BOOSTING DIVERSITY IN THE CYCLING SECTOR

Women in Cycling is a new initiative launched by CIE, ECF, Velokonzept, Mobycon and CONEBI aiming to help women* to get more visibility, impact and leading seats in the cycling industry and in the entire sector. We welcome all women working in the cycling sector to join us to shape the sector forward!

Women in Cycling seeks to boost equality and diversity in the sector, bring women working in the cycling sector in the spotlight and to provide networking, mentoring and training opportunities. We seek to facilitate a platform which will improve the presence of women in board places, panels, conferences, interviews and jobs.

The cycling sector is traditionally a male-dominated industry in all sectors (design, sales, marketing). On the one hand there is a huge skills shortage in the cycling industry on the other hand the industry fails to attract diverse groups. As a consequence, gender inequality is even more prevalent at decision-making levels. Women are generally under-represented on company boards and among senior management positions, as well as in politics. As a result, the few women who manage to secure top positions are often less well connected with their peers than their male colleagues.

 

*Women in Cycling defines 'woman' to include trans and non-binary persons.

VISION AND MISSION

The vision of Women in Cycling is for a diverse, inclusive cycling sector that provides equal opportunities and contributes to achieving cycling's full potential.

What Women in Cycling wants to achieve:

  • Create an empowering platform for women from all parts of the sector with opportunities to network, exchange views and experiences, and collaborate on projects and initiatives that help achieve the vision.
  • Encourage organisations in the sector to adopt targets and policies that improve diversity and gender balance and increase representation of women in leadership roles.
  • Campaign for no more all male panels at cycling sector events.
  • Ensure the diverse experiences of women are taken into account and represented in decision making bodies, projects and processes that affect the sector.

JOIN US?

To kick off Women in Cycling network we welcome you to join the discussion by joining our LinkedIn Group and start engaging with women from all over the world.

Join our Linkedin group

Women in Cycling PORTAL

If you are interested in speaking opportunities, interviews or jobs sign up with your LinkedIn profile below by specifying your area of expertise in the cycling sector.

The purpose of this portal is to give a voice for women working in the cycling sector through increased visibility and influence. 

Are you looking for women speakers for your events and conferences? Start searching through our women expert profiles.

Karen Vancluysen

Karen Vancluysen

Secretary General, POLIS

Brussels, Belgium

I am heading POLIS, the leading European network of cities and regions working together on ...

Irene McAleese

Irene McAleese

Co-founder & Director, See.Sense

Belfast, United Kingdom

Start-ups, connected cycling technology and data, working with cities and partners to enable more ...

Monika Sattler

Monika Sattler

Marketing Manager, DT Swiss

Biel, Switzerland

From my cycling record being the first woman in history cycling the Vuelta a Espana at the same day ...

What we do

Happening now

Meet The Experts - Training & Nutrition For Female Cyclists

  • WEBINAR: ‘Meet the Cycling Sector Experts’ – Coffee & Chat with Women Leaders in the Cycling Sector

     

    Register Now for the third webinar on Thursday, 27 April at 10AM CET, in a new series ‘MEET THE EXPERTS’ hosted by WOMEN IN CYCLING & CIE, to showcase Women Experts in the Cycling sector and celebrate their achievements.

    Enjoy in-depth conversations with women leaders, hear their stories & gather new insights and practical tools, that you can take back to your workplace.

  • WEBINAR: ‘Meet the Cycling Sector Experts’ – Coffee & Chat with Women Leaders in the Cycling Sector

     

    Register Now for the first webinar on Thursday, 1 December at 10AM CET, in a new series ‘MEET THE EXPERTS’ hosted by WOMEN IN CYCLING & CIE, to showcase Women Experts in the Cycling sector and celebrate their achievements.

    Enjoy in-depth conversations with women leaders, hear their stories & gather new insights and practical tools, that you can take back to your workplace.

  • Webinar: Recruiting more Women in the Cycling Industry

    About this event

    How can we make the cycling industry more diverse? Why is it important to enhance gender equality within all levels of our sector?

    Join our panel of professionals from across the cycling sector as we explore the main bottlenecks and changes needed to diversify the cycling industry and boost women into decision-making positions.

    This session will be moderated by Till Kraemer, Headhunter & Founder of bikebusinessHUB, and Lauha Fried, Women in Cycling Representative and Policy Director at Cycling Industries Europe.

