Sunny Cycles’ Post

What an incredible "Lunchtime with Cycle Sprog" session yesterday, sharing some real successes getting women and kids on bikes, along with the real challenges this poses. My key takeaways were: 1) It takes time. Funders need to be aware of this and not expect instant results. 2) Many groups not usually reached by the cycling industry need to see themselves represented in the initiatives 3) It can take a lot of advance work to get people confident enough to give cycling a go 4) A decent bike makes all the difference between loving and hating cycling 5) Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure 6) BUT...... infrastructure itself isn't enough - you still need behavioural programmes, especially to groups not usually welcomed into the world of cycling. 7) Recent research is showing mothers who cycle with their kids say it's more convenient than driving - in certain circumstances. 8) Women only sessions are really important, and can drive huge numbers to participate when organised with, and advertised to, the correct demographics / communities. Huge thanks to Katherine Cory Dawn Rahman and Becky Cox for sharing their extensive knowledge and experiences and to Emily Wormald for making it all happen. And to everyone who turned up to learn and share their experiences and challenges. Look out for our next Lunchtime with Cycle Sprog session in the New Year when we'll be discussing campaigning. #ActiveTravel #Cycling #WomenOnBikes #FamilyCycling

Some important messages here - if you couldn't make the webinar there is a good summary article attached.

My Dad told me I had popped up into his news stream again. Why? I was quoted in an article exploring a critical issue in professional cycling: sustainability. Unlike many other sports, cycling teams are almost entirely reliant on sponsorships, leaving little financial stability for the athletes or the teams themselves. When sponsors pull out, teams collapse—and riders, like myself, are forced to make tough decisions about our futures. In the past year, I’ve watched three cycling teams shut down due to funding issues, but the reality is there has likely been more than have slipped through the cracks. The financial pressures on the sport are immense, especially as increased visibility brings with it both opportunities and new challenges. As I shared in the article, cycling urgently needs to diversify its revenue streams if it hopes to survive long-term and better support its athletes. This is not just a cycling problem; it’s a broader issue for many sports that rely on single income sources. How can we rethink the business models in sports to create more resilient, sustainable systems? What steps can we take to ensure that the next generation of athletes isn’t left in the same uncertain position? I hope this article sparks some discussion and reflection. Have a read and let’s keep this conversation going. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/g8VJUngY #cycling #sportsbusiness #athleteadvocacy #sustainability #sportsinnovation

Last night we were joined by Minister for Sport Maree Todd MSP and Double Paralympic Champion Jenny Holl to launch our new Women and Girls Strategy at West Lothian Cycle Circuit. After trying her hand at the Tandem with Ms Todd, Jenny took part in a Q & A session with Women and Girls, answering so many questions from the next generation of riders. After extensive consultation with the cycling community and key stakeholders earlier this year, we refined our strategy to make its vision as clear as possible. The strategy is broken down into five focus areas, the five Rs: Ride, Race, Role Models, Recognise and Relationships, which are all as important as the next if our 2027 targets, outlined in the strategy, are to be achieved. These include a 30% increase in female members and event entries, a 10% increase in retention within the Performance Pathway, 20% more coaches, and a number of new partnerships with other organisations who can help support the fulfilment of these goals. The strategy clearly outlines the vision, and steps that will be taken to get there, but sitting below this is an Action Plan, which goes into the detailed interventions, and sets annuals targets to keep Scottish Cycling on track to reach our 2027 goals. You can find out more about the new strategy and action plan here: https://lnkd.in/gsCFczUH

This #InternationalWomensDay we caught up with Gail, who works at Warmley Wheelers, our community project that helps people with health conditions and supported needs to experience the joy of cycling. As well as her role at Warmley Wheelers, where she initially got involved as a volunteer, she works for British Cycling providing a range of support to their elite cyclists. She's also an accomplished distance cyclist herself. Last year Gail completed the incredible #TourDivide race, which stretches an astounding 2,745 miles between Alberta, Canada and the US/Mexico border. Gail is a passionate advocate for women taking up cycling. She says: "Young women tend to be protected more - they're not encouraged to go out on their own and do things that have some risk. Maybe we don't spend enough time as young women messing around and working out that it doesn't matter if you fail. That has a knock-on effect with cycling, where someone might not try it because they think they won't be good at it. But cycling has huge benefits for both physical and mental health." Whilst Gail enjoys pushing herself on endurance rides, something she loves about Warmley Wheelers is that it's open to all abilities. She says: "It’s not about going fast or being first. It’s more about the experience and the enjoyment of seeing what’s around you". Her message to women who might benefit from a session at Warmley Wheelers? "Even if you’re not sure if you want to ride, just come along and see what we’re about. It’s such a welcoming and approachable place. Why not try one of the bikes and find out if it's for you?" #IWD2024 #InternationalWomensDay2024 #TeamMilestones #InspiringInclusion

