A message from TfGM
Greater Manchester women are being encouraged to channel their pedal power with the launch of a new campaign.
#RideWithUsGM is a series of female-specific events designed to help redress the region’s cycling gender imbalance, which sees women make up just 33% of cyclists across the region.*
The events have been designed to help women of all ages, abilities and experiences to tackle some common barriers to making more journeys by bike.
Whether it’s time to improve skills, learn something new or take the opportunity to get women and girls together and ride a new route, there’s something for everyone. And not all events are women-only, so there are also plenty of opportunities for men to get involved.
New starters or those low on practice can take part in a training session with instructors, who will lead you on an off-road route around the trails of Philips Park.
Off-road leisure cyclists might be tempted by the led commuter rides, running on four routes and continuing over the next few weeks.
The project even covers night-time rides, where participants benefit from a group environment in getting experience of riding on dark evenings. There’s also the chance to learn some basic cycle maintenance by attending a ‘puncture party’.
The Transport for Greater Manchester Committee’s Cycling and Walking Champion, Councillor Chris Paul, said: “The #RideWithUsGM series of events is all about inspiring more women to get out and enjoy all the benefits cycling has to offer, from keeping fit and making new friends to saving money on your daily commute.
“Female cycling is on the up, but men still account for two thirds of the region’s cyclists so we want to do everything we can to encourage as many women as possible to get out on their bikes.
“We’d love to see your pics and hear your stories so please share them on social media using #RideWithUsGM.”
Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner, said: “We know from the Greater Manchester BikeLife reports in 2015 and 2017 that, along with a significant section of the general population, many women don’t regard our roads as easy, attractive and safe enough to cycle on.
“We’re working hard to improve those roads as we know that, in places where cycling or walking are the obvious choice for any short journey, men and women are far more equally represented.
“While we work on a brilliant new cycling network, there are plenty of off-road and quieter routes which are healthy and can be faster than other means of transport, especially when we count the parking faff. Cycling also saves you money and can be great fun, especially in a group of like-minded women learning together and supporting each other.”
The full schedule of events and activities is available at www.tfgm.com/cycling through a calendar that can be filtered by district or category.
There is a flaw in the system. I need to log into Netscaler Gateway, (something I have not joined, and may not wish to), if I want to see the rides calendar etc.
I realise many other sites will invite you to join them via Facebook etc, but as recent events have shown, many people are becoming wary of these facilities, or, like me, find them too irritating to get involved in.