PRESS KIT
Ten women biking three-hundred miles to encourage a larger female presence at The National Bike Summit
Sponsored by:
#WEBIKETODC
Introduction…………………………………………. 3
Who are WE? Liz Jose …………………………..………………….. 4 Casey Ashenhurst …………………..……………...... 5 Laura Solis ………………………….………….…..... 6 Mary Shyne ..……………………….………….……. 7 Kristina Sepulveda ...………………….……….…….. 8 Ayesha McGowan .…………………….……….……. 9 Nell Pierson …………………………….……………. 10 Kaelin Proud …………………………….……….…… 11 Lesly Jones …………………………..…….……….. 12 Katie Monroe …………………………..……….…….. 13
Budget & Fundraising …………………………… 14
Sponsored by: 2
INTRODUCTION
WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014.
WE Bike NYC is a group based in New York City open to all women, female identifying, and gender nonconforming people who enjoy biking or think they might. WE Bike NYC aims to break down barriers to cycling by offering social rides, training rides, mechanics workshops and ride scholarships. Representatives from Gearing-Up, Black Women Bike DC, Washington Area Bicyclist Association: Women and Bicycles, and Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: Women Bike PHL will join WE Bike NYC on this adventure!
While in DC, WE will advocate for women of all backgrounds to have a seat at the table that sets national transportation policy. Despite being woefully under-represented in decision-making, the number of women who commute to work has increased 56% in the last year. Lower income individuals (earning less than $30,000) accounted for 28% of bike trips in 2009 — more than 1.1 billion bike trips overall. Our goal is to support the League of American Bicyclists’ efforts to include underrepresented cyclists at the decision making table through the inclusion of ten voices that would not be able to attend the summit without the financial support generated by this ride.
This trip will be the kickoff event for continued work in 2014 to create more opportunities for women to have a voice in the national cycling and transportation conversation.
Sponsored by: 3
WHO ARE WE?
Liz Jose
Age? 30 (at the time of the tour)
Where are you from? Born in Minnesota, spent half my childhood in Massachusetts.
Where do you ride? I mainly ride in New York City, but I have also done tours all over the United States, Chile and South Africa. Oh and I did bike share in Mexico City too!
When and why did you start riding? I have been biking ever since I was a child. My dad was a big cyclist and we used to bike as a family to a pizza place to dinner about once a month. Biking has always been a mode of transportation as much as a way to exercise. In my adult life, I fell into biking again in college when I found a free bike and fixed it up as a way to get to campus in Santa Cruz. It doesn't snow there, so it was a great way to travel all year. Since then I just keep biking more and more, and more than anything, the thing that keeps me coming back are the people. Biking seems like a solitary sport, but really, it puts you in a situation where you are forced to interact with people, and that can be really wonderful and important.
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? Like I said above, biking for me is all about the people, however, in NYC I felt very alone on the road. And strangely, so did all the other female cyclists I knew. By riding with WE Bike NYC I have met the BEST women I could imagine, and also so many people I would not have crossed paths with otherwise. When I am biking with my male friends, it becomes about the struggle in my head- "can I keep up? Will they think I'm slow because I'm a woman? What if i need to pee? I'm going to prove this to them once and for all..." But when I'm biking with WE Bike NYC it becomes all about the celebration! "Here WE are! Where can WE go next? What is the farthest WE can make it? How many ice cream cones is too many ice cream cones?" Finding this celebration, again, on my bike, and being part of this community has been one of the most important anchors and motivating factors in my life in New York City.
Why do you want to go on the ride? I want to be on this ride because it is one more way to celebrate being on a bike and it's a way to make more visible to vibrant and diverse community of female bicycle riders here on the east coast. I see this as a way to make a statement, as a way to have fun, as a way to meet new people and to meet new sides of people I've known and worked with for almost two years now! WE are riding. And WE are loving it. And WE'd really like to have a voice in the national conversation about our passions!
Anything else you'd like to add? I'm sooooo excited! I just can't hide it!
Sponsored by: 4 WHO ARE WE?
Casey Ashenhurst WE Bike NYC
Age? 28
Where are you from? I'm a transplant from Oberlin, OH. I've been in NYC almost 5 years.
