Spend your Saturday, March 29th at the First Ever Pittsburgh Women & Biking Forum!

Where: Eddy Theatre  Chatham University, 1 Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm

BikePGH invites women and trans-identified people to attend the first ever Pittsburgh Women & Biking Forum! The Forum is a key element of BikePGH’s newly formed Women & Biking Program, and works to engage a variety of women in conversations about bike culture in Pittsburgh.

Through workshops, discussion groups, and speakers, the Women and Biking Forum aims to educate and encourage more women to incorporate bicycling into their lives in a way that feels comfortable to them. By opening the conversation about women’s lived experiences and challenges, assessment of how to better provide support and resources for women who want to ride bicycles in Pittsburgh can be attained.

Hear from awesome women who actively engage women and girls in bicycling, and participate in your choice of discussions, workshops, and a celebratory bike ride!

Click Here to reserve your cost-free ticket to the forum! Donations to the Women & Biking Program are appreciated.

 

Forum Program:

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[ezcol_1third]9:30am – 10am[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Registration, coffee, networking    Eddy Theatre[/ezcol_2third_end]

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[ezcol_1third]10am – 11am[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Opening Remarks & Key Speakers    Eddy Theatre[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third][ezcol_2third_end]Opening remarks by Becca Susman, Bike Pittsburgh Membership & Outreach Manager and Mary Whitney, Chatham University Sustainability Coordinator

Key Speakers:
Monica G., Founder of Black Girls Do Bike
Karen Brooks, Self identified Bike Geek
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[ezcol_1third]11:15am – 12:15pm[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Break-Out Sessions   Choose 1 of 3[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third]

Discussion: Riding with Children & Families
Woodland Hall Classroom
Discussion facilitated by Jessica Mathews. What are the steps to make it simple to bike with your children? How do you choose which route to take? What are the obstacles, joys, fears, and benefits of riding with your family? [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third]

Workshop: Basic Bike Adjustments & Upkeep
Bike Works bike shop
Led by Karen Brooks. How to fix a flat, adjust your brakes, check your chain, and more.[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end]

Workshop: Fundamentals of Riding
Woodland Res Life Lounge
Led by Carolyne Whelan. How to choose clothing for riding in any type of weather, navigating bike shops, an overview of  how to safely ride on the roads, and more.
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[ezcol_1third]12:15 – 1:30pm[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Speakers + Lunch provided by Highmark   Mellon Board Room[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third][ezcol_2third_end]Enjoy a Marty’s Market lunch provided by Highmark.

Jessica Mathews, Consider Biking Columbus, OH and founder of Girls in Gear
Beth Hazlett, Pittsburgh Bike Share Board of Directors[/ezcol_2third_end]

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[ezcol_1third]1:45pm – 2:45pm[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Break Out Sessions   Choose 1 of 3[/ezcol_2third_end]
[ezcol_1third] Discussion: Experiences Riding as Women
Woodland Hall Classroom
Discussion facilitated by Rachel Dingfelder. Women come to biking at different ages and in different environments. This session will cover the obstacles people have faced, dealing with street harassment, riding with other people, choosing to ride or not, and more. [/ezcol_1third][ezcol_1third]Workshop: Basic Bike Adjustments & Upkeep
Bike Works bike shop
See above details.[/ezcol_1third][ezcol_1third_end]Workshop: Fundamentals of Riding
Woodland Res Life Lounge
Led by Sara Cole. See above details.
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[ezcol_1third]2:45pm – 3:30pm[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Bike Ride hosted by Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third][ezcol_2third_end]Meet Outside of Eddy Theatre
Take a casual ride around Chatham’s campus with Babes on Bikes and the women you met at the forum! Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes is a group of lady cyclists dedicated to celebrating and supporting the continued empowerment of bicycle-riding women in Pittsburgh by organizing inclusive events, as well as creating and distributing publications.[/ezcol_2third_end]

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Speaker Bios

Karen Brooks: Karen has been riding bikes around Pittsburgh since coming here for college. After a brief stint in the corporate world, she got sidetracked into a job as a mechanic at Gatto Cycle Shops in 1996, and has been happily wrapped up in the bike industry since then. Karen worked for Rotating Mass Media for nearly 10 years, first as Operations Manager, then as editor of Dirt Rag and editor for Bicycle Times. Karen feels fortunate to get to ride all kinds of bikes in exotic locales, but enjoys mountain biking in Frick Park and traveling via the city’s rail trails the most. She does trail maintenance with PTAG and also volunteers as an Urban EcoSteward in Frick.

 

Monica G.: Monica is the founder of BlackGirlsDOBike.com, a website with over 1500 followers that is committed to growing and supporting a community of women of color who share a passion for cycling. Monica works to help women of color meet up with other women in their cities to share, ask, organize, and engage in their bicycling communities. Black Girls Do Bike shares positive images of ladies and their bikes on the web answering the question, “Do black girls bike?” with a resounding, “Yes!”

 

Jessica Mathews: As the Outreach Program Coordinator for the local bicycle non-profit, Consider Biking, she eats, sleeps, and breathes to create a safer, more convenient, and more accessible ‘multimodal’ city for everyone. She strongly believes that when there are more women and girls riding bikes on a regular basis, the more ‘normal’ the bicycle will be viewed here in America. As such, Jess created a girls-specific youth empowerment program: ‘Girls in Gear’ which empowers adolescent girls to develop unique skills that help build their independence and self-esteem so that they begin a pattern of confident, healthy decision making throughout their lives. Jess led the effort to organize the first statewide ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit’, which brought in speakers and attendees from all around Ohio. Jess also organizes a monthly women’s ride, ‘2 Wheels & Heels’.

 

Beth Hazlett: Beth cannot remember a time when she did not ride a bike – there are even pictures of her on the back of her Dad’s bike when she was a baby.  A native of Pittsburgh, she loves cycling on the roads here and overseas. She is passionate about the idea that bikes and cars can safely share the road.  She is also passionate about getting as many people on bicycles as possible – it’s fun and it’s healthy.  Beth rides with Lou’s Crew on most Saturdays and Sundays.  Her favorite “city ride” is to the top of Mt. Washington either in the early morning or just before sunset. Beth serves on the board of directors of both Bike Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Bike Share.