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Three times more men are riding bikes than women, and Sandra Green is leading the way when it comes to closing the gender gap.
After 15 years riding with a male-dominated club, Sandra seized the opportunity to train with British Cycling’s Breeze network and help more women of all ages and abilities experience the fun and freedom of a bike ride.
Sandra said: “I’ve always ridden with blokes and thought it would be a good opportunity to ride with women for a change. I like meeting new people and love that the network is exclusively ladies only.”
Sandra has collectively planned, organised and led over 100 bike rides for women of all ages and abilities across Wigan since becoming a Breeze champion in June 2011.
The inspirational champion has been empowering women with the confidence and self esteem to get back on a bike after years out of the saddle. Sandra is a Bikeability Instructor which instructs women and children on how to develop skills for riding on the road.
“I’ve always ridden with blokes and thought it would be a good opportunity to ride with women for a change. I like meeting new people and love that the network is exclusively ladies only.”
She said: “I’ve had quite a few ladies who haven’t ridden a bike for a very long time and Breeze rides have inspired them to come back to their bikes. Some haven’t been on a bike in 30 or 40 years but have decided to get on and give it a try. They wouldn’t have achieved so much without Breeze.”
Sandra also supports Breeze through her Area Coordinator role which supports other champions after their training courses and promotes the Breeze network across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
The Breeze team nominated Sandra for the Volunteer of the Year Award at the Wigan Sports Awards where she was a finalist for helping hundreds of women to get back into cycling.
As a champion, Sandra has some top tips to help her women enjoy getting in gear. She often encourages them to chat about the bikes they used to ride as children and their favourite places to go.
Sandra feels this helps women to relax and adds: “I think because you can get very technical with a bike it does put females off and they’re perhaps scared of not understanding or knowing what to do. If there are any women in Wigan who want some support to get on a bike then I’m here to help.”
