Post originally published at CarolinaCyclingNews.com
From the moment I first stepped out of the metro station in Washington, DC, bikes were everywhere. Bike racks were teeming with parked bikes. Well used bike share stations were often along my path. Ordinary people rode their bikes as they went about their day. One of my favorite moments, that I wish I had caught on film, was seeing five young professionals in their office-wear pedaling by on their lunch hour – a few of them on bike share bikes. I enjoy cheering on the bike racers (cowbell always at the ready), but riding a bike for everyday transportation – and for pure joy – has always been more my style. According to the League of American Bicyclists, “No longer is cycling a niche hobby for Lycra-clad athletes. Especially in cities like D.C., biking is tipping the scales as a healthy, hip and mainstream mode of transportation.”
On the first day of the National Bike Summit, women from around the country gathered to attend the first National Women Cycling Forum with a diverse panel of women leaders. The keynote speaker was Sue Macy, author of “Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle To Freedom.” She shared stories that brought back to life the forgotten history of women and bikes. The book is now on my must-read list. The panelists represented different aspects of bike advocacy and the bike industry. Among the issues discussed were the lack of women in images of cycling in the media. You are more likely to see the image of a middle-aged man in Lycra (known as MAMILs) than your average woman on a bike.
