Statements from women that learned cycling as an adult

“The bike opens us the door to a new world”

Says a former student of the “Aprende A Pedalear” workshop by Todas en Bici in Quito (Ecuador)

“I used to walk for half an hour to work every day. Now, I use a bicycle and reach in 15 minutes. Also, earlier I used to work in four houses now I am able to work in six since my commuting time from house to house has decreased to half.”

Sumitra, domestic worker and former student of the Bicycle Partnership Program in Delhi (India)

“It has to do with my freedom. In Turkey I could go anywhere independently. In the Netherlands bicycling was the only way to regain my freedom of movement.”

Dilek, a former student of the ‘Stap op de Fiets’ course in Tilburg (Netherlands).

“I learned cycling, so I can learn anything!” 

Judith, a former student of the ‘Stap op de Fiets’ course in Tilburg.

“Now that I know the rules of traffic for cyclists I can explain my child why I sometimes go through a red traffic light when I make a right turn.”

A former student of the ‘Stap op de Fiets’ course in Tilburg.

"The training was very good. Towards the end we actually went on the road, properly on the road. It did make sense having the training. We do need to learn to share the space. Make sure you are assertive in the middle of the road, don't go to the side."

Kudielela, a former student of the Cycling for Women project by WDS in London (UK).

"As well as the bikes, getting the goodie box, the lock..., oh that was wonderful..... It means a lot to me to be able to cycle and it really did make a lot of difference having the bike and the kit provided to me, because I am the kind of person who gets easily defeated if everything isn't just there and ready to go, having to make decisions about what sort of thing do I need. Anyway, it was just brilliant help to have support with all of that."

Sheila, a former student of the Cycling for Women project by WDS in London.

“My experience with “Aprende a Pedalear” was sensational. I never had climbed on a bicycle before, and I was so afraid of falling and being seen as ridiculous in a society seeped in sexism like ours. Furthermore I thought that my time had passed, because it’s been a while since I had the age in which one normally learns certain things (including riding a bike), and, specifically, there wasn’t anywhere to do it because nobody thought about those of us who didn’t know how. For these reasons I didn’t want to lose the opportunity and I registered for the workshops that you all organized in July 2008. My main challenge was to demonstrate that it’s never too late to learn or achieve what one wishes to achieve; I always had my family’s support; the respect, care, patience, knowledge and dedication of my instructors and my decision to learn and overcome the taboos and fears that we ourselves believed in. Now my bike rides are a great therapy, I enjoy them intensely, I almost feel as if I’m flying, experiencing more freedom and independence, I see life from another perspective and I try to recuperate all the time lost not riding a bike. Every time I can I let people know about this magnificent life experience, to motivate more people to participate and it makes me happy that these experiences aren’t only mine: many of my fellow classmates have graduated and expressed the same feelings as me and appreciated the amazing opportunity to have learned a new, important and inseparable friend and companion: the bicycle.”

Ruth Enriquez, former student of the “Aprende A Pedalear” workshop in Quito (Ecuador)