I was delighted to be asked to speak about womens cycling at the Milton Keynes Mayor's cycling awards.
The awards are organised by cycling citizens MK, a community action group dedicated to promoting and encouraging cycling in Milton Keynes. It was great to hear stories from a number of different speakers about how cycling has changed their lives as well as great stories about how local schools and employers are encouraging more people to cycle.
I was asked to talk about how we can improve the participation of women in cycling. For me, the most important things are 1. Providing opportunities for cycling 2. promoting a really positive image of women in cycling /breaking down stereotypes, 3. building up the confidence of women 4. Being a role model and expanding the numbers of role models 5. Helping build a sense of community.
My local Breeze group now has 117 women members, and my cycling club, BCG has now hit a peak of 34% women members, which is well above average for mixed gender cycling clubs.
It is possible, if you work at it, it doesn't happen on its own. More information about the awards at the link below.