Canning women looking to get into cycling can sign up for Cycling Australia’s She Rides initiative.
It runs three eight-week programs covering different skill levels to help women get on the bike and take to the road with confidence.
The riding sessions are held in numerous spots in the southeast including around Canning River.
She Rides coordinator Rob Branch said cycling was a great social sport that was easy fitness but women participation rates were low.
“It’s an initiative of Cycling Australia to get ladies that might have ridden as teenagers or younger but have made way for careers or family to get back on the humble bicycle,” he said.
“It gives them a grounding and illustrates to them how easy it is to get into the sport. Cycling lets them appreciate there’s a whole different world out there they can explore on the bicycle, obviously with the gains of fitness and health.”
Mount Richon resident Cathy Adams, 55, is participating in the initiative and said she had gone from riding 15 kilometres to 50 kilometres within the space of a few months.
“I joined it mostly because personally if I commit to something as far as exercise goes I tend to stick to it,” she said.
“But it was the idea of meeting new people in a comfortable environment that wasn’t going to be too competitive.
“I was blown away with the amount of stuff I thought I knew but I didn’t.
“You learn how to ride in a group and a lot of bike maintenance and skills.”
