July 23/12 15:15 pm - US Women's Summit to Tackle Gender Disparity in Bicycling

Posted by Editoress on 07/23/12
 

National event will gather leaders and galvanize action to get more women riding

Leah Missbach Day, co-founder of World Bicycle Relief, will keynote the first-ever National Women's Bicycling Summit on September 13, 2012 in Long Beach, California.

Speaking about how the bicycle can inspire both personal and cultural revolutions, Day will set the stage for an event aimed at increasing the number of women who ride bikes and empowering female leadership at all levels of the bicycle movement.  

In 2009, women accounted for just 24 percent of all U.S. bike trips. Hosted by the League of American Bicyclists and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, the National Women's Bicycling Summit will provide a unique opportunity to network, share best practices and develop action steps to close the gender gap in American bicycling. 

"This event will be a powerful opportunity to learn from each other, build a network of female leaders from coast to coast, and work toward a bike future where women don't account for just 24 percent of bike trips, but are equally represented on the streets and in the movement," said Carolyn Szczepanski, communications director for the League of American Bicyclists. 

The Summit will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center, immediately following the Pro Walk Pro Bike conference, from 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on September 13. 

In addition to the keynote address, the Summit will feature six break-out sessions, including media, diversity and car-free families. Speakers will include:

• Dotsie Bausch, Olympic track cyclist
• Elly Blue, writer/speaker, Taking the Lane 
• Yolanda Davis-Overstreet, Ride in Living Color
• Emily Finch, Car-free mother of six
• Kristin Gavin, founder, Gearing Up
• Mia Kohout, publisher, Momentum magazine
• Allison Mannos, co-founder, Multicultural Communities for Mobility
• Ovarian Psychos women's bike brigade
• Staff and youth leaders from Recycle-A-Bicycle
• and many others... 

The Women's Summit will also include the "Cycle Chic: Past, Present & Future" urban bike fashion show, hosted by Women On Bikes SoCal and inspired by Mikael Colville-Andersen, founder of Copenhaganize.com and the world-wide Cycle Chic movement. Colville-Andersen will be a special guest at show.

"We're so delighted to pay homage to Mikael, and the influential place the bike holds right now as a design and fashion darling," said Melissa Balmer, Editor/Initiative Director for Women On Bikes SoCal. "We hope both the Summit and the fashion show will inspire more women to become active participants in the crucial movement of bicycle advocacy."

Tickets for the Summit (open to women and men) are $35 and registration is now live. Click here to sign up!

Scholarships are available for women with financial need: For more information, contact Carolyn Szczepanski at carolyn@bikeleague.org.

Visit www.bikeleague.org/conferences/women for additional details and updates. Learn about the Cycle Chic fashion show at www.womenonbikessocal.org.