Jannette Rho stands on top of the podium as the winner of the Villa Park Grand Prix on Aug. 9. Women’s cycling is a growing sport, according to Rho and other racers.

Chicago resident Janette Rho enjoys the physical and mental aspects of bike racing.

“It is a lot more than fitness,” said Rho, who captured the women’s category 1-4 division (the lower the category, the more accomplished the cyclist) at the Villa Park Grand Prix on Aug. 9. “There are skills like bike-handling; and it is a little like a chess game. ‘When do I make my move?’ I stay interested.”

Rho, who has been racing on and off since 2009, said she sees continued growth in women’s racing.

“There are definitely more opportunities than before for women,” Rho said. “More women have gotten involved with the sport. In the past, they might have attended a bike race with their significant other. Now, there are groups encouraging women to get involved with the sport.”

Rho, who rides her bike commuting to her job as a public health dietitian, said she had dabbled in triathlons before turning her attention solely to bikes.

“I had a friend convince me to try it and I fell in love with it,” Rho said.

The Villa Park race was Rho’s first victory of the season. Rho races regionally, competing in contests in Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio and Illinois.

“It’s fun,” she said of racing. “I keep telling myself I can tow the line. I enjoy doing it. I train a lot, but at the end of the day I do enjoy it.”

Rho said she normally puts in about 10 hours a week training and does races on weekends.

It was the Chicago cyclist’s first foray into the Villa Park race.

“It was definitely nice to do a race with a local field,” Rho said. “The neighborhood was welcoming. It was a smaller crowd, but they had a lot of energy.”

Rho said the sport has her challenging herself to be the best she can be.

The resident of Chicago since 1997 said things get chaotic at times working full time and trying to train full time.

“But you make time to do the things you want to do,” Rho said.

Rho is gearing up for a competition Labor Day weekend in St. Louis.

“There is a lot of discipline involved. It goes up and down,” Rho said of racing. “But road racing is getting big-time.”

Chicago cyclist Janette Rho. (Photo: Tenspeed Hero)

Erin Obradovich, who captured the category 4 division at the Villa Park race, said it does seem women’s racing is growing in popularity.

“I feel it is growing … Women professionals are more in the spotlight,” Obradovich said. “The sport is continuing to grow on all fronts. We are looking to get more women out and part of the biking community.”

Obradovich, who hopes to “cat up (move up a racing category)” said the Villa Park race’s women’s field was smaller than most races, with 13 competitors in the two women’s divisions. She said races typically have 20-40 female competitors.

On a team run by BFF Bikes, Obradovich is in her first season of racing and has competed in seven races so far this year.

Like Rho, Obradovich lives in the city and bikes to and from work. Obradovich’s commute is eight miles one way. The former West Coast bike tour guide said she has been biking her whole life.

“It feels like medicine to me,” Obradovich said of bike racing. “It is fun. There is community. There is a sense of team. You stay fit. It is my favorite thing to do for my work/life balance. It is an outlet for me.”

A social worker, Obradovich goes on training rides twice a week. While hoping to category up, the Chicago cyclist has no aspirations of making it to the pro level.

“I mostly do it for the fun and community,” Obradovich said.