Where do you ride? In New York, I mostly ride to get around, and because it's fun- so... everywhere! For commuting, meeting up with friends, and generally exploring the city, I prefer to be on two wheels. Though I have gone to Prospect Park to do laps on occasion as well, for conditioning and exercise.
When and why did you start riding? I learned to ride a bike as a little kid, for fun and to get places: When my brother and I got to be stronger riders, our mom would take us on little bike trips around town a lot-- to the pool, the playground, wherever. I'd say I got a more into it as a sport in middle school, when I went on my first multi-day supported tour in Canada with a friend and her family. It was a lot of fun; I was able to really push myself physically in a new way, and the scenery was amazing. After that I did a lot more riding on country roads around my hometown, and doing longer weekend rides with my mom or with friends. I've always liked that riding a bike is a form of exercise that can get me places, but at a pace that I can really take in the sights around me.
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? Riding with WE Bike NYC has been an avenue for me to bike with women in a fun, supportive environment, which was something I had been looking for for awhile. I've made a ton of new friends, and I love that WE're so inclusive, because I've met people who ride all different kinds of bikes, and are all different levels. But besides being a social thing, it's also been an outlet for me to work for an organization that's doing something I feel passionate about: cycling, and programs for women. The work WE do-- getting women together to participate in a positive, physical activity, all while enjoying themselves and feeling empowered-- it's soul-feeding stuff for me.
Why do you want to go on the ride? I'm invested in the greater national cycling community seeing how women are getting more and more involved in cycling as a sport and activity, and carving out more space for us to be part of the bigger conversation- and I'm hoping our ride to the NBS can help do that! Plus, I haven't done a longer tour in a long time, and I feel like this would be the perfect way to get back into it.
Anything else you'd like to add? WE're ready, WE've got this, and WE're PUMPED!!!
Sponsored by: 5
WHO ARE WE?
Laura Solís WE Bike NYC
Age? 27
Where are you from? The Bronx
Where do you ride? I usually start out in the Bronx, and somehow I end up in Brooklyn, or Queens, often Manhattan, a couple times in Staten Island and most recently in Philly!
When and why did you start riding? Back in the Summer of 2011, I wanted to go see a roller derby match that was not very easily accessible by public transportation. The smart guy I was dating, recognizing that there was a beautiful steel pony not being utilized in my living room, suggested we take our bikes on the train as far out as we could and then ride the 5 miles out to the venue. The ride to the venue was a voyage, it was my first day riding a bike as an adult, I was a bit squirrely on a ride that started on a very busy and dangerous Flatbush Avenue. We got there, I was sweating in new places, and I felt invigorated. There was no turning back after that. The ride back to the train station was a rainy one, which certainly motivated my legs to pedal faster, especially considering my afro-textured hair is not waterproof ;)
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? WE Bike NYC has exposed me to different parts and people in the #bikenyc cycling community. As it is in my “only-child” nature, I have always felt compelled to connect people and create a family around me, the cycling community is perfect for that! I attended my first WE Bike NYC meeting on March 30, 2012, after I purchased and figured out how to mount my first (adult) bike at Bicycle Habitat. The physical transformation is apparent to a few, but my personal transformation has been apparent to all.
Why do you want to go on the ride? This is going to be an incredible journey and I want in on it! I also want to see more people like me at the National Bike Summit. “People like me” are people from low-income neighborhoods, with limited resources with the odds against them, but with a strong desire to see beyond what’s at their immediate grasp. A machine as simple as a bicycle could inspire hope in many that find it difficult to do so for themselves. Riding a bike requires a lot of self-reliance, which often times is not presented in the best manner in neighborhoods that may be lacking opportunity. Oh yeah, I am also a women of color, but that is secondary.
Anything else you'd like to add? This is going to be EPIC.
Sponsored by: 6
WHO ARE WE?
Mary Shyne WE Bike NYC
Age? 25
Where are you from? Outside of Chicago originally, but have lived in NYC for 7 years.
Where do you ride? My daily commute from Bushwick to Midtown West along the West Side Greenway, as well as various long-distance hauls on the weekend. Most recently I went on solo expeditions from NYC to Philadelphia, and later, NYC to Atlantic. Basically I'll bike wherever there are roads (and sometimes, when Google Maps messes up, where there are not).
