Calgary group endeavours to get more women cycling

A Calgary group dubbed the Bicycle Belles, hoping to encourage more women to cycle, held its first ride Saturday, September 28 with another excursion planned for Sunday, October 5. The group wishes to address the statistics that came out of 2013’s municipal bicycle count which found that women only made 21% of those surveyed.

The Bicycle Belles’ spokesperson, Eleanor Bash, says that some women are intimidated by traffic and aggressive drivers. The Belles want to empower women to negotiate traffic and assert themselves in bike shops through clinics and group rides. But Bash also points to a lack of cycling infrastructure as discouraging to riders, a situation Calgary Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra believes is improving.

Carra is a bicycling advocate and commuter, and he cites the city’s planned separated cycling lanes as infrastructure that will encourage all Calgarians to cycle more. “That will bring us from nowhere, to parity with some of the most progressive cities in North America,” Carra told the Calgary Herald.

Meanwhile, the Belles will continue to build women riders’ knowledge and confidence. Sunday’s ride will travel from Edworthy Park to Inglewood, where the women will participate in a 90-minute clinic at a local studio.

To learn more about Calgary’s Bicycle Belles and their events or contact the group, one can access their Twitter account (@bikebellesYYC) or Facebook page (https://facebook.com/bicyclebellesyyc).