She Pedals Scotland aimed to encourage as many women and girls as possible to get out cycling on Saturday 14 June. It didn’t matter what type of bicycle, what form of cycling, or whether it was 1 mile or 100 miles—every woman and girl was invited to be part of this special occasion celebrating women’s cycling.
When it looked like the weather might spoil the fun, the decision was made to extend the She Pedals Scotland celebrations across the weekend. This helped maximise opportunities for cycling and ensured more rides could go ahead. Some of you braved the elements on Saturday, and we loved seeing so many smiling faces in the photos of women enjoying cycling in the rain.
Sarah in Moray kicked off the action early on Saturday morning with a 6am bikejor adventure alongside her dog, Haggis. She Pedals Scotland was happening!
Throughout the day, a variety of rides and activities took place. Some of you rode solo, at least one rider avoided the rain altogether by hopping on the turbo and taking on the challenge of Zwift, some women took part in events and others joined club and Breeze rides.
The rain didn’t stop the Elgin Cycling Club ladies, who completed a fabulous 43-mile ride! Dundee Wheelers were soaked to the skin on their 20-mile loop but avoided the worst of the storm. The heavens opened on Glasgow Gals’ return trip from Hogganfield Loch—but they didn’t care! There was also a very drizzly Moray Firth Cycling Club women’s ride, and Revolution CT cleverly timed their café stop to coincide with the worst of the weather.
Fife Cycle Park welcomed thirteen hardy souls for cycling and home baking. Meanwhile, Women’s Hour hosted a drop-in for family and friends—also with cake! Lemon drizzle proved to be the most popular, and six families attended.
Some hardy Breeze Champions stuck with the Saturday plan, cycling in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Highland, East Ayrshire, and Angus.
Events over the weekend included the Torvelo Females Road Race, Dukes Weekender in Aberfoyle, Ten Under the Ben, Midsummer Beer Happening Sportive, Ken Laidlaw Sportive, Kingussie Bikeathon, and the FNY Hunt in Innerleithen. It was heartening to see so many women taking part and sharing their photos in the She Pedals Scotland Facebook group.
We celebrated She Pedals Scotland beyond the Scottish Borders, too. A group of Scottish women stayed warm and dry while racing at the Masters National Track Championships in Wales, and women on holiday in Germany and the U.S. made sure to join in as well.
The sun came out across Scotland on Sunday, and we enjoyed extended celebrations and many more cycling adventures. There were solo rides, rides with family and friends—including mums and daughters—and at least one more ride with a dog in tow!
Deeside Thistle catered for both roadies and off-road riders, hosting a She Pedals Scotland social road ride as well as a trail ride with an afternoon picnic.
Many Breeze rides were rescheduled for Sunday, with rides starting in nine different local authority areas—from Highland in the north to Dumfries and Galloway in the south, and Dundee and Argyll and Bute covering the east and west. In total, 27 Breeze rides took place over the weekend, which we believe is a record for the programme!
Thank you to everyone who took part in this wonderful celebration of women and girls’ cycling—and a special thank you to all the organisers who made it happen.
At the time of writing, we’ve received 582 registrations—thank you for sharing your plans with us! We’ve added a few extra questions so you can tell us how you got on. If you haven’t already, please revisit your registration form, scroll past the questions you’ve already answered, and complete section three. There are just five short questions—it should only take a couple of minutes
If you have any direct feedback to share, please reach out to Mel, our Women and Girls Development Manager, at [email protected]. She’ll share your comments with the She Pedals Scotland team.
On behalf of the She Pedals Scotland team—Lorna, Diane, Neil, and Mel—thank you again for making this such a brilliant celebration of women and girls in cycling.
Let’s keep the momentum going—every pedal stroke counts toward a stronger, more inclusive cycling community.