I'm a Bloke, Sorry!

I'm a bloke.

Yes I may well be stating the obvious, but I thought it needed to be stated. Yes, I have been known to scream like a girl and I do occasionally wear a dress (it's a kilt, but I know how folk from out of Scotland get that one wrong...), but I am definitely a bloke.

I am a cycle campaigning bloke. As a result of this I am very, very much in the majority. The vast majority of cycle campaigners are in fact blokes.

I am also a cyclist. Again being a bloke that also means that I am very much in the majority. The vast majority of cyclists are blokes.

Why?

Well, that's a very interesting and complicated question with a very interesting and complicated answer. I wouldn't dream of suggesting that I know the answer in any great detail, mainly because....yep, you guessed it, I'm a bloke.

Therein lies the problem. If we are to truly have mass cycling we have to address the issues that prevent people from cycling. To do that we have to have a good understanding about why this majority of people, the majority of which are women, don't cycle. As a bloke, I'm not really best placed to answer that.

That is why the Women's Cycle Forum was set up. If we want more women cycling we need more women talking about the issues they face. We need more women leading from the front. We need more woman being the invited speakers at active travel conferences. We need....you (if you are a woman!).

Are you interested? Are you a woman? .....well, actually you don't have to be a woman, just interested to hear women talking about the subject....men are definitely welcome!.... Then why not sign up for the Women's Cycle Forum at the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling on the 13th June at 6pm.