Hinckley Breeze Cycling after struggling to find a local, accessible women-only cycling group.
Caroline was introduced to cycling by a boyfriend but when that relationship didn’t work out she was stuck with the predicament of cycling on her own. She wanted to join a group but didn’t want it to be too serious or high pressure, so she became a Breeze Champion in 2018, set up a women-only novice ride and from there it just grew and grew…
‘I was cycling on my own thinking there’s got to be other women out there,’ she said, and she was right.
They meet at 9.30 every Saturday morning. Caroline’s advice to busy women with family and work commitments is to make that Saturday morning ‘your time.’ And lots of women have, making their group 153 strong and wonderfully diverse, with an age range of 13-82 and members of all abilities.
The ride will be anything from 10-30 miles and have options for novices, beginners and intermediates and they will always include a café stop halfway around.
Caroline says: ‘You can see the stress coming out of people as they ride. It’s amazing. And the atmosphere gets more and more relaxed and by the time they get back everyone feels great. You just don’t see this from other sports. Ladies come for the first time and they just can’t stop smiling.’
Caroline spreads the word through a Facebook group and uses what she calls ‘nudging’ to encourage more women to get involved. The Facebook page is buzzing and even in a cold, wet March there has been loads of rides and activity. This group cycles all year round, a bit of weather is not going to stop them.
And this just about sums up Caroline’s Hinckley Breeze group – inclusive, fun and supportive, with bundles of energy and smiles – and to grow to 150 members in 18 months, they must be doing something right.
If you are in the area and want to join them check out their Facebook Page here.
There are over 2000 Breeze champions across the UK who train up to run rides in their area. The Breeze initiative is run by British Cycling and sponsored by HSBC and they have a fantastic website were you can go and find a ride near you. They offer women only rides and much more to get the whole family cycling.
Feeling inspired? Need a new helmet or cycling jacket for spring? Throughout March we are offering a 10% discount on all our products – enter the code TOGETHER10 at the check out to claim it.
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