We are celebrating eleven years of Breeze in June, and eight years since the first Breeze ride took place in Scotland. We’ve had a trawl through our photo albums to take you on a trip down memory lane, to bring you some highlights and showcase just how much fun going on a Breeze ride is.
The early years
We sadly don’t have any images from the first Scottish Breeze ride, but we do know that our Breeze Area Coordinator in the west of Scotland, Sharon Allison, was on it! In the first few years Glasgow played host to our Breeze Champion courses, training 41 women to become volunteer ride leaders in the first two years.
2017 onwards
In 2017 Breeze began to expand in Scotland, thanks to funding from HSBC. In addition to Glasgow, courses were also held in Edinburgh and Dunfermline. Since then, there have also been courses in Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Dumfries, and Galashiels. As a result, we’ve had Breeze rides as far north as Thurso, and as far south as Castle Douglas. Here are some of our favourite pics from Breeze rides across Scotland:
Breeze rides are friendly, fun, and welcoming. Easygoing rides are perfect for getting started, suited to women new to or returning to cycling. Steady and challenging rides provide opportunities to progress fitness, skills and stamina. Read our helpful guide to the ride classifications. Whatever your pace, no one is left behind on a Breeze ride.
Strike a pose
We love taking photos on our rides and sometimes our riders like to strike a pose, as these pictures prove:
Midsummer Breeze Sportive
In 2019 our Hawick Belles Breeze group organised a sportive and if COVID hadn’t got in the way, there would have been a second one in 2020. It’s back for 2022 on Sunday 26th June and we’re looking forward to seeing more pictures like these ones from 2019:
Muddy fun
Breeze rides have expanded to include mountain biking, and we have a growing number of Breeze Champions leading Breeze MTB rides in Scotland.
Let’s Ride festival fun
We’ve enjoyed cycling on closed city roads, thanks to Let’s Ride festival events in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and our volunteer Breeze Champions have given their support and joined in the fun of these:
How to join in
It’s easy to join a Breeze ride, visit the website and pop your postcode into the search bar to find out if there are any happening near you. We’re always keen to recruit new volunteers, to help more women in Scotland (re)discover the joys of cycling; find out more here. Our Breeze Champion training courses are free to attend and will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to organise and lead rides in your area. You don’t need to be a cycling expert, just confident riding a bike and passionate about getting women and girls active. We’re a friendly bunch, come and join us!
