Just as her contemporary Susan B. Anthony called it, suffragist Frances E. Willard viewed the bicycle as a tool for women to break free from the constraints of a male-dominated society, making their own way into public life and politics: “I began to feel that myself plus the bicycle equaled myself plus the world.“
Amen Sister. I didn’t set out to help liberate women from cultural and social conditioning. Yet, with a decades-long career as a Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Therapist, plus years of reading autobiographies, memoirs, biographies, and historical accounts of people’s lives, I’ve noticed — and experienced a few things …
One is the opportunity cost of being female here and in many countries around the world. BTW, if you google that, the focus is on financial disparity, which is certainly true.
However, there are also other significant costs resulting from widespread barriers, intimidation, and harassment of females — otherwise known as punishment for existing* — including the time and resources it takes to recover. And that is often compounded by trauma in the form of unforeseen or unusual life events, intentional or otherwise. My YT video, Bamboozled, documents some of my experiences.
*”Throughout history, patriarchal societies created specific, cruel punishment devices to control and silence women who spoke out, argued, or failed to obey strict social rules. These punishments aimed to humiliate and physically restrict women for behavior that men deemed unacceptable.” -Britannica lists eight (8) unusual punishments inflicted on women throughout history.
Diminishing, denigrating, demoralizing, and denying women equal rights has been a systemic reality embedded in legal, cultural, and institutional frameworks worldwide. “The practice of turning natural female biological processes or emotional responses to structural stressors, into treatable medical conditions is a well-documented phenomenon known as disease mongering. For over a century, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical establishment have historically pathologized women’s experiences to expand commercial markets for medication.” -Dartmouth.edu
“This intersection of gender socialization and pharmaceutical marketing relies heavily on creating public anxiety. While expanding medical definitions can occasionally help the small percentage of women experiencing truly debilitating, severe pathology, widespread disease mongering risks exposing otherwise healthy individuals to unnecessary side effects, financial strain, and iatrogenic (medically induced) illness.” -NIH
Thus cycling is both a metaphor and an activity to empower women. While the spirit and intention of this group is to reduce barriers to female cycling or walking outdoors; to meet new friends, and to be more physically active in safer outdoor environments, there is no requirement to participate in a group ride or walk. The bigger picture involves the power of groups to validate and empower members.
Male riders outnumber females, who account for nearly 51% of the U.S. population. We are the majority of voters and the power minority.
An often overlooked or ignored fact is that Hillary Clinton won the National Popular Vote by nearly 2.9 million votes in 2016. The largest victory ever recorded for a ‘losing’ presidential candidate in U.S. history.
“Getting more women on bikes — and eventually reaching gender parity — relies on having protected infrastructure, establishing localized mentor-driven riding groups, and reducing the barriers caused by safety concerns. Where these environments exist, female cycling participation dramatically increases.”
Plus, bicycling is cheaper than conventional ‘talk’ therapy and a lot more fun. It’s the opposite of recovering from pathologizing — blame the victim — diagnoses to redirecting time and attention to our strengths, abilities, and contributions to making this world a better place. It can also be a very effective social and educational addition to other health-related services.
Group participation focused on shared interests and learning new skills tends to be validating, motivating, and empowering, whether online or outdoors. However, online and outdoor participation for those who are able to do so, increases holistic benefits.
Over the years, cycling with local bike clubs has been a great source of physical activity, stress reduction, friendships, and fun in my life. While riding with bike clubs, I used to half joke that at least there would be witnesses if we got hit. We rode on streets, which can be very dangerous.
Here the focus is on literally enjoying the ride and sharing with others. It’s not about how fast you get there or having the latest gear. It’s not about age or skill level. This community is about offering support, encouragement, and an inclusive environment to get outdoors and ride (or walk!) together.
Rail trails and group rides are much safer than street riding and one reason for this site. Another is to ride or walk at a leisurely non-competitive pace with no one left behind, in every sense. Yet another reason is to provide a platform to maintain privacy and safely communicate shared interests and plans.
Last but not least, is to improve coping and self-regulation skills by venturing beyond your comfort zone to discover new capabilities and new terrain, which often produce new thoughts, insights, feelings, and behavior. Participating in rail-trail cycling could become a personal goal with the support and encouragement of a community.
For inspiration, I’ve created a substantial collection of healing — evidence based — techniques and strategies that I’ve acquired and/or developed to improve mood and motivation, which improves self-confidence and self-care. Riding in the wild is empowering! Join the movement with purpose.
The Just Curious membership rate is $27 for 4 months. Access to members includes a discussion forum, and a chat feature to share ideas and organize rides (and walks!) in your area. As the process unfolds, other features such as a member directory can be included. Members have access to my e-book How Many Light Bulbs, and other resources — listed on the Contents page — to improve physical and mental health.
Joining is contingent upon acceptance and compliance with the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Waiver Agreements prior to site registration.