK, Randonneurs NL site has no women in any of the photos.
Alas I have so far persuaded none of my friends to ride any further than about 3 miles, though friend's daughter did manage the equivalent of the dun run, with b/f.
I have a friend who will come on a bike ride with me but only if I promise to limit it to 25km, she'll accept 30km, *BUT* there has to be a cafe stop...
The rest of my friends just think I'm crazy.
J