Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Upcoming SlideShare
The Women Who Inspire Us
The Women Who Inspire UsLoading in ... 3
The Monthly Cycle - Courtney Cushard
Sep. 15, 2014•0 likes•722 views
1 likes
Be the first to like this
Show More
views
Total views
0
On Slideshare
0
From embeds
0
Number of embeds
0
Download to read offline
Report
Presentations & Public Speaking
Founder of The Monthly Cycle, Courtney Cushard discussed how she got the idea for a women's-only bike ride, and how the group is expanding into new territory this fall. She joined us for Trailnet's "Arch Women: A Pedal-Powered Movement" on September 10, 2014.
TrailnetFollow
TrailnetAdvertisement
The Monthly Cycle - Courtney Cushard
- I’m Courtney!
- Nashville St. Louis
- Hmmm…
- Prevailing GENDER GAP in cycling in the US 24% of all bicycle trips are made by women and 76% are made by men (people for bikes) 36% of women bike owners said that someone to ride with would spur higher bicycle participation (women bike/league of American bicyclists) 62% of women said that the ‘social aspect’ was among the top motivation to ride (women bike/league of American bicyclists)
- I bet they’re cool and I want to ride with those girls
- 1st Monday of every month, 7pm Our First Ride: July 2013
- An all-girl bike ride isn’t just a bike ride… Its a Statement!
- And we have started realizing - There are people that have different kinds of cycling goals and we as a group, have the chance to help them reach those goals… So we made other rides for different levels of riders – The Quicke The Light Flow Bikes are Freedom
- “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” ― Susan B. Anthony
- the Quickie And we have started realizing - There are people that have different kinds of cycling goals and we as a group, have the chance to help them reach those goals… So we made other rides for different levels of riders – The Quicke The Light Flow the Light Flow
- Fun | Health | Fitness Outreach | Information | Education
- Moving forward Workshops Events Indoor Training Diversity New Routes
- Inspiration My world of cycling… Wolfpack Hustle Penrose Velodrome Trailnet Team Revolution The Monthly Cycle
- www.facebook.com/groups/themonthycycle courtney.cushard@gmail.com https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-diva-cup-tickets- 12992375545 https://www.facebook.com/events/3770793324402 98 1st Monday of Every Month Gelateria on South Grand, 7pm
Editor's Notes
- My Bike Journey. First adult bike in Nashville in 2008. Move to St. Louis with it in 2010 and commuted to school sometimes. It got rusty because I left it outside. Once Grad school was over, I got a new one and started doing Group Rides around town! After awhile I noticed: I know there are girls that ride bikes, I get tiny glimpses of them at ‘fun rides’ like the Tour D’onut, but I never ride with them because they don’t come to these group rides. But I bet they are cool, and I want to ride with them, so …
- After awhile I noticed: All my bike rides look like this: picture of wolfpack with only me. Hmm, I’m the only girl. I bet there are other girls that can do this and maybe want to do this. But maybe they are intimidated. Large groups of ‘cool bike guys’ can be intimidating. I know there are girls that ride bikes, I get tiny glimpses of them at ‘fun rides’ like the Tour D’onut, but I never ride with them because they don’t come to these group rides. But I bet they are cool, and I want to ride witah them, so …
- Not anecdotal: Prevailing gender gap in bicycling in the US In the U.S., 24% of all bicycle trips are made by women and 76% are made by men (people for bikes) 36% of women bike owners said that someone to ride with would spur higher bicycle participation (women bike/league of American bicyclists) 62% of women said that the ‘social aspect’ was among the top motivation to ride (women bike/league of American bicyclists) Non-competitive womens bike club – hard to find in a lot of places, including st. Louis. Social rides, training rides, mechanic workshops (feeling like you’re in control when youre out riding), field trips (there are so many ways to ride your bike! Acknowledge those riders, act as a gateway for women to find the community that fits best with them – commuting, alley cats(part scavenger hunt, part race), racing, polo, etc)
