The 10-year anniversary of this one-of-a-kind, women-led movement called ‘Fancy Women Bike Ride’ that celebrates the joy of cycling and the need for women to reclaim public space is just around the corner.
On September 18, 2022, streets across the planet will again fill with colors and a positive spirit for the 10th annual Fancy Women Bike Ride. As with previous years, this tenth anniversary edition of the women-led event – and movement – will be a vibrant celebration of life in the form of a bicycle “critical mass” taking place concurrently in more than 200 cities around the world, including Vancouver, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, and Istanbul. Indian cities participating in this event are Thane, Mumbai, and Kochi.
The Fancy Women Bike Ride provides women an opportunity to be visible in society and show their true colors while raising awareness to create safe cycling infrastructure in cities.
How it started:
What started as a casual bike ride (Süslü Kadınlar Bisiklet Turu in Turkish) among close friends has evolved into a movement, validated by women around the world from various social and economic backgrounds. The first Fancy Women Bike Ride, in 2013, was initiated by Sema Gür and Pinar Pinzuti. The goal was to challenge the male-dominated cycling world in Turkey. Since then, this celebration has taken place every year on the third Sunday of September.
World Bicycle Day Award:
Sema Gur and Pinar Pinzuti received the 2022 Special Award World Bicycle Day of the United Nations for their leadership and excellence in promoting cycling for all. The initiative has been recognized and awarded by the German Ministry of Environment as a best practice for the “Gender-equitable mobility” as it takes gender equality into account in its implementation.
“The Fancy Women Bike Ride is organized by women who are enthusiastic about encouraging others to use bicycles instead of cars,” says Pinar Pinzuti, who is a full-time cycling brainwasher and the coordinator of the movement. “Every year the ride provides an opportunity to experience the soft power of femininity on the streets, where we boldly exhibit our inner colors and our favorite outfits, and simply look fabulous on bicycles. The idea is that if you enjoy cycling at this event, you’ll keep on cycling every day.”
Source and Photo credit: https://www.suslukadinlarbisikletturu.com/
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Author: Vijay Malhotra, Mumbai