When and why did you start riding? I've been riding since I could fit into a bike seat thanks to my parents. When I moved to NYC I took a little hiatus from biking, save for a summer in college when the L train was literally never running. What really got me back on the bike, though, was the subways shutting down for Hurricane Sandy. I decided to take my red, gathering-rust Ross Compact over the bridge to work. Doing so reminded me of what I had loved so much about biking in the city: it frees you from the constraints of public transit while making the city seem so much more compact & accessible.
How has WE Bike NYC impacted your life? Cycling in New York can definitely be a boy's club -- riding through my first winter in 2013, my main cycling contacts were the guys at the bike shop, and while they were super helpful, it did feel like I was the only woman on the road. There were things I wanted to ask that I wasn't always comfortable asking men about (SADDLE SORES, AMIRITE, LADIES) Similarly, many of my gal friends would go on rides with me, but weren't as interested in the geeky "OMG salivating over that Colnago crankset" aspect of biking, or had bikes that couldn't sustain the distances I wanted to go. WE Bike NYC put me in touch with a community of like-minded ladies who are just as into bikes as I am, both from a technical and on-the-road standpoint. (And also give GREAT advice on saddle sore treatment, NAMEAN?)
Why do you want to go on the ride? Long rides are my jam! After riding the NYC Century Bike Tour in September 2013, I knew I needed to get out on the road for longer distances -- I'm addicted to the feeling you get fifty miles in where all your inner anxieties are wiped away, and all you can focus on is your body moving forward. It's a strange but amazing kind of physical meditation. Unfortunately, I've had to pursue many of these rides alone; not for lack of willing companions (like I said, WE Bike NYC ladies ain't afraid of no mileage), but because of conflicting schedules. This is a chance to get on the road with my friends and eat up those miles! Of course, I'm in this for more than selfish reasons, too. Not only is this an opportunity to get out of the road with some of my best cycling gal pals, it's an opportunity to show the cycling community that women's cycling groups exist, an opportunity to show women that they don't need to go into cycling expecting to be the "Smurfette" (i.e., only woman in the wolfpack), and in turn, hopefully motivate other women to get out on their bikes more often and for more miles!
Anything else you'd like to add? D.C. OR BUST!!!
Sponsored by: 7
WHO ARE WE?
Kristina Sepulveda WE Bike NYC
Age? 33
From? New York City (with a 12 year layover in Florida)
Where do you ride? When and why did you start riding- I started riding a bike when my family left the Upper West Side of Manhattan for the sandy beaches of Florida when I was 10. I was pretty hardcore about it throughout middle school until I discovered adolescent vices. Fast- forward 18 years and on a whim I bought a rusty little beater I affectionately refer to as Triumph the Insult Comic Bike. Since then Triumph and I have ridden all over NYC and New Orleans, LA. She's lost some parts and I've lost some pounds these past few years, but we've made it this far.
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? I got hooked up with WE Bike NYC when I rode with them for the 5 Boro Bike Tour. The year before I had done it alone and while that was a great experience, it did not compare to riding in a supportive group of women who cheered me on as Triumph and I struggled up the bridges.
Why do you want to go on the ride? I'm riding this ride because I believe strongly that "the personal is political". For me, investing in efforts to get more Latinas biking throughout New York City is about increasing levels of health and wealth in my community.
Anything else you'd like to add? Triumph is really mad she's going to have to sit this one out.
Sponsored by: 8
WHO ARE WE?
Ayesha McGowan WE Bike NYC
Age? 26
Where are you from? Born in Atlanta, Raised in Piscataway, NJ , Schooled in Boston MA, and Currently living in Brooklyn!
Where do you ride? Anywhere and Everywhere!
When and why did you start riding? When I moved to Boston for college, it would take me an hour to commute to school. I decided to take my mom's bike from her basement in Piscataway. When I took it to the shop for a tune-up, it still had the baby carrier she used to tote my sister around attached to it. My sister is 8 years older than me. The bike got an overhaul, and my commute was cut down to twenty minutes!
