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Women's Health Week social rides
It's 50/50 on the Great Outback Escape

Bicycle Network is proud to reveal that our newest multi-day event, the Great Outback Escape, is the first ride in our suite of events to achieve gender parity in participation.

In a few short months since opening entries to the public, women now make up 52% of event participants on the Great Outback Escape.

This percentage is well above our organisation’s event average of 21% women participation.

2018 is currently tracking ahead of that average however, with 26.8% of participants entered in active events being women.

The Great Vic Bike Ride is the next best event for gender representation with 33% women participants. 

Click here for more information about the Great Outback Escape. 

Towards 50/50

It’s clear that there’s a gender imbalance in bike riding. In Australia, only one in three bike riders are women.

That’s why Bicycle Network is working hard to increase and celebrate female leadership and participation through our Women’s Community, Ride2School’s Mind.Body.Pedal program and as a Change our Game champion.

We’re also actively integrating event packages that support and encourage women to participate.

These activities work to empower and inspire more women to get active through bike riding. It also works to connect like-minded women and help address the barriers that hold many back from taking part.  

Women's Community

At Bicycle Network, we strongly believe that 50 per cent of bike riders should be women. We also strongly support female leadership in our organisation and across the wider sporting industry.

Here are just some of the specific ways we’re helping to make our events more accessible and inspiring more women to get active through bike riding:

  • United Energy Around the Bay – training rides, skills sessions and resources, female ride leaders across all distances on the event day and a pre-ride meeting point for our Women Community riders so that you can start your ride together.
  • Great Vic Bike Ride – on-event support that includes welcome drinks on arrival, daily morning meeting point, designated area at each campsite, evening catch-ups, female ride leaders for each day of the event, monthly training rides and three basic mechanic skills sessions.
  • Women’s Community – weekly women’s group rides and skills sessions catering to all ages and abilities run by our wonderful community of ride leaders and volunteers. We also work to ensure that our imagery is reflective and inclusive of women of all ages and abilities. 
  • Major Community Partner for Women’s Health Week – partnering up with Jean Hailes for Women’s Health to promote and support Women’s Health Week 2018 (1-7 September).

If you would like to learn more about our Women's Community or get involved, visit the Women's Community website

Women's Community website