Opening up oppurtunities for women to gain confidence and skills to take on long distance cycling trips with overnight camps and really experience the freedom of the roads on two wheels.
Imagine doing a cycle tour for the first time with the support of a welcoming community and that’s exactly what Women on Wheels' make possible with their cycle touring programme. Women on Wheels is a Glasgow based women-led cycling group empowering women of all backgrounds and abilities to become confident cyclists and help open up the posibilites this can bring. Holly is their activities co-ordinator and she applied to the Alpkit Foundation with regards to their programme dedicated to encouraging women and non-binary people to to explore the world of cycle touring. Their programme provides a progressive pathway that covers five introductory workshops, guided rides, and hands-on maintenance classes—all leading up to a two-day group bike tour.
“Our touring programme aims to support, encourage and inspire women to build confidence in thier cycling/touring skills and buld a community so they can ultimately do cycle tours independently from us. Our tours are all pay what you can between £40-150. This allows those on lower incomes to attend but does not remove all finacial costs for them and for some of our participants £40 is still too much.”
Because of their pay-what-you-can model it doesnt always cover costs, so they work with external funding to cover the full costs. Here at the Alpkit foundation we're delighted to have been able to add some additional funds that helped provide funded places on their cycle touring programmes, covering such things as accommodation, food, two ride leaders, and essential kit. Adding to their support from Paths For All and local funds it helps make sure financial constraints doesn’t stop women from taking part and that the initiative can continue to open doors for women to experience the joy of cycle touring.
It was great to hear back from Holly and see the wonderful impact these programmes are making and she sent an update from one of their recent tours.
”Many of the women who attend are women of colour and have never cycled long distances before or camped overnight. Our tour aims to support, encourage and inspire women to build confidence in thier cycling/touring skills and buld a community so they can ultimately get out ndependently from us. On this occasion we took them on a 5 Ferries Cycle Tour—a two-day adventure covering stunning coastal routes, overnight glamping, and camaraderie on two wheels. Eight women took part, and by the end, they weren’t just finishing the ride—they were planning future tours together.”
Here’s to more women hitting the road, building confidence and proving that adventure truly is for everyone!
“I never thought I could do something like this, but now I can’t wait to plan my own trip!”
Get Involved
Inspired? Follow Women on Wheels and see how you can get involved adventure: