Velomuse fills a void to address bicycling issues related to women and youth.

On the eve of leading the Ladies Summer Solstice Ride, a Car Free Fridays featured event, BikePGH talked with Eryn Hughes to learn a little more about Velomuse and her reasons for starting it.

BP: What brought you to PGH?

EH: Family, academia, and a very interesting cycling community.

BP: What is velomuse?

EH: Velomuse is a community-inclusive cycling development program that works with local businesses, schools, legislators and non-profits to develop new ambassadors for the sport. We make an extra effort to create new opportunities for women and youth.

BP: What inspired you to start it?

EH: I started the women’s portion of the group in 2004, in the Bay Area because I was riding a lot and wanted to have a pressure-free environment to learn skills, by collaborating with other women. Velomuse has always retained a co-operative structure.

BP: How can people get involved?

EH: People of any age and gender can get involved by attending the rides on our calendar, share information about the junior development program with your local school, or inquiring about a “Life By Bicycle” personal training program.

EH: This ride is a unique opportunity for women to share their skills and resources in an empowering environment, while riding through some interesting urban landscape.  We’ll cover route-selection suggestions – including safety tips, riding in traffic, and riding with others.  Any level of cyclist can benefit from this.

BP: Why is it important to do woman only rides?

EH: Women’s rides are important to the community because all too often, we are the minority, defer to the majority, and our needs go unchecked. Even if you’re not a woman, you can benefit from the increase of ridership that comes with more confident, skilled, and environmentally pro-active women.

BP: Velomuse plans for the future?

EH: Velomuse is continuing to develop its leadership program, increasing its outreach within schools and coordinating bike rodeos for youth. Hopefully, we’ll also sponsor a national women’s event in 2011.

Ride Details

June 18 – 6:00 – 8:00pm – Ladies’ Summer Solstice Road Ride hosted by Velomuse. Meet at Trek of Pittsburgh East Liberty/Shadyside location. Bring something, anything, for  a handmade craft swap. To learn more and sign up for the ride contact Eryn Hughes at eryn@velomuse.org

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