The Auckland Fancy Women Bike Ride is the newest event on Tamaki Makaurau’s bike calendar.
Now in it’s 10th year, 2022 will be the first time Auckland has joined 30 other countries for this event. Jessica Rose and Ayla Yenidogan explain why they are bringing the event to Auckland.
If women cycle, the rest of the city will do the same.
The Fancy Women Bike Ride was born out of a desire to interact with the city in a whole new way. Born in 2013 in Izmir, Turkey, the creators of the ride had a vision of a city that was welcoming for women to cycle. They asked the Mayor of Izmir to celebrate World Car Free Day in support of their mission.
Now we bring the event to Auckland. Why? Because we know our cities have significant problems. Cars occupy our public spaces. There is a lack of safe bike parking and paths, and we can see the impact of climate change.
When we prioritise complete networks for active transport we can address some of these problems. We know once cycling becomes a focus our communities will thrive.
On Sunday 18th September, we will ride to raise awareness for the benefits of cycling. The event is organized by women for women. It is not a festival. There is no participation fee. There is no political affiliation and is volunteer run.
This ride is fancy because we are saying that we can ride bikes with our daily clothes (although if that is active wear, then that’s just fine!). We don’t need special and/or expensive gear to ride our bikes.
What makes the movement unique is thousands of women come together on the same day. We’ll be part of a global collective calling for changes in our cities.
The FWBR welcomes new riders. If you are a confident rider please encourage your bike-curious friends who are close to giving it a go. We will be providing information on where to hire a bike (or a scooter!) for the day on our social media channels and welcome offers to connect people with rides for the event.
Meet your city hosts:
Ayla Yenidogan is from Turkey. “I was born in Germany and have been living in Auckland, New Zealand since 2003. I love biking. The only time that I didn’t have a bike was when I was living in Turkey. When I moved to New Zealand, I bought a bike the very next day. While riding my bike, I can easily get lost with music in my ears, wind in my hair and sun in my eyes. I love the freedom and the pleasure it gives me. It fills my bucket. I want every women to experience this feeling. I want them to be confident enough to ride their bikes in urban areas as well as other areas of our beautiful city. I can’t wait to bring people together for the Auckland Fancy Women Bike Ride”
Jessica Rose is from Tamaki Makaurau “This is my first year running a FWBR. I’m no stranger to organising fancy women’s bike events in Auckland, with my first in 2014. I’ve met incredible friends and had many fun adventures riding my bike. I ride to work, parties, or to the shops, biking is my Climate Action. This is why I started volunteering to make my city one where more women would want to ride. Over the last decade in Auckland there has been some growth in a safe cycling network, but we need more. I’m excited for the Auckland Fancy Women Bike Ride as we break barriers for women to ride bikes. I can’t wait to see the turnout for our first ride!”
Extra information about the ride:
Follow @auckland_fwbr
Tag your friends who live in #Auckland
info: www.fancywomenbikeride.com//
The organisers are keen to hear from associations, community initiatives organizing bicycle mechanics workshops, and cycling training that will support new riders feeling comfortable.
Please get in touch if you would like to help us promote the event. The FWBR is strictly non-commercial, we run on volunteer power! We welcome help with event promotion.
In regards to men participating, yes they can but there are rules. We ask men to respect the following rules (it is under the F.A.Q. of the main website):
- Dress code: chic
- Behave like a gentleman
- You don’t need to wear lycra, it is a slow short bike ride.
- Please follow the group, don’t try to be the leader of the group.
- Take photos, make videos and share them on social media.
