cycling

Lo

I hadn’t been feeling great about my body recently so I decided to go for a bike ride and get some exercise. I’d had such a lovely time (like genuinely felt like something out of a crappy nostalgic film). I was waiting at a crossing when a man drove past me and called me a “fat cunt” I was down the street from the house I was born in. Some of my happiest memories from my childhood are cycling down this road. I tried to convince myself that it meant nothing but I can’t help but feel like he took something from me.

G

I was complaining to an acquaintance of having fixed a flat tire on my bicycle, only to have it go flat again the next day. He replied, “why don’t you leave it to your boyfriend?” It would’ve been bad enough if it had been a joke or an insult. But he really meant it, as a helpful suggestion; that’s so much worse.

Susan

I am a 59 year old woman. Yesterday, cycling along a London street at rush hour, I heard a car beeping at me behind and shouting “Move over you fucking bitch”. The car overtook me really close to my bike. At the traffic lights I drew level with the car. A man in his early 20s had the window down and shouted “Move over so cars can pass you”. I said “Excuse me?” He then said “I have a bike and keep over to the side, that’s what you should do”. Me – “Don’t tell me what to do”. Him -” If I’m in my car and I run you over, don’t go crying like a fucking bitch.” The other 3 men in the car remained silent. I took a photo of the number plate and the abuser. He told me, ‘Go home mummy and cry to your husband”. The police officer I reported to said he was sorry. The police did take the incident seriously, and I’m really glad I reported it.

Djay

I was groped on the bike when I tried to slow down and not cut off the man cycling behind me. He thought that this was the perfect opportunity to slap my ass and cycle away in a hurry with his hood obscuring his face. I don’t know why, but for a full second, I was somehow convinced that I probably knew this person as I could not imagine anyone feeling free to do this to a person they didn’t know. Of course, I realized that this wasn’t the case and I cursed and yelled after him while he drove away. I quickly sprinted my way to my friend’s house where I shakily told her what happened. She was obviously sympathetic but also gave me the harsh truth that sadly this happens to all women. I was able to shake it off for a little while and only really started crying when I told my dad about it later in the evening. I had been catcalled before, but I had never been touched like this without my consent. It hit me harder than I expected it to because let’s be real, we all expect it to happen.

Annie

Today a ‘man’ in a car and his fellow passengers took the mickey out of me simply for being a woman on a bike whilst sat at the red light. Over and over. Another time I’ve had a man telling me how to use my gears and trust me, he wasn’t trying to be helpful or considerate. Would he shout at a man riding a bike? Nope Another time I was wolf-whistled by some roughly 18 year olds whilst riding in a country park. I’m twice their age. Imagine being that small-minded and desperate. There’s others but I won’t bore you. Cycling as a woman is ridiculous sometimes.

N10er

Cycling up a steep hill in N8, overtaken by a middle aged man (in lycra) who said ‘not too far now’ I suspect as he couldn’t see my face he thought I was a young woman (I am 53) I pointed out that he had made a cycling up a horrile hill even worse with his comment Think he is the father of my son’s frend….. I wonder what he thought he was doing and did he think he was helping me, hitting on me (as I think he thought I was younger as he commented from behind me)? What I do know is he would never have said that to a man! Reaslied afterwards

Iris

Cycled past two blokes standing by a van, they yelled at “Surely you can cycle faster than that darling?” Rolled my eyes and kept going to the gym.

Sam

Riding my bike to work this morning. I’d just reached the top of a hill so I was a bit puffed out and my face reflected that. Bloke in a van leans out of his window and shouts “smile!” at me. I’m sure he wouldn’t have said the same to another guy.

Hannah

About lunchtime, cycling on the bike path parallel to the road, I notice a man on a motorbike on the road a few meters ahead looking right at me – not expression, but kind of serious looking. I pass him and he continues too, and stops several meters ahead of me and again, stares right at me with the same expressionless face. This continues 5 times in total, where he stops to watch me cycle. He doesn’t try and talk, just staring, and then moving on further down the road to get another chance to stare at me anew.

Anon

I’m in the cycle shop and new to bike maintenance and ask them about changing a tyre. They’re very helpful but one guy started telling us a story about a girl he saw the other day changing a tyre at the side of a road as she looked like she was scared to get her hands dirty and questioned whether she managed to change the tyre in the end. And they also called me ‘baby’.. ‘yeah, baby, I can do that’. I’m tired of all of this.