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? It has given me an amazing set of inspiring women to ride with and learn from. I'm not a very social person, but WE Bike NYC has created a social environment where I feel comfortable enough to leave my bubble and be a part of a group! I’ve developed a sense of pride, and found my voice as a minority and a woman. WE Bike NYC has also given me a platform to encourage several other women in my life to ride. My mom has joined a riding group in NJ, and my sister found inspiration from the moms to ride with her son on Mother’s day for Cyclofemme. Even my three-year-old nephew has a bike now! Bikes for everyone!
Why do you want to go on the ride? I think it would be an incredible challenge and a milestone in my journey as a woman and a cyclist. I love the idea that this band of unusual candidates is going to ride 300 miles down to DC and break down several barriers that are regularly a part of the National Bike Summit. Women and minorities are depressingly under represented; WE are definitely going to help remedy that this year!
Anything else you'd like to add? Is there a way to textually represent a victory dance? WOOOHOOO!!!!!
Sponsored by: 9
WHO ARE WE?
Nelle Pierson Washington Area Bicyclists Association Women & Bicycles
Age? 25
Where are you from? Lakewood, Colorado
Where do you ride? Up, down, over, across, under, and sideways, sometimes above.
When and why did you start riding? Started biking when I turned 18 because I could no longer afford my car, and neither could my dad, so I gave my car to him. My mom bought me a $50 cruiser bike to get me around my college campus, and it clearly became the better, faster, stronger way to get around my giant college campus.
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? Biking has changed my life in ways that are often indescribable. Biking has taught me the importance of thrift, allows me to feel better about my carbon footprint, allows me to connect more with my neighbors, other road-users, new roads, new places, new faces, and myself. It's fun. I get my daily rush, I get wet and cold and sweaty and this makes me feel more alive. Plus, biking gives me the opportunity in my professional career to help make a positive difference in the world around me. I get to help provide a simple, concrete solution to some of our biggest problems. I get to be the change I wish to see in the world.
Why do you want to go on the ride? I need to support my gals, and I want to continue raising awareness of the importance of normalizing, and diversifying the biking for transportation- especially among women. Biking is normal, safe, fun and easy for most people, and while we may not have the marketing budgets to sell this message, we do have opportunities with rides like this.
Anything else you'd like to add? I will officially be the "Hoop'N'Holler'er" of the group.
Sponsored by: 10
WHO ARE WE?
Kaelin Proud Gearing Up
Age? 25
Where are you from? Philadelphia
Where do you ride? Philadelphia and the surrounding area…..actually, anywhere I can ride, I’ll ride!
When and why did you start riding? I started commuting by bicycle while studying at Temple University and began riding competitively on the Temple University Cycling Team. I ride because I love the way it makes me feel: independent, strong and powerful.
How has biking with your org impacted your life? Riding bikes with the clients of Gearing Up gave me the opportunity to witness the change that riding a bike can bring to a person’s life. I appreciate seeing other people using the bike as a coping mechanism and I truly enjoy being a part of that process for women in our program.
Why do you want to go on the ride? I wanted to join this ride to be around a healthy, positive group of women looking to better their community by biking! I look forward to learning about all the different ways that women and female-focused organizations have impacted the cycling world and community!
Sponsored by: 11
WHO ARE WE?
Lesly Jones Black Women Bike DC
Age? really? 50+
Where are you from? I grew up in Berkeley, CA; I currently live in Washington, DC
Where do you ride? In the Washington DC metropolitan area. Mostly in the city. I have 3 bikes (carbon road bike named KoKo, steel single speed/fixie named Kat and a cyclocross bike named Mac) and no car, so cycling is my primary source of transportation. However, I ride most of my miles for the sheer enjoyment of riding.
When/Why did I start riding? I have never not owned a bike. I have 3 older sisters and riding my bike was the only time I was in charge. For me biking equates to freedom. Now, I simply ride for the love of being outside. It's also a great stress reliever. Having a bad day...... I just jump on my bike and whatever is bothering me is gone!
Why do you want to go on the ride? I love to share my love of fitness and cycling is a big part of that. I am a member of Black Women Bike DC's Leadership Team....our vision is that Black women and girls, of all ages, ride their bikes for fun, health, wellness and transportation. Our mission is to build community and interest in biking among Black women through education, advocacy and recreation. Participating in this event is a great way to share our vision and mission.
