‘I felt unwelcome in cycling – but now I know what needs to change’: one rider’s manifesto for getting everyone onto bikes

Three years ago, I wrote an article for Cycling Weekly about how cycling needed to open itself to newcomers and become more welcoming. I’d only been riding for a year or two at the time, and I’d soon realised, with a certain discomforting shock, that – as a young, female rider – I was in a minority, and that cycling was very male-dominated. To an experienced rider, that might sound obvious. Cycling has long been a predominantly white, male sport, but as a new rider with a fresh pair of eyes, I was grappling with a sense that the sport I was falling in love with wasn’t meant for me. Herein lies the problem.

That feeling isn’t unique to me. Barriers to cycling have the power not only to deter newcomers, but to make whole groups of people feel unwelcome. Women, ethnic minorities, those on low incomes, beginners – all must overcome hurdles, if not to participate, then to feel they belong. My views have evolved since writing that piece in 2023. Speaking to riders, campaigners and community leaders who are paving the way for real change, I feel brighter about where cycling is headed. But change is still needed, with exclusionary factors including cost, infrastructure, representation and perception continuing to deter certain people from cycling.