I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

"I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can't get into harm unless she gets off her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." - feminist pioneer Susan B. Anthony 1896

I just love riding my bike and I know I don’t do it enough. But in so many ways biking is a great pastime and even a political tool we Susan B. Anthony shared in her quote above. Living in a pretty and bike friendly metropolitan area, I have no excuses for not getting out on two wheels. Vanity and laziness are my only pals helping neglect my bike. Too hot, too cold (really in Florida), too tired, too bored and too many excuses.

Well that is all changing. I have been making a great effort (and succeeding) in getting out on my bike. From trips to the library, to picking up one or two items from the store to just to see the sites around my town, I’ve pedaled my way around the streets of St. Pete. Sometimes we go down to the beach and have brunch or just go on adventurous excursions along the trails. And, every time I am taking a ride I wonder “I love this, why don’t I do this more often?”

When I discovered that we were once forbidden to glide around on two wheels, I was amazed (but then again, I sort of take for granted all the rights women in America have today).

So ladies, for Feminism’s sake, get on your bikes and ride!

To get some more information about how women on bikes changed their role in America, listen to the Stuff Mom Never Told You podcast How did women pedal their way to emancipation?