    Amongst our expert panelists, we have:

    • April Marshke, Leader of E-bikes at Specialized
    • Esther van Garderen, CEO of Fietserbond
    • Ruth Lopian, Equality Coordinator, DG Mobility and Transport, European Commission
    • Olivia Prud'hon, Human Resources Director at Fifteen

    Register to the event here.

  • Survey results: A warm welcome to Women In Cycling 

    As part of the activities supporting the launch of the Women in Cycling network, we conducted a survey to gain a first insight into the state of affairs in terms of gender diversity among member companies and organisations. More than 360 respondents took the survey.

    All respondents agreed that having an initiative that promotes a better representation of women in the cycling sector is a must to fill the gap, to inspire, to connect, to mentor in order to get those cracks repaired and to have more women shining in the cycling squad. 

    See the survey results here.

Ambassadors

Ambassadors are inspiring women who strongly believe in creating greater gender diversity in the cycling sector and who would like to transfer their knowledge and experience to empower women in the cycling sector. Interested in becoming an ambassador or mentor for Women in Cycling? Contact us for more information.

Irene McAleeseCo-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at See.Sense

I am delighted to support the Women in Cycling Network. The industry can really benefit in so many ways from having more women involved in decision-making, and I think it is important we help raise awareness of this. I commit to supporting the values of this network and being actively involved

Johanna JahnkePodcaster and Sport Mental Trainer

I support "Women in Cycling", because we need more diversity and inclusion in the cycling industry. An empowering network and a connecting platform is crucial to enable change.

Karen VancluysenSecretary General of Polis

Working on sustainable urban mobility is my daily life, cycling is my daily mode and mood, so I did not need a minute to think about joining this wonderful Women in Cycling initiative. Making women in the sustainable mobility and cycling sector more visible and attracting many more to join this community is an…

Karla SommerFounder of the agency Velokin

For the last 15 years I have been working in the cycling sector and I simply love my job. However, there have been difficulties and I always had to prove that I am better than my male colleagues. I do believe that we need more visibility for women in the industry, more attention on what diverse teams can achieve and…

Marianne WeinreichMarket manager Smart Mobility at Ramboll

I’m very happy to join Women in Cycling. I’ve been working with cycling policy and promotion for 20 years. From experience I know that we need more women in the sector, we need more planning and designing for women’s needs, we need to show girls and women around the World that cycling is a great means of transport – we…

Maryam AsgaripourTraffic Engineer, Transportation Planner, Active Transportation Specialist in Tehran

Human beings can save a society by reducing their suffering and increasing their inner happiness. The best means of creating this feeling in humans, especially women, is bicycling.

Monika SattlerEndurance cyclist, marketing manager, motivational speaker and author

I am thrilled to be part of the Women In Cycling initiative. I am looking forward to bringing my knowledge from living and breathing cycling to the network and empower women to reach beyond their perceived limits by overcoming challenges through determination, goal setting, resilience and teamwork.

Pinar PinzutiMarketing Manager at Bikenomist

My deepest fear was that I was inadequate. I kept asking myself ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? One day I just stopped asking these questions. I started to do things that excite and frighten me, developing skills and the ability to learn. Today, I can say that I made peace with my…

Sandra WaschnewskiCEO of Veloine

Today's businesses are challenged by change and innovation. By embracing diversity and a culture of equality, the cycling industry has a tremendous opportunity to unlock new perspectives and achieve better business outcomes.

Sara YlipotiCOO of Ride On

The Cycling Sector is flourishing rapidly and seeing exponential support and interest. Not only is it a great time to be in this sector, it is also a great time to ensure we pave the way for diverse users and professionals in this sector. By supporting, helping and mentoring one another; we can ensure cycling is a…

Tena Šarić RukavinaExecutive Coordinator for Projects and Activities at Sindikat Biciklista

I support Women in cycling because women put perspective into how cycling is the accelerator of city transformation and higher urban life quality, the solution for equitable availability of transport, and a personal, individual mitigation instrument for climate change and pandemics.

