Women’s Cycling Biographies; Resilience, Reluctance, Restoration

National Conference for Women and CyclingHereford, 4th May 2016

05/02/2023 2

5 women’s cycling histories

05/02/2023 3

Background

UNIVERSITY of the WEST of ENGLAND

A life course view on physical activity and travel behaviour;

Earlier PA predicts later activity proposed underlying mechanisms

Associations between life transitions/life events with changes in activity

changes in employment status, residence, relationships, family structure, physical status

schedule, social networks, physical domain, roles, values

Some events impact on options for travel e.g. licence acquisition

Mechanisms of TB changeadaptation to new circumstances: learning and

socialisationEffects can lead or lag

Long term stability of TB, path dependency

405/02/2023

Interviews

• Narrative interviews conducted with adults over 50

• feelings, capabilities and activities related to cycling

• Visual elicitation• Narrative, interpretive accounts of

cycling life histories

05/02/2023 5

Angie

60s

self-employed artist

Inner urban

Cycling diminishing

602/05/2023

London lifeBike main mode

Gets car following move to BristolMulti modal bike walk carYouth cycling

limited by boarding school

Increasing complexity necessitates car

Increasing tendency to walk , enjoys mental space

Angie

705/02/2023

Angie

“My cycling life has really shrunk actually, not because I can’t or don’t want to, for some reason, particularly at the moment, because I’m doing a lot of things to do with work I have needed to the car to go and buy stuff”

“I used to go on the roads more…I am less confident and I think that’s partly to do with I don’t do it so much, and also an age thing

….. you feel more vulnerable…turning your head to see what’s coming ….peripheral vision…and hearing, those things become …less acute

….moving your head, balance and move, checking to see …not quite as good as they were.”

“it would be nice to have a decent bike…light weight, with lots of gears …. more user friendly thing in terms of hills to do leisure cycling,…. one with a motor {laughs}….it seems to be creeping up, that sort of thing”

05/02/2023 8

60s

Cleaner

urban fringe

Reengaged and continuing

902/05/2023

child and youth

Goldie

Cycle to PT job

Takes child to nursery

Restricted by raising family

Walking and lifts from partnerDoesn’t drive

Relationship ends movesorganised rides with son

Cycles to work and shops

Freedom to go out now whenever I want But no one to cycle withPartner health problems

1005/02/2023

Goldie

“having the children so there was no bike at all....moved to Oxford, found a little bike up there I was running around on…again it was just local riding, I often used to go to XX, and work, I had a little part time job in one of the colleges... I peddled to and from there for some years ….again I was on my own with cycling, my husband didn't cycle...I didn't cycle into town I always caught the bus”

“[in] XX had bike but didn't do an awful lot of cycling, we had transport then so got a lift to work, just go out on occasion...didn't do an awful lot because we had the transport”

“…well my leisure trips are just to the shops, I have seen adverts for rides for charity but with no one to go with its not much fun that way, …I have done a cycle run for Dr Banardos many years ago, my son came with me, well that's great but um you know I've not had anyone since, unfortunately I'm a loner..[laughs] cycle on my own”

05/02/2023 11

Leona

50s

fulltime administrator

urban fringe

Re-engaged cycling to work in summer

02/05/2023

Cycles to work

Rural living, commuting by carOccasional leisure/ short functional

Youth cycling, stops at university Urbanising move

After initially working in centre “wouldn’t dream of cycling in”

Job move urban fringe

positive culturesedentary job

2/3 times a week

Leona

1305/02/2023

Leona

“very much a fitness thing, cos at work I’m sitting down all day …it’s only been the last 15 months….I started work there then, it’s a 6/7 mile cycle ride which is actually no further to when I worked in the city centre previously…there is absolutely no way I would have cycled from here into the city….. it’s quieter, traffic’s quieter,

….. and it’s also the attitude of work, if I’m not at my desk until 9.15 it doesn’t matter whereas before I was in financial services and it did …..they have this sustainable travel policy…there are changing facilities, showers…

…I am a fair-weather cyclist, I must admit, October comes and the bike goes in the shed for winter…..some of the ring road path is unlit”

