I have watched men compete in the Tour since a child when my dad would video the coverage for us to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I very much enjoyed it, but never felt the urge to do what those men in Lycra were doing, no not cycling fast (I love that) but competing against each other.

There is something inherently annoying about cycling with competitive people. Perhaps it’s their raised levels of testosterone, or perhaps it’s my own inadequacies?

Whichever way, I don’t like the feeling somebody is trying to get ahead of me for victory.

As a child I was entered into numerous ice-skating competitions. I didn’t mind, I liked skating but even when I won I wasn’t really trying to beat anyone else I was merely showing off. I still feel like that when I try and cycle fast or hard; I am not trying to beat anyone but merely enjoying the ride. Now you know my feelings on the matter, it may surprise you I ventured out on a ride with my fellow columnist James Styring and my partner Kevin Moreland.

If you read this column regularly you may have heard James praising their evenings spent together riding the Chilterns.

There are usually five guys but for some reason (perhaps it was the recent downpours or the night’s drawing in) last Monday there were just two.

Girls are not usually allowed, but I suppose they had to make up the numbers and I got an invite. I have to say it’s a great playground and a good pub at the end, but I certainly didn’t have the testosterone to keep up on this ride.

Now I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses but needless to say it was dark after an hour, and the downhill parts were a complete mudslide and had basically became unridable. Yeah I fell off and I yeah I cursed a puddle that turned out to be a lake in disguise, but I tried not to get off and walk it. Why? Because these guys are competitive and I had to keep up.

They are even competitive about their bikes and I have seen them upgrading parts or even buying whole new bikes in the name of one-upmanship.

I don’t feel this competitiveness when cycling with women; actually I feel there is a sense of camaraderie. We are better at praising each other when we do well and helping constructively when we don’t because on the whole we will never have that testosterone or VO2 (that’s volume oxygen consumed) needed to be as competitive with each other.

Men’s increased testosterone means they have improved muscle mass and density and added competitiveness to boot. Lucky them.

However, we are better in one respect. If you watch women ride we have a smoother application of power, this can work to our advantage on tricky uphill trails because it produces an even flow of torque to the back wheel which is ultimately better for traction.

So ladies if you do have an urge to be competitive and want to beat those guys just make sure its technical climbs all the way!