Sandra WolfCEO of Riese and Müller

Women will be the crucial factor in determining the future of mobility and therefore as well the bicycle industry. They bring in diversity, that is so well linked to the bicycle itself and they promote already today such important topics as sustainability and gender equality. From Women in Cycling, I expect – women…

Raluca FiserPresident of GreenRevolution

"It always seems impossible until it’s done." – Nelson Mandela

Isabella BurczakAdvocacy and Development Manager at UCI

The bicycle is the perfect tool to promote accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and a more sustainable future for all. I’m therefore delighted to play a part within the cycling family to build a strong and supportive network, ensuring that women working within the cycling industry can reach their full potential.

Lidija Vrecar MiscinCoordinating the development of Cycle Tourism in Croatia

I am thrilled about this international advocacy initiative to encourage, engage and elevate more women bicyclists in Europe, to share our collective knowledge, build a network of female leaders and start working on targeted programs and exchange of good practices. "Cycling is a healthy and most beautiful way to move -…

Özlem Taşkın ErtenUrban Planner and Policy Maker Director at Izmir Metropolitan Municipality

The roles that women played in society and how they participated in public sphere has a long and troubled history. Although women’s presence in modern urban life has increased, one can argue that how they experience the public realm still remains limited. A great majority of women participate in public life via their…

Camille ThoméDirector of Vélo & Territoire

Women are key to conceiving and promoting people-centered sustainable societies, for which cycling has a big role to play. Until we reach a complete balance in the mobility and cycling sector, an initiative such as Woman in Cycling is much needed.

Christina Diem-PuelloManaging Director of Deutsche Dienstrad

For over 100 years Christina’s family is tied to the bicycle industry. Especially her mother, Susanne Puello, is known as the driving force behind the trend in e-bikes as one of the founders of numerous globally thriving bicycle empires. In her position as managing director of Deutsche Dienstrad, Christina follows her…

Melissa GomezTransport Policy Officer at ADFC

Women’s perspectives into urban planning and policy making need to be more visible and included. I support the Women in Cycling Network because I recognise the need – in a very male dominated field - of a space where women can not only be open about their experiences and challenges, but also gain inspiring ideas and…

Yosra LabidiHead of International Business Development @NeXR Technologies SE

My business activities are: How to combine marketing and sales? How do I reach the right contacts, industries with the right content and solutions from Virtual Reality, XR and Mixed Reality? How are we closer to humans again? As an ex-professional cyclist, I have learned how to set goals, achieve them, take detours and…

Andrea María Navarrete MogollónConsultora Género y Movilidad, Bogota

Since I rode for the first time I started to build up my feminisms and for 17 years I have focused my personal and professional actions on adding women to cycling. I join Women in cycling because we are not alone, we are together and riding for all.

Kimberly CoatsFounder of Team Africa Rising

Working with young African women over the last decade, the number of obstacles, financial and cultural, they must overcome to roll up at a start line are unimaginable for most. If we, as women in cycling, can open the doors and remove all such barriers, we'll experience the greatest influx of diverse talent.

Caroline Van RenterghemCSR & Public Affairs Director, SMOOVE-ZOOV

Biking is an incredible tool to set women free around the globe and help them claim for equal rights to study, move, work and think. I’m proud to represent Women in Cycling network to encourage all women to grab their future by jumping on a saddle and ride!

Marie-Caroline GuinierFounder of Petites Reines

I am the founder of PETITES REINES, a community and a brand offering chic and practical essentials for urban cycling women, born from a desire to contribute to women's empowerment through soft mobility. Urban cycling is more than a lifestyle, it changes our relationship to the world and makes the future brighter. In…

Esther van GarderenCEO of Fietsersbond

Cycling gives us freedom to go wherever and whenever we want. My dream is to make this possible for all women and children. The female perspective in urban and bicycle designing would contribute to reaching that goal. That’s why we need more women in the cycling industry and more female policy and decision makers.

Disha ShrivastavaEntrepreneur & Social Sector Professional, India

Cycling gives women the power to lead. Riding a bicycle is a life-transforming experience and every action leads to a greater power. I wish to see a lot of little girls, young ladies and women cycling in India thereby empowering themselves with safety, employment and feeling the wind of freedom on their face.

Francisca RamalhosaHead of the Municipal Mobility Directorate, Câmara Municipal Lisboa

We must provide different travel modes, therefore we must think in different ways to get to all different people! The focus should be working for sustainable and healthy mobility. The bicycle as an option for the day to day must be promoted and encouraged: a more practical, fast, affordable and safe way for everyone,…

In partnership with