The episode in detail
Women on bikes: numbers that reveal a persistent imbalance
Women make up around 10% of licence-holders at the French Cycling Federation, 20% of members at the Cyclotourism Federation, and between 30 and 40% of urban cyclists, depending on the city. In Copenhagen or Amsterdam, the ratio flips: women make 55% of bike trips. Ophélie Lafuge, a 37-year-old from Lyon, founded Beyond My Bike to understand and close this gap. A former international events professional, she took up bike commuting in Lyon and quickly noticed that the experience of cycling was not the same for a woman as for a man.
“When you are a woman on a bike, you face issues, questions and challenges that are different from those men face.”
Safety, harassment and public space: the specific barriers
Women on bikes face forms of street harassment (comments, whistling, intimidation) that do not affect men in the same way. The feeling of insecurity at night is an additional barrier. Paradoxically, the bike also offers a form of protection: speed, especially on an electric bike, makes it possible to escape a potential attacker and change direction quickly. Ophélie describes this paradox: it was at night, alone on her bike along the banks of the Rhône, that she felt this sense of freedom and power most intensely.
“I’m here, it’s night, I’m all alone on my bike. And actually, I feel good. Nothing can happen to me.”
Bike mechanics: a world still hostile to women
A lack of mechanical skills holds many women back from cycling. The fear of getting a puncture without knowing how to fix it is enough to put some off starting. Bike repair workshops and bike shops, mostly run by men, produce a documented discomfort: condescending remarks, being redirected to a partner, mockery about technical skill. This lack of female role models in bike trades creates a vicious circle. The fewer women mechanics there are, the fewer young women picture themselves in these trades.
“The number of women who describe experiences at repair workshops where they are told: ask your husband.”
Cycling gear: innovations designed by women
The bike industry long ignored the specific needs of women cyclists. Riding in a skirt, managing periods in cycling shorts, finding technical clothing suited to the female body: these questions went unanswered. The French brand Wilma, founded by women, launched the first period-proof cycling shorts. Ophélie points out that this innovation would never have existed without women in decision-making roles. Her argument: bring women into every level of bike trades, from engineering to marketing, so that products meet the real needs of women who ride.
“It is still mad to think that nobody had thought about the problem of riding in cycling shorts while on your period.”
Beyond My Bike: a platform for women cyclists
Beyond My Bike started as an Instagram account before becoming a more ambitious project. The platform aims to bring together the ecosystem of women in cycling: bike repair workshops run by women, brands making suitable gear, practical resources. On 8 March, women painted ponytails on cyclist pictograms across France to make women cyclists visible. Ophélie also sits on a commission of the Lyon Réseau Express Vélo to bring women’s voices into infrastructure decisions.
“A little girl said: on the bike with a ponytail, you can see it could be a girl. Before, I always thought it was a boy.”
The bike as a tool for emancipation and inclusion
Beyond bike commuting, the bike serves as a tool for social inclusion. The association Cycle Avenir in Île-de-France, founded by Marie-Lyne, runs programmes lasting several months to teach women in precarious situations how to ride a bike. These women, often mothers, could not ride while their children could. The programme gives them back confidence, pride and an active place in public space. Ophélie encourages all women to get started without chasing performance: choosing a route that favours well-designed cycle tracks, accepting a few weeks of trial and error, and enjoying the 20 minutes of daily bubble that bike commuting offers.
