PaulB said:
I'll tell you what you never see women doing; fishing. I think it's an entirely male pastime.
I disagree, my sister loves fishing - she used to get up at 4am to go fishing with my dad and brother
As for cycling clubs, many of them are full of highly competitive and intimidating guys, but I do see plenty of women on my daily commute (and the number has increased quite significantly throughout the year) and there's more and more female riders on our weekend group rides.
The sweat? I'm one of the lucky people who have showers at work, but I'd commute by bike even if I didn't, and use baby wipes to freshen up. The messy hair? I wear mine short anyway, so it's a non-issue for me. And the lycra... well, there's nothing wrong with (well-fitted) lycra shorts, is there? Perhaps they're not suitable to wear to afternoon tea at the Ritz, but when you're on your bike, they're a perfectly normal thing, aren't they?