Did you know that for every two men riding a bike there is only one woman? For women the top barrier to getting on a bike is lack of safe infrastructure. I love this article which shows the way to getting more women cycling. It also highlights the personal benefits of cycling. For those in the transport infrastructure sector it emphasises the value of co-design. Women must be engaged in the planning process. #womenininfrastructure #transportplanning #activetransport #womenempoweringwomen

🌟Connecting, communicating and building towards a European Women's MTB network🌟 Held in the picturesque Vienna Woods, this year's IMBA Europe Summit saw an incredible turnout of women in mountain biking—a significant milestone for our organization dedicated to promoting more people on bikes through sustainable mountain biking. This year's program included a dedicated breakout session on the FIAS (Fostering Inclusive Action Sports) framework, as well as a working group session that focused on the development of a European women’s mountain biking network. The FIAS workshop provided crucial insights into fostering gender inclusivity in mountain biking. Led by Dr. Fiona Spotswood, the session highlighted four key areas: building communities of women+ in MTB, integrating women+ into MTB culture, supporting women+ in leadership roles, and transforming MTB's cultural representation. Attendees engaged in dynamic discussions on how to enhance inclusivity individually and collectively, committing to actionable steps across these areas to drive meaningful change. Simultaneously, the women in mountain biking workshop underscored persistent challenges such as unequal pay, limited representation, and stereotypes. Participants articulated a vision for a more diverse and welcoming MTB environment, emphasizing the need for increased visibility, equitable opportunities, and community-building initiatives to empower women within the sport. These workshops collectively set the stage for ongoing efforts to advance gender equity and inclusivity in mountain biking communities across Europe and beyond. We invite women who couldn't attend to reach out to IMBA Europe to learn more about the European MTB Network. For more info, contact Loren Rowney at loren.rowney@imba-europe.com. 🔗Read the full article for more insights into our journey towards an inclusive MTB community. https://lnkd.in/dGcUMnEa Cycling Industries Europe Fiona Spotswood Manon Carpenter #WomenInMountainBiking #FIASFramework #IMBAEuropeSummit #Inclusivity #Community #Empowerment

Initial research by Cycling Citizens MK suggests only 23% of cycle journeys in Milton Keynes are by women.  Volunteer researchers simply counted cyclists using redways in the last 10 days of January and found 131 male and 32 female. Recent UK-wide research by Lime shows only 19% of female cyclists feel sale riding alone at night and 91% face barriers to cycling.  “It’s a justice issue,” says Jane Whild of Voices of Women in MK. “Women’s equal access to cycling must be designed into City plans.  To make progress, we must understand the barriers.” In partnership with Milton Keynes City Council, Jane has created a 3-minute online survey to do this, https://lnkd.in/eWST2cZG, and wants at least 1,000 MK residents, female and male, to complete it. Please do.

As part of our 5-year strategy, Objective three is all about making cycling an even more positive experience for everyone. Our goal? To ensure cycling is safe, convenient, and fun for all. Whether you’re a parent on the school run, a road warrior enjoying rides with friends or cycling clubs, or an adventurer seeking off-road thrills, some of our major projects in this area include: 🚲 Building on our ground-breaking Big Bike Revival programme, which has achieved 50% participation rates from tens of thousands of women. ♿ Supporting thousands of disabled people to access cycling through the Inclusive Cycling Experience. 🏘️ Researching more deprived communities through grant distribution and delivery of activities in projects such as Community Cycle Clubs and the Cycle Access Fund. 🚴♀️ Building on campaigns that showcase and encourage diversity in cycling, like 100 Women in Cycling. 🏛️ Influencing national policies to make cycling more appealing and safer for a wider range of people. Let’s ride towards happier, healthier and greener lives through cycling. Read our full 2024-29 strategy in English and Welsh here: cyclinguk.org/strategy

🚴♀️ Celebrating the impact of cycling across the UK! 🚴♂️ We're proud to have supported British Cycling’s Places to Ride programme, combining our technology, data and insight tools to help demonstrate impact, with the programme delivering 156 new and upgraded community cycling facilities nationwide. This initiative has inspired more people to ride, connected communities, and broken down barriers to participation—all while addressing inequalities and delivering measurable social value benefits. Manus Twomey, National Facilities Development Manager, British Cycling: "British Cycling’s Places to Ride programme was delighted to partner with 4GLOBAL in the monitoring and evaluation of the largest investment ever made in community cycling facilities. The 4GLOBAL team played the lead role in providing British Cycling with an online reporting platform, assisting in the collection of project performance data. The dashboard that 4GLOBAL designed allows us to develop accurate social value data across both individual and groups of facilities and areas, crucially, helping us evidence the overall impact of the investment." Working alongside Edge Hill University, we’re thrilled to see the positive impact of this partnership, transforming communities and creating a lasting legacy for cycling. Read more about the journey here: https://bit.ly/3AKECK7 At 4GLOBAL, we believe in the power of data to drive change and evidence the real-world impact of investments. This project is a testament to how our tools help create healthier, more connected communities. #PlacesToRide #CyclingCommunity #SocialValue #Partnership #4GLOBAL #DataDriven #BritishCycling #CommunityImpact #CyclingForAll