OPINION PHOTO BY JORDAN-G ON UNSPLASH
As Samra put it: “Many women feel more comfortable learning from female instructors, especially those from similar cultural backgrounds. Instructors from diverse communities can also act as role models and ambassadors, helping recruit and encourage more women to participate in cycling.” These instructors are crucial for more Muslim women to cycle, and those instructors need a workplace that understands their needs, including childcare commitments and Harjit Kaur Lakhan is Chair of Sikh
Cycle Club. She says: “Even though we’re called Sikh cycle club, we get together, all cultures and races, it doesn’t matter, and we just encourage people to get out and ride with us”. Her reasons for starting a women’s group were that “there were a lot of women who wanted to join the club, who were not so confident riding with the men because they’re at a different level. It doesn’t matter what pace you ride at, just come along, you’ll always find your level, and what we really look forward to is the cups of tea and the cake.” Annahita Benbow runs NorthWest
don’t have cargo bikes to pop the kids in. It’s fun, there’s music, hi-viz, sequins”. As Naomi put it: “You don’t always
know what you can be until you see it. And sometimes you have to also be the change.” I was struck recently by adverts in a couple of magazines, for cycling products and events where the vast majority of faces – sometimes all of them - were male. Bluntly, as a woman, this doesn’t
“MANY WOMEN FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE LEARNING FROM FEMALE INSTRUCTORS, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM SIMILAR CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS. INSTRUCTORS FROM DIVERSE COMMUNITIES CAN ALSO ACT AS ROLE MODELS AND AMBASSADORS, HELPING RECRUIT AND ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN CYCLING.”
Pedal Express, a bike bus in Brent that picks up children from different locations and drops them at multiple schools in the area as it goes. She says: “It just makes it more accessible for people that perhaps aren’t keen mad cyclists and perhaps
38 | April 2026
make me want to buy those products or attend those events. The industry can help improve its diversity (and customer base) by both diversifying its workforce and representing that diversity in its communications. It can bring new people on board via community groups and provide bursaries, fair pay and flexible training options. It can support groups locally and nationally that act as a gateway to cycling. The great news is, with more diverse faces and voices in cycling, the industry becomes stronger, and more attractive to more people, both customers and its workforce. Cycle Sisters produced a great report on how to achieve this. Search ‘Cycling
for Diverse Communities’ if you’re interested in reading more.
* England isn’t unique in the UK; it’s just where I got the stats from, the National Travel Survey.
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