FABB Blog

Women & Bicycles Rock Creek Park ride Photo: Washington Post

Although it officially launched in March, the program has been in the works over the past few years, as WABA and other bike advocates across the country have taken notice of the fact that women represent just 24 percent of cyclists.

No one had ever tried to do much about the disparity, says Carolyn Szczepanski, spokeswoman for the League of American Bicyclists, which is helping fund the effort. But no one knew what to do. “We’re not a homogenous group, and there’s no silver-bullet solution. It’s not like none of us gets helmet hair, and everything’s solved,” she says.

After a whole lot of forums, surveys and fundraising, WABA has come up with a plan based on the Mary Kay model. Ten women have been selected as “Roll Models.” Their job is to coax friends and acquaintances who haven’t been biking to attend a themed dinner party. Over beer and burritos, they’ll dive into a women’s bicycling workbook.