05/02/2023 14

Sheena

50s

Executive on career break

Suburbs

Wants to cycle again, with partner

02/05/2023

Scary experience on bike in LA

Youth cycling, no bike at uni

Maximising time at homeFeeling pressure or appearance

amongst younger colleagues

Career break “Getting on top of health”

Sheena

“And that was that for cycling”

Train commuting into Londonthen car into Bristol

Given bike, cycles with childrentrains for charity ride with friend

New partnerPlans to cycle together

Attempts to cycle to new jobunsuccessful

1605/02/2023

Sheena

“Training for charity ride with friend, does organised ride with son, …. then my friend had a knee op so I said OK I won’t do it and then I think I just focused in on work, lot of international travel, then I had a puncture at one point and being on my own, I just thought pfff, and that was it really…

Worked 25 years for an organisation with cycle purchase scheme and showers “..some of the secretaries did cycle and would be there with wet hair [after showers] ….It was wanting to feel smart and presentable in an environment where people are much younger than you”

“Realisation I needed to get on top of weight, fitness all that stuff…knowing my mother had a heart attack at 65, that’s only 10 -15 years”

“Nothing pleasurable about the constant rush of traffic…would more likely put bike in car to go somewhere more pleasant….we’ve talked about cycling holidays”

05/02/2023 17

Julia

80s

Retired public sector

Suburbs

Stopped cycling, mobility restricted

02/05/2023

Not allowed bike in youth

Julia

1st bike at 21cycling to work

Cycling ends with pregnancy

short trips after children in bed “if my car was behind his”

Widowed “take an apple and a book and go along the cycle path”

Other trips in locality

“knee just became too precious”

knee replacementsuses mobility scooter

05/02/2023 19

Support to continue/ reversing decline

Upgrade bike

Expand domain/skills and contacts

Dedicated infrastructure

Lighting/maintenance

Approaching transitions;Relocation ? wayfinding

Expand Domain/skills and

contacts

Dedicated infrastructure

Diversify activity ahead of retirement

Dedicated infrastructure

Updated bike, power-assist, wing mirror

05/02/2023 20

Proximal segregated facilities

Inclusive cycling groupstailored for rehabilitationsegregated spaces

05/02/2023 21

Take home messages

• This cohort cycling had been constrained or off the radar during motherhood• Enabling later cohorts to incorporate cycling with motherhood• More localised spatial domains compatible with cycling

• Measures to make cycling suit complexity of travel

• Health and active ageing important motivations to re-engage in mid and later

• Female participants more likely to want, or feel the lack of someone to cycle with

• Differentials inability• Logistics of meeting someone for a ride

• Cycling domains shaped by quality/extent of infrastructure• Lighting, maintenance• Poor or absent infrastructure more restrictive to older cyclists

22

Pathways of development in mid and later life

05/02/2023

Time through the life course

Cyclingactivity

Continuity

Diminishing

Expansion

Restorative

Curtailed

RESILIENT

RELUCTANT

RE-ENGAGED

Absent

05/02/2023 OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY 23

Later life cycling

RESILIENT

RELUCTANT

RE-ENGAGED • Lessening constraints and new opportunities e.g. downshifting, released from caring responsibilities

• Rehabilitation, ageing well, sedentariness• Found a spatial/ temporal niche they feel capable cycling within • Companions or facilitators, important but not necessary

• Combination of definitive stops and ‘fizzling out’• Process of mounting dis-ease and doing it less• Safety concerns: balance of capability/ external threats• Travel needs shift related to changes in role and location• Failure to re-purpose or adapt cycling following event• Array of health issues undermining capability, comfort and confidence • Musings about a different bike

• Some periods of stable functional bike use often coinciding with consistent activity space

• Some gaps• Re-purposing/adapting cycling through transitions and events • Self-sufficient: confident and content to cycle alone

05/02/2023 24

Youth to independent livingFeeling confident and capable

Keeping hold of bikeCompatibility with student life

Entry level jobs; location, expectations of dress

Role modelsAnticipation of future roles

Mid-lifeMotherhood

Being on their radar