
Fun in numbers.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)
In the bike world there are a number of accepted truths. One of them is that there are far fewer women than men on bikes in America. You see this phenomenon play out on the streets when commuting or running errands around town. Beyond anecdotal evidence, the statistics also bear it out.
Female participation at large, organized event rides usually fares a bit better. But a ride where women outnumber men? That was the surprising fact I came across when doing some research on Cycle Oregon’s Weekend Ride (which is coming up in July by the way).
The Weekend Ride turns 10 years old this year and, according to Cycle Oregon’s demographic data, for the past two years women have accounted for 52 percent of the participants. When the event — essentially a three-day mini-version of the group’s more well-known Week Ride — first started in 2005, attendance by women was only at about 38 to 40 percent. Then, as word spread, it jumped to nearly half before tipping the scales in 2013 and 2014.
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