This week is the National Women Bike Forum AND the National Bike Summit. Our friend Elizabeth attended last year (during the snowy weather) and she is in DC for these events again in 2015.
Elizabeth at last year’s event
She’s enjoying the warmer “spring-like” weather this year!
Last year’s snowy Capital Bikeshare
Check our Twitter feed regularly for the latest from inside the Forum and Summit goings-on. There will be posts about the events, too.
Aren’t we all? :)
Huge thanks to Elizabeth for bringing us coverage from these great national women and bike advocacy events!
Let's Go Ride a Bike 
Ack! I’m so excited! I just found your blog. I’m newish to biking – just got back on two wheels about a year ago. It’s nice to find a blog about women on wheels where there are pictures of ladies wearing real clothes and not spandex. I’m following you on Twitter now – can’t wait to settle in and read more! :) ~Stephanie
Welcome, Stephanie! So nice to have you here. :)
Very exciting!! loving it!!!
This is exciting.. Just landed on your blog…
Awesome Blog..
Hello
I am in support of you, I also feel the same.
Electric bicycles electric bicycles what you call them, electric bikes are the perfect solution for public transport.
Great effort just awesome !
Hey Dottie its really excellent and your friend Elizabeth did really well to attended in summit. By the way, capital bikeshare is very cool!
Aren’t we all bike nerds here? :p
Really excellent! Wish you all the best. I am also a bike nerds. Thanks for sharing.
Hiii! Everyone here is “bike nerds” but what what about me??? I am not at all but wanna be one. Thanks for sharing. Keep this continue.
Highly recommended: very interesting YouTube channel about safe, bicycle friendly infrastructure: https://www.youtube.com/user/markenlei
Cute: Dutch baby loves feeling the wind in the hair while cycling with mom:
More babies and toddlers cycling with their (grand) parents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfLJ876lXsQ
Notice the bike friendly infrastructure, triggering everybody dressed for the destination, not the journey!
Let your kids read comics while cycling:
Keep up the awesome work!
Very trendy in Europe: adding a front rack to your (Dutch) bike:
(DIY kit, and in many colors/colours)
This is how it’s done:
I don’t know how anyone can bear riding those ‘Dutch bikes’ or those heavy ‘bike share’ monstrocities, I cannot see how these can encourage more people to cycle.
@Sharon Golden. Disagree. “Dutch bikes” are available in many models. The Dutch mainly use a bicycle for transportation and leisure, aka city bikes. That’s why these bikes are very reliabale, comfortable, winter-proof and even social, as you can take someone on the back seat!. The majority of these Dutch city bikes have 3 – 8 speed. About 100 % of the Dutch kids and teens ride to their primary and secundary schools by bikes independantly and during all seasons, so these bikes are very safe. No Dutch kid ever has complained about their rugid bikes, on the contrary. Cycling is embedded in their life, like toothbrushing. The most important birthdaypresent of a Dutch kid or teen is a new Dutch bike. Many Dutch have 2 or even 3 bikes: for transportation, leisure and sport.
The main Dutch bike manufacturer is Royal Dutch Gazelle:
I have ridden bikes all my life, I ride for transport and fun; for a very short time I owned a ‘Dutch’ bike, I could not wait to rid myself of that cumbersome machine. I accept what you have said re the Dutch people and watching the video the bikes appear well made and highly rideable, however I will stay with my mountain bike and drop bar road bike.
A German lady on her Dutch bike: the very popular Gazelle Tour Popular aka “granny-bike”; an updated remake of the 30s- 60s model:
Regarding upright cycling:
(Source: http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/upright-is-right-says-strida-designer/09850)
Just stunbled on your blog….quite interesting!I am definitely not a fan of electric bikes as it takes a away the fun.Thanks for sharing anyways.
http://amzn.to/2qkE7Aq
Actress Rita Hayworth ands friends in the 40s:
Dutch kids have mandatory traffic and cycling lessons at their primary schools.Just before they leave these schools to go to secundairy schools (at age 11, 12), they have a traffic exam, including cycling skils. Below: impression of Dutch kids (age 6 and 7), who have on a relaxed way (as riding a bike is a safe habit) cycling tests from their teacher and assistants (parents) at their schoolyard. Skip the language, but notice the cycling skills of these kids already; some have to improve slalom. (These kids are tested on: cycling fast with an immediate stop without sliding, cycling very slow, slalom, cycling with one hand, etc.) Enjoy:
[IMG]http://i63.tinypic.com/350wk1c.png[/IMG]
Not exotic, dangerous or trendy.
At least cycling is social: granny with her grandson:
Canada’s head of state and her sister:
School trips by bicycle: primary school kids on their regular school trip by bike:
Enjoy shopping by bike:
Below: cycling, as it was intended: dressed for the destiny, not the ride.
Granddaughter on the customised “granny-bike” from grandma.
Awesome: enjoy the Dutch cycling scene: more than 37,000 no helmet cyclists are crossing every working day Vredenburg Street in Utrecht City center:
All cyclists dressed for the destination, not the journey! Of course the safe and relaxed cycling is triggered by separate cycle paths. Cycling is social, healthy, safe, not noisy, no pollution when the infrastructure for all the road users has been well taken care of.
Mum with happy kids cycling to primary school:
Happy kids: one of the benefits of a helmet-free cycling society:
Riding a bike is healty and safe:
One of the benefits of segregated cycle paths:
My grandson loved it. He put it together right away and took off. Unfortunately, even though he locked it onto a rail someone stole it after he had had it 2 weeks
Sad news; buy another bike ASAP. About 100% of the Dutch kids and teens (from about age 4+) cycle every day to primary and secundary school, friends, recreation and even shopping. They love (independently) cycling, and they have embedded cycling in their live, like toothbrushing!
Theft is one of the reasons that about 17 million Dutch have about 23 million bikes. When they buy a new bike, they keep the old one, less stressful, when this bike has to be parked on non-guarded locations. The Dutch (E-) bike owners suffer (organised) bike theft from gangs, mainly from Eastern-Europe.
Used and/or old city bikes have a value of about $ 50 by-the-way.
A positive reason of owning 2 bicycles (or even more) is their different purpose: shopping, leisure, race-cycling, etc.
A Dutch normality: kids cycling independently, this time to their sport activity:
Of course they benefit from the first-world, bike friendly infrastructure. (aka people-centric infrastructure instead of car-centric).
Kid loves cycling with his granny:
An apple on a bicycle a day keeps the doctor away:
this is really so exciting .
I like to add:
Anna Holligan, the Scottish correspondent in The Hague (Netherlands), has almost every day short news via her Twitter-account (https://twitter.com/annaholligan ), called “Dutch news from the cycle-path”.
Enjoy!
This Really Exciting!!! women’s padded cycling shorts