2 Wheels & Heels Ladies Ride – May Ride

We had a fantastic evening ride last night.  We began at Camelot Cellars (thanks, Janine) for our ‘meet & greet.’  As we rounded up, I walk outside and look to both my left and right and bikes were locked up to meters, trees, you name up; up and down the entire block.  It was a beautiful sight!

We rode about 9 miles and through a variety of neighborhoods.  As we were biking east on Long St. I stopped and counted 51 women riders.  I’m really excited to watch the ride continue to grow throughout the summer and beyond.

Enjoy!

Be safe and keep riding

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The first ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit,’ was a success.

About eight months ago, I had my two friends Mimi Webb and Jeannie Martin join me for a beer so that I could present them with an idea.  I went to California the end of last summer for two separate Bicycle Conferences.  At both conferences, there were specific ‘women forums’ to continue to forward efforts of increasing women ridership here in the U.S.  Leaving California, I was both inspired and new what I had to do in Ohio.  Fast forward to the evening with Mimi and Jeannie.  I told them I planned to organize the first statewide ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit’ and would they be interested in joining me in this effort.  Immediately, they said ‘hell yes!”  So, for eight months, Jeannie, Mimi, and myself met and planned out this Summit.

Interest and excitement generated, immediately.  Our main sponsors, ROLL and Trek were absolutely incredible.  Then, Detroit’s ‘Autobike’ got in touch with us.  ARC Imaging donated printing costs for us.  And last but not least, food trucks!  OH! Burgers! and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams sponsored and killed it during lunch time  Green Bean Delivery covered all of the yummy fruits during the Summit.  Thank you to all the talented and incredible speakers:  Lisa Hinson, Tammy Krings, Marjorie Shavers, Lindsay Sherman, Lindsey Bower, Emily Burnett, Ohio’s First Lady Karen Kasich, Julie Walcoff, and Rep. Teresa Fedor.

72 women from around the state of Ohio and two women from Indiana.  The overwhelming positive responses from both the attendees and the presenters was absolutely amazing.  The Summit ran without any huge hiccups.  Women were learning, asking questions, laughing, meeting new women, and just enjoying themselves.

I’m grateful for such an amazing first Summit.  This will turn into an annual event.  My main focus is making our city inviting and safe to more modes of transportation.  Men, women, and children deserve ‘choice’ to be able to move about our cities and feel safe doing so.  Us advocates can provide the education; can organize bike rides to build confidence; but there are other components in making people feel that ‘choice,’ in moving around is priority:  political will and infrastructure.  Our wide, arterial streets need to be road dieted and designed with protected bike lanes.  The perception of safety is what I feel a lot of our engineers are missing.  I’ll say it until the light bulb goes off, ‘sharrows do not invite families to ride and feel safe on arterial streets that are four + lanes across and each lane 12+ wide.  Road diets, the narrowing of lanes, and an integrated bicycle network of green lanes, protected lanes, bike boxes, etc. will announce that our leaders are serious about inviting people of all ages to move around the city.  Our leaders making decisions need to be okay with hearing complaints instead of trying to please everyone.  When you create change, you’re gonna hear complaints but the only way to change behavior is to change the infrastructure.  You’re NOT changing the infrastructure when you lay down sharrows.

We have a long way to go and we’re doing better but…  we could be doing even MORE.  We can be building and piloting innovative and bold infrastructure that IS WORKING in other cities.  If we continue to remain status- quo as a city, we’ll continue to get left behind.

Some photos from the first ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit.’

Be safe and keep riding!

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’2 Wheels & Heels’ Columbus Ladies Basic Bike Mechanics – part deux

So, back in November, I organized my monthly ’2 Wheels’ night to be a basic mechanics evening.  Ladies were very interested and asked if I could set something up and of course I did.  It was a super successful evening at Paradise Garage.  Emily Burnett and Sarah Elizabeth were fantastic in teaching the ladies the basics about their bicycles.

Well, post holidays, I received requests about another basic mechanics evening since folks missed the first one as well as folks just learning so much from the first one – they wanted another.

So this time, Trek Bicycle Store off of Lane Ave hosted us.

