I sometimes feel a little lonely on my bike commute, seeing so many men riding along and so few women joining in on the fun. It’s not like my route along the river trail is on treacherous high-speed roads with hostile drivers scaring away female riders, often called the indicator species for a healthy cycling environment.
The answer came to me at lunch when I looked around the sandwich shop. Maybe it’s not about bicycling, it’s about Silicon Valley’s high-tech industry. There aren’t many female commuters here, with or without bikes.
About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve learned about bicycling for transportation.
Matt
July 2, 2013 at 11:41 pm
We’re more likely to show up at work all sweaty and not think that anyone notices or cares.
ladyfleur
July 3, 2013 at 11:54 am
That’s probably true. But I don’t sweat much myself since my mileage is short, I don’t have a bag on my back and I don’t treat it as a workout. I just let the Cat 6 race dudes fly by with their heads down and sufferfaces on.
Tekster
July 11, 2013 at 8:56 pm
It almost has that “clown car” feel! I expected to see arms, legs and handlebars sticking out of the train window
ladyfleur
July 11, 2013 at 9:01 pm
The bikes just keep coming, don’t they? I’ve counted as many as 18 people getting off from one train car. The cars hold up to 40 bikes, though, so it could be a lot worse.