- Not anecdotal: Prevailing gender gap in bicycling in the US In the U.S., 24% of all bicycle trips are made by women and 76% are made by men (people for bikes) 36% of women bike owners said that someone to ride with would spur higher bicycle participation (women bike/league of American bicyclists) 62% of women said that the ‘social aspect’ was among the top motivation to ride (women bike/league of American bicyclists) Non-competitive womens bike club – hard to find in a lot of places, including st. Louis. Social rides, training rides, mechanic workshops (feeling like you’re in control when youre out riding), field trips (there are so many ways to ride your bike! Acknowledge those riders, act as a gateway for women to find the community that fits best with them – commuting, alley cats(part scavenger hunt, part race), racing, polo, etc)
- Me and my friend Maggie started The Monthly Cycle! (we came up with that sweet name at Tour D’onut in 2013!) We are an ever-growing group of ladies that get together for a monthly bike ride through our lovely City of St. Louis, Missouri. We meet the first Monday of every month at Gelateria de Leone on South Grand Blvd. at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm roll out. We ride about 15 miles with a few stopping points along the way and end our rides at Tower Pub where they have $2 draft beers and a nice patio. We like to go a little faster than a cruise, but not so fast that we cant talk with each other along the way. I started the ride just as a ride. That’s all. There is no other motivation – political, social, et al. – except that I want to ride with more women at higher pace than a cruise. I honestly didn’t think too much about it. We just invited a bunch of women to ride bikes with us. Simple. From what I had gathered, there were not many opportunities for ladies wanting to try to ride faster or for longer. It’s tough to try making the jump from commuter or recreational rider to doing long shop rides, fast group rides, or even races. Teams are sometimes intimidating with their exclusiveness and their spandex. And a lot of the times, the bike scene is dominated by men, many of whom know a lot about bikes, which can be off putting at times. So The Monthly Cycle was started as a place to challenge yourself a little bit, talk to other women about bike stuff, and try new things in a way that is hopefully welcoming, approachable, safe, and fun for girl riders.
- So The Monthly Cycle made it’s debut the first Monday of July in 2013 and has been meeting every first Monday since, with the exception of a few of those terribly brutal winter months where we drank coffee and beer instead of riding.
- Make a lot of new friends! Ask all kinds of questions about bikes and bike riding! (without feeling silly or intimidated) share and work toward our goals, and push ourselves to get stronger as cyclists and hopefully as people in general. Talk about all kinds of life things that sometimes boys don’t like to hear about.
- We enjoyed creating an identity for ourselves which includes our logo. Some very awesome women that we ride with are also fantastic designers and artists, so we make funny and fun spoke cards for almost every ride to show our pride and remember the good timees we had.
- So aside from all the fun, during our conversations, I learned some really powerrful things from the women around me. Some insights about what we were doing that I didn’t even know we were doing. But wait…. An all-girl bike ride isn’t just a bike ride….its a STATEMENT!
- Because we realize that BIKES ARE FREEDOM! (But only if you feel comfortable and safe riding them) Empowerment Courage Knowledge Information Strength Support Comraderie
- And we have started realizing - There are people that have different kinds of cycling goals and we as a group, have the chance to help them reach those goals… So we made other rides for different levels of riders – The Quicke The Light Flow
- Summary of event. Give website and poster info…
- The Future of the Monthly Cycle: Workshops, field trips, indoor training, diversity, diversity of routes and rides.
- Finding your niche The monthly cycle isn’t going to be the perfect ride for everyone. But hopefully it can be a way to connect to others that share your same goals and interests, a way to learn about the other opportunities in cycling in st. louis,…. A jumping off place for you to find your world of cycling.
- Finding your niche The monthly cycle isn’t going to be the perfect ride for everyone. But hopefully it can be a way to connect to others that share your same goals and interests, a way to learn about the other opportunities in cycling in st. louis,…. A jumping off place for you to find your world of cycling.
Advertisement