WOW is exactly what I had to say when I saw last Thursday’s turnout at Gregg’s Cycle’s “Women on Wheels” event! The energy in the crowd of over 300 women bicyclists was truly amazing. The place was packed with nonprofit organizations, vendors, drinks, food, and lots of awesome schwag.
Kat Sweet on stage!
Our fabulous Youth Program Coordinator and former pro downhill mountain bike racer Kat Sweet was a guest speaker for the event (watch the video intro to her talk after the jump!) She excited the crowd with tales of her mountain biking triumphs and follies; she spoke to overcoming fears through biking. She did a great job and delivered some inspiring words of wisdom.
Me encouraging an attendee to join us at Bike Expo!
Over at Cascade’s table, I talked with many women who had a wide range of bicycling experience, purpose, and ability. There were women who were new to the game and had shown up to glean bicycling knowledge from their more experienced peers. There were mountain bikers, commuters, recreational riders, and velodrome racers. Rides Committee Chair Allyson Welsh and I did our best to engage all of them, letting them know the variety of resources and activities Cascade has to offer, and answering any questions that they had.
We were also giving away Cascade Bicycle Club 40th Anniversary t-shirts to women who could tell us three things that scared them more than bicycling in traffic. We were dovetailing off of Kat’s talk about fear, and playfully explaining how if we can think of things that are more frightening, then bicycling in traffic really doesn’t seem scary at all! Here is a list of my favorite responses:
- Running out of chocolate
- Getting married
- Justin Bieber
- Bad hair days
- Not being able to find parking
- Paperwork
- Parenting
Thanks for a fantastic night, ladies! (more…)