Anything else? I am a mother and grandmother. I am a league certified cycling instructor. I regularly lead beginner group rides in my community. I am a strong advocate for cycling in my community and belong to WABA, Women & Bicycles and several local bike groups.
Sponsored by: 12
WHO ARE WE?
Katie Monroe Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: Women Bike PHL.
Age? 24
Where are you from? Originally from Harrisonburg, VA, now a proud Philadelphia resident
Where do you ride? All around my city! I am constantly traversing the bustling neighborhoods of Philadelphia on my bike. There is no better way to live and love this city.
When and why did you start riding? I have always been riding bikes for fun, but I only got into riding for transportation consistently when I moved to South Philly about a year and a half ago. It's cheap, convenient, environmentally friendly, fast (good for impatient folks like me!), but more importantly it is FUN and it has connected me with an incredibly diverse and passionate community of people, in Philadelphia and beyond.
How has WE Bike NYC (or biking with your org, or as a woman) impacted your life? WE Bike NYC has been a tremendous source of inspiration for the program I founded at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: Women Bike PHL. I love riding and learning about bikes with women because it's allowed me to share the skills I have, inspire confidence in others, and learn a LOT. I think the confidence I have as a bicyclist carries over into other aspects of life, too. I feel so independent in my transportation choices and that has a ripple effect! I have also been lucky enough to do a fair amount of supported touring -- most recently in the Czech Republic -- with my immediate and extended family. I can't say enough how much I appreciate the quality time bicycling has provided for my family!
Why do you want to go on the ride? There are some incredible women moving the bicycling movement forward all over the country. We are strong individually, but together we are way more powerful. I want to deepen the connections I already have and form new ones on this ride -- it can only mean good things for the bicycling movement to strengthen solidarity among women bicycling leaders!
Anything else you'd like to add? I've never done a tour like this one before, and frankly I'm a little nervous...but WAY MORE excited! I spent a lot of time encouraging women to face their biking challenges head-on: now it's my turn!
Sponsored by: 13
BUDGET & FUNDRAISING
Cost Per Rider It will cost $1,200 per rider for the trip. That number represents a fully-equipped SAG van (plus gas and tolls), accommodations, and registration fees for the conference. Half of this cost is the conference registration fee.
Donor Levels And Corresponding Goodies
<$25- Ride Participant • Your name on our virtual #webiketodc donor wall. • High-five from a member of our ride team.
$25 – The Sweep • Set of 5 stickers from the WE Bike NYC sticker collection, plus a temporary tattoo • Your name on our virtual #webiketodc donor wall. • High-five from a member of our ride team.
$50 – Ride Leader Package • Membership fee for a year (stickers, T-shirt, tattoo, membership info/card) • Bicycle Times subsctiption (limted to 200) • All the goodies from The Sweep package
$100 – Mechanic Package • Shout out at the WE Bike NYC Birthday Celebration. • WE Super Backer Pack (stickers, tattoo, t-shirt, flat-fix kit, bike-repair zine, bike map) • The Ride Leader package
Sponsored by: 14
$250 – Beryl Burton Package • VIP admission for you and a guest for our annual party • WE Bike NYC Thank You video dedicated to you and posted on our #webiketodc blog. • The Marianna Vos Package, choice of an additional membership to gift or WE Backer Pack
$500 - Juli Furtado Package • Dedicated/or branded WE Bike NYC happy hour complete with a shiny crown and delicious cake. • WE Bike NYC personal ride (you choose the people and the place, WE plan the route) or Special mechanics workshop for you and five of your friends (will provide beverages and snacks) • Beryl Burton Package with two memberships AND WE Backer Pack
$750 – Jeannie Longo Package • Personal three-hour bike consulting from our founder, Liz Jose, on matters such as fitting, shopping on Craigslist, basic mechanical upgrades on your bike (parts extra) • Partial branding privileges on the van and/or rider.
$1000 – Annie Londonderry • Full branding privileges on the van and/or rider • Adopt a Rider Pack: Photo of your adopted rider, handwritten postcards from each stop on the ride, series of dedicated video messages filmed at rest stops.
$2500+ -- Janette Sadik-Khan Package • All of the above and more. Let’s make a deal!
Sponsored by: 15