RLAG is our 3-part series women’s bicycling workshop
Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, with generous support from Bike East Bay, presents RiDE LiKE A GiRL, a 3-part bicycling skills workshop series designed for every woman who wants to ride. Our goal is getting more women comfortable, confident on their bicycles, and feeling more connected with a community of women who want to bike!
In our inaugural 2016 Season:
April 10 – The first workshop focused on commuting basics, just in time for Bike Month and Bike To Work Day.
June 12 – this workshop provided tips on choosing the right bike(s); and a 10-12 mile flatfish ride on the Bay Trail.
November 13 – Our season closer shows bicyclists how to prepare for going on longer rides, say like touring local wineries…like the secret Bay Area spots we’ll take you to during the 20-ish mile ride (We’re fairly certain the Bay Bridge path will open to Treasure Island in time – we’ll circumnavigate Treasure Island’s paths and pay a visit to a couple of wineries.)
Every woman is warmly welcomed at our workshops! Suggested donations of $15 per workshop or $35 for all three accepted here. If you’re already a WOBO member (for $35), it’s on us. Ready to sign up or Join WOBO?!
As a bonus, join us at our monthly (every fourth Thursday of the month) Women Bike Happy Hour. Each month features a different watering hole where we come together, off the saddle, and chill. Bring your friends!
We thank the following locations which have happily hosted our happy hours in 2016: The Good Hop, Bar Cesar, The Steel Rail, The Half Orange, Woods Tavern, Temescal Brewery and The Lucky Duck.
November 13 Workshop – Winery tour edition (Bay Bridge and Treasure Island – with alternate route should the opening of the bridge path be delayed), 10am to 1pm.
The last of the 3-workshop Ride Like a Girl series is Sunday November 13. As with all of our workshops, we’ll dedicate the first part of the workshop for a basic safety check of your bike and dive a bit deeper into learning about techniques for riding comfortably and confidently. At this workshop, we’ll be focusing on some basics of bike touring, that is getting rolling on self-supported longer distance rides. League certified instructor, Rose Johnson, will give helpful pointers about on how to ride confidently and comfortably.
We meet at Bikes4Life Cafe in West Oakland (near West Oakland BART)
Then we practice rolling on one of our most iconic bike paths on the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island and take our first break at Purity Winery. We’ll hop back on the bike to roll past at least 4 other wineries and stop for a brief picnic. The ride home is quick and slightly downhill all the way for a total of ~20 miles roundtrip.
Details for the April 10 workshop:
Meet us at Fruitvale BART Bike Station around 12:30 for safety checks, workshop begins at 1pm. Bring your bike+ helmet, stories of biking past and a smile.
Meet Carolyn, your RLAG Instructor!
For the past 9 years, Carolyn has led bike trips and classes for riders of all ages and abilities. Carolyn currently teaches bicycle skills at REI, Bike East Bay, and in schools around Alameda and Contra Costa counties. For 8 Years she directed the Albany YMCA bike camp, a week-long camp that aims to train youth to navigate urban streets independently.
Her passion for bikes extends to mechanics, and she has enjoyed teaching mechanics skills to high schoolers, middle schoolers and incarcerated adults. Carolyn brings equal enthusiasm and knowledge to each group of students and believes the best way to learn is in a safe and fun environment.
Meet Emily, our RLAG All-star!
This is Emily Wheeler just one year ago in our very first RiDE LiKE A GiRL workshop. That day she said she wanted to “go from being someone who mostly drives to someone who mostly bikes.”
We can’t take all the credit, but Emily is out there on the road today, pedaling away; and we love to see her face at bike events around town.
Read about all about EMiLY and RiDE LiKE A GiRL!
How Bay Area bike groups are putting more women on two wheels – KALW