The number of women cycling appears to be on the rise according to new figures from British Cycling, the national governing body for cycling in Great Britain. They have revealed that over 100,000 women were involved with either leisure or sports cycling this year, with plans for that to reach one million by 2020.
It could be down to a combination of good weather, sporting success, or the big investment from Sky, but whatever the reason it is a positive step in the right direction. Women are starting to bridge the gap in what has always been more male orientated sport with female cyclists such as Laura Trott becoming household names.
British Cycling run a number of events aimed at getting cyclists of all abilities out on their bikes, often in an off-road environment. The results from the last year are impressive:
- Getting 23,000 women on bikes through British Cycling’s Breeze programme of female-only rides.
- Attracting more than 37,000 women to attend Sky Ride city events – mass participation, traffic-free cycle rides – in 2013. Over a third of the total attendees were women.
- Inspiring 6,000 women to attend Sky Ride Local rides. Again, women made up over a third of total attendees.
Sky Ride is a great option for people of all ability levels as it allows riders to join in with big city rides or a local guided ride with experienced leader cyclists. Taking part on a Sky Ride allows people to ride socially whilst gaining confidence in their cycling experience on different routes.
If you fancy trying a Sky Ride, then why not ask your friends and family to join you and check out the website to see where your next local ride is taking place http://www.goskyride.com/
Could it be that the image of cyclists as ‘Lycra Louts’ on the roads is about to change with ever-increasing numbers of women taking up cycling as a leisure pursuit?