42 women showed up last night.  Women ranging from 11 yrs old to 50′s and older.  Numerous ethnic backgrounds and riding abilities.  All women wanting to know best practices, the ‘dos’ and ‘don’t's’ when riding your bike.  Trek’s Raeda and Rhonda took the ladies through the basics of changing a flat, shifting gears, lubing your chain, cleaning your bike due to weather, riding clothing, as well as a few safety tips.  I’m very conscious of ending these events around 9pm.  We’re women and we have numerous responsibilities let alone, we seem to always over extend ourselves.  Well, last night women were asking such wonderful questions that even after the event, women stayed to continue to ask questions.

This kind of an environment was so humbling to be a part of.  It was comfortable, and nobody felt foolish when asking their questions.  The environment and the experiences that took place last night are exactly why I do this.  There IS a need for empowering women and providing women with these kinds of environments so they can build their confidence to ride more.

I feel like women left last night really excited about what they learned and about what’s to come for Women on Bikes -2013 in Columbus.  I look forward to weather being beautiful and the ’2 Wheels & Heels’ ride being out of control, over populated with women coming from all over wanting to become more confident in their riding.

Women make up over 85% of the decision making within families today.  We are the majority when it comes to volunteering in our communities as well as when it comes to taking our kids to school.  If women are confident and excited about riding their bikes, its going to be that much easier to funnel that excitement to their kids.  The bike needs to be ‘normalized’ and women will be the one’s to do this.

Enjoy the photos from last night’s mechanics.  Thanks again to Trek Bicycle Store of Lane Ave.  If you’re a fb user, be sure to search ’2 Wheels & Heels’ and ‘LIKE’ us.  Also, search for ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit’ as myself and two other colleagues are organizing the first statewide women’s bicycling summit – here in Columbus, Ohio.

Be safe and keep riding.

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‘Swoop and Scoop.’

One of the handful of phrases a bunch of us learned last night at the ’2 Wheels & Heels’ Columbus Ladies Night.  Last night, I organized this month’s ’2 Wheels’ event at Paradise Garage.  A handful of ladies have brought up how much they would love to learn more about their bikes.  So, with winter surely upon us, why not learn the basics about your bike so that you can be prepared and as safe as possible.

Emily and Sara of Paradise Garage were pumped to educate these women.  Immediately, when I walked into the shop, I felt comfortable and welcomed as I always do at Paradise.  Women of all ages and backgrounds started showing up and the ‘meet and greet’ hour began.  Right around seven, twelve of us women went into the back repair area where chairs and pairs of tire levers were laid out for all of us.  The backroom setup was immediately inviting and it made me even more eager for the education session to begin.

The 1.5 hr session went through everything from PSI pressure, to brake pads, to chain lube, frayed cables, to learning how to fix a flat.  Fantastic questions were asked throughout the entire session.  I would look around and see women taking notes and being completely focused on what Emily or Sara were saying.

After the session, the girls changed a few flats and realized how easy it is to take the back wheel off if you have your chain in the smallest ring  It was such an empowering evening for everyone and again, SUCH a comfortable and inviting environment.  If all bike shops provided this type of comfortable and relaxed feel, women feeling intimidated when in bike shops would be minuscule.

Last night was another absolute pleasure.  Enjoy these incredible and empowering pictures.

Be safe and keep riding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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San Francisco. The City That Holds My Heart

I spent a glorious week here in the city that I can’t quit.  When ever I land into SFO and hop onto BART, I feel this sense of calmness that covers me like an invisible bubble.  I also feel that I become a different person.  A person who feels like she’s ‘home.’  The diversity of this city fills me up with such joy.  The way that this city continues to improve for the better and will become one of the most sustainable cities in the country; well, its incredible to watch this happen every time I come back.

San Francisco is a different kind of city.  Its made up of a lot of transients from all over the world.  Maybe that’s why this city has such determination from its people to become such a great city.  San Francisco is a petri dish and everyone is willing and active to put in some kind of ingredient or another which seems to be working.

Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to just watch the theatrics of this city by just sitting at a coffee shop.  Parklets are every where.  On-street bike corrals are so abundant that’s its almost like they’ve always existed here.  There are protected bike lanes that lead onto very heavily traffic streets such as San Jose Blvd.  There are green lanes on Market and the newly improved ‘Wiggle,’ regular bike lanes everywhere and if there aren’t bike lanes, there are sharrows.  Market St. is like High St.  Its the backbone to the city.  This morning prior to my departure, I took the BART to Powell St. Station and just watched and got my fix of early morning bustling of San Franciscans.  I felt alive.  I couldn’t keep up with pictures.  There were so many bike riders that I became over whelmed.

