Running from 13th until 29th June, Glasgow Cycle Festival will feature a wide range of events for anyone who is interested in cycling. Whether you’re new to biking or more experienced, there will be opportunities to discover the city by bike,try creative writing inspired by a bike ride, explore writing by women about their experiences of cycling, and much more.
To coincide with the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, GWL will be hosting a variety of events at the festival. The bicycle has been important in women’s history and it is often thought of as a symbol of female emancipation. When cycling, the suffragettes shed the restrictive fashions of Victorian Britain in favour of pantaloons; this caused outrage but it also drew attention to their cause. As Susan B Anthony, a women’s rights activist, wrote in 1896: ‘[The bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world […] It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat’.
To discover more about cycling and women’s experiences, come to Read, Relax, Recharge on 19th June. These sessions will explore writings by women about bicycles, and the joys and challenges of cycling. There will be live readings and the chance to discuss the issues and topics addressed in the writing. On 26th June, Kate Rawles, an outdoor philosopher, writer, lecturer and campaigner, will speak about her book The Carbon Cycle; the story of her 4500 mile bike ride during which she explored North American responses to climate change.
There will also be cycling sessions with a difference. Join GWL for our Coffee, Cake and Creative Writing Ride (various dates) which gives cyclists the opportunity to try creative writing inspired by the bike ride. The Women’s Heritage Cycle Trail Launch takes place on 28th June; this inaugural event will be a guided cycle along the Clyde where you can learn about the women who are important to Glasgow’s cycling history.
For more information about any of GWL’s events at Glasgow Cycle Festival please see the upcoming events page.