I want this very thing to happen in Columbus but it won’t happen until infrastructure is laid down and laid down – SMARTLY.  Infrastructure needs to be thought through with women and children in mind.  If this happens then the infrastructure should be laid down smartly and safely.  The best way to change behavior is to change the infrastructure.  When a ’roundabout’ is put in in Hillard, people are uncertain and will probably complain at first but then like anything else, it becomes habit and then just another piece of infrastructure.  It’s no different with bicycle infrastructure.

Protected bike lanes.  Green lanes.  Buffered bike lanes.  Bicycle dedicated signals.  All make for safer commutes and also draws out more riders of all levels.  San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides.  It’s only seven miles big and cannot build out.  San Francisco has to make due with what they have and they are.  They are redesigning their streets for ALL people.  If San Francisco can do this, so can we.  We need leaders who are willing to piss a few ppl off in order to make our city thrive.

Mayor Coleman said in a speech once:  ’If we continue to stay the same, we’ll get left behind.’  I’m tired of staying the same and tired of continually playing catch up.  I want leaders willing to risk their positions in order to do GREAT and innovative things.  I’d rather be the leader who was remembered as being ballsy as opposed to a leader who was status quo.

We still have a problem retaining young people and once again, its all due to lack of options in transportation.  I am one of those people who WILL LEAVE this city if things do not change and change SOON.  I assure you Columbus, it’ll be your loss.

Here are a few pictures of this morning on Market St.  Folks commuting via two wheels.  Buses in the back ground, people walking.  A city that’s ALIVE.

Be safe and keep riding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Etiquette:  Walking your bike through a cross-walk.

Another great example of proper biker etiquette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for green light

 

 

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2 Wheels & Heels Ladies Ride – Columbus. Parks de’ Jour

Ladies.  The details about the August have been set.  This month we’ll be celebrating ‘Parks.’ Parks de’ jour will be the theme of our ride.  Parks are so important and slowly but surely, more parks are popping up which is so important when creating and maintaining a sustainable city / community.  You gather in parks.  You spend time in parks.  You create friendships and conversations in parks.  Parks are community building and neighborhood building.

We will begin with our meet n greet at Caffe Apropos on the corner of 3rd and Michigan in Harrison West at 6p.  Close to seven, we’ll ride off and visit parks:  Goodale, The Columbus Commons, Genoa, Scioto Mile, and Fetch Park.  During the middle of our ride, we’ll be stopping at the awesome ‘walk up’ Jeni’s in German Village  Bring cash if you want Jeni’s.

Bring your moms, bring your kids, bring your girlfriends or just bring yourself.  This ride is about women empowerment on two wheels.  Women are the majority transportation with our kids so showing the kids at an early age that the bicycle can be just as reliable as the car is essential.

We had close to forty women join us for July’s ride.  Incredible.  Let’s expand!

We will also be supporting two local businesses as well.  Showing that bicycles stimulate the economy just as much as drivers is also important when it comes to future bicycle development, like taking away a parking spot and putting in an on-street bike corral that parks 12 bikes instead of one car.  People first!

If you have any questions about August’s ride, please email me.  My contact email is under the ‘About’ tab.  I look forward to seeing you all

 

Be safe and keep riding!

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Double the ladies. Double the FUN

This past Wednesday, our monthly ’2 Wheels & Heels’ ride took place.  We met up at the fantastic Brother’s Drake Meadery where if you haven’t been – get your arse there and they just built a patio equipped with nicely, welded bike racks.  They are ‘everything’ bikes over there and some of the most amazing and inspiring people that I’m happy to call friends.

THIRTY women showed up, dressed in the everyday comforts from their closet.  I met so many new and lovely women that my heart was over-flowing.  We rode a little over seven miles and next months route, we’ll push to ten.  Olivera from Wholly Craft graciously donated a gift card to one lucky lady – ‘thank you, Olivera.’  I’m thinking Pattycake Bakery was a big highlight.  Three of the lady riders currently work for Pattycake and when we showed up, they had the most adorable ‘heels and wheels’ shaped and decorated cookies, EVER!  Once we got our sugar, we rode through the beautiful neighborhoods in Clintonville and eventually ended back at Brother’s Drake.

‘This ride gives me the confidence to get out on the roads more and ride.’  That was a quote from a woman who couldn’t stop thanking me.  It was humbled.  ’I've been waiting for a group ride like this.’   That was another comment.  Aside from the amazing vision of bicycling ahead and then stopping, turning around and looking at thirty beautiful women riding behind me, the best part of the evening was the non-stop smiling.  As you’ll see from the pictures below, women were smiling and laughing and  giving high-fives the whole time.

This ride isn’t just about the clothing, although the continued reinforcement that clothing shouldn’t be such a barrier in the manner that it has become here in America does help.  If we continue to address that riding a bike can be as normal as getting in your car then the decision of ‘choosing’ to use your bike will become less and less of a thought out process and more of a growing habit.  This ride opens up conversations about proper and safe riding.  Being an LCI, I encourage these women to ask questions about their uncertainties when riding.  I plan on showing them basic mechanics of their bikes, certain information to obtain should an accident ever happen, commuting tips and techniques and much more.  Knowledge is power and that leads to confidence when riding.

Also, as of this passed week, this group has now expanded to seven cities total:  Cleveland, Columbus, Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis, Colorado Springs, and Victoria, B.C.

For anyone reading this who doesn’t have a Facebook account, I’ll keep you up to date with the upcoming ’2 Wheels & Heels’ rides via this blog, or you can email me at the contact email I put in the ‘About’ section of my blog.

To all the ladies from this past Wednesdays ride – YOU ROCK!

Keep riding.

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’2 Wheels & Heels’ Ladies Ride – Columbus. It’s A Comin’

For all the non-facebook users, here are the details for the upcoming ’2 Wheels’ Ride.  Hope you can join us.  We’ve all ready exceeded the number of ladies from last month and the RSVP’s continue to roll in (pun, intended )

Read on:

It’s coming up on ‘our’ time to ride, ladies. We had a fantastic and fabulous time last month, let’s see how many more ladies will join us. Forward to this to potential lady friends interested in bike riding and meeting other like-minded women. I have a great ride / route picked out for us. Let’s hope the weather is as amazing as it was during our last ride. Remember, this is a slow ride, meant to attract and engage more women. Forward this to all your lady friends who enjoy the Slow Bike Movement

6 – 645 – The Brother’s Drake. The amazing Brother’s Drake has a brand new patio, just waiting for us. They’ll have happy hour specials awaiting our arrival.

645 –745(ish) –Hop on our bicycles and head towards the Clintonville area where we will end at Pattycake Bakery to indulge in some pretty fancy and special treats – JUST FOR US I may even have a little something from Wholly Craft to raffle off to one lucky lady

800 – 9 We’ll make our way back towards the Brother’s Drake, weaving through some of the pretty Clintonville neighborhoods.

http://www.brothersdrake.com/

http://www.whollycraft.com/

http://www.pattycakebakery.com/index.html

Keep riding!

The photos above are from one of my favorite bike photography blogs:  downtownfrombehind.  AMAZE!

T

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‘Step – through’s’ – For The Win!

Thursday afternoon commutes.  Love seeing more and more women riding.

classic cycle chic right here!

 

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2 Wheels & Heels – Post Ride Report

The ride was SO. MUCH. FUN.  Sixteen women showed up looking fabulous!  We met up at Paradise Garage where they gave us ‘Heels & Deals’ discounts.  We then rode a route of a little more than eight miles, stopping at the Grandview Jeni’s for a scoop of heaven.  We ended the evening back where we started and all of the women just boasted about the ride. ‘I’ve been looking for a ride like this,’ was one of the kind comments told to me.  They are looking forward to July’s ride and other women who have seen the pics of the first ride are all ready excited and talking about riding the next ride.  This is the movement that I want.  The movement that we need in the bicycling culture.  Whomever reads this, if you have a mother/daughter who have been interested in finding a ‘slow movement’ type of ride with other ladies, have them join us.  Have them go on facebook and search ’2 Wheels & Heels’ and have them ‘like’ us.  Women of all ages, sizes, ethnic backgrounds – doesn’t matter.  Here are a few photos.  BTW – a lot of these photos were taken by the amazing and beautiful Megan Leigh Barnard!

I FINALLY received my camera in the mail so my blog will be getting back on track!  I apologize for the long delay.

Enjoy and keep riding!

 

Now, I didn’t de-cloth on this bike ride however, this was from the recent World Naked Bike Ride.  Felt this pic was appropriate for this particular post.  Helping women feel more confident on their bikes is kind of a big deal for me

 

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