Community on wheels Senior women’s riding group Cycling with Sarah is about much more than bikes By: AV Kitching Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Monday, May. 13, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/05/2024 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The ladies of Manitoba’s first and only senior women’s cycling club, Cycling with Sarah, are raring to get back on their wheels come June.

Clad in their new matching retro-style hot pink and black bike shorts and jerseys, the posse — 65 women between the ages of 55 and 72 — is part of the year-old biking group founded by Sarah Gravelle-MacKenzie, 70, and Rose McDonald, 64.

A solo cyclist for many years, Gravelle-MacKenzie rediscovered her joy and passion for it when she retired seven years ago. Keen to join a biking group, she was unable to find a suitable one locally.

Then, in January last year, she was invited by Liv Cycling Canada, a major cycling brand totally dedicated to women, to become a Liv ambassador.

Her new role gave her the impetus to take matters into her own hands and start the province’s first senior women’s cycling club.

Her aim was to establish a welcoming, supportive group with one goal: to have fun.

“Cycling was such a powerful thing in my life,” she says. “It became a huge passion and I found myself going further and longer on the bike.

“I started the group for senior women to rediscover the joy of cycling and develop a passion for it. Never did I anticipate such a response and that so many women would reach out and want to be a part of this.”–Sarah Gravelle-MacKenzie

“I started the group for senior women to rediscover the joy of cycling and develop a passion for it. Never did I anticipate such a response and that so many women would reach out and want to be a part of this.”

She launched the club in May last year at Bikes and Beyond on Henderson Highway and at first was unsure if there would be enough interest.

There was: 60 women turned up wanting to hear more. Clearly Gravelle-MacKenzie had spotted a gap that needed to be filled.

Advised to start small by Manitoba Cycling Association, Gravelle-MacKenzie and McDonald welcomed 18 full-time riders to the club last summer.

This year sees a sharp rise in numbers; there are now 65 full-time riders across two chapters, one in the northeast of the city, which includes the East St. Paul area, and one in the south end, riding from June through to September this year.

“Cycling with Sarah has built a community of active senior women that have the same passion for social well-being, mental health well-being and active lifestyle,” McDonald says.

“Cycling with Sarah has built a community of active senior women that have the same passion for social well-being, mental health well-being and active lifestyle.”–Rose McDonald

Open to senior women age 55-plus, rides start at 8 a.m. from various cycling-friendly locations. Gravelle-MacKenzie and McDonald plan the routes, keeping mostly to bike paths and trails so riders can focus on getting comfortable on their bikes. As riders increase in confidence, the group will venture on to the quieter country roads of East St. Paul.

Owing to their increased number, riders are split into three groups, with each group riding on a specific day of the week. Rides are kept to between one to two hours, with a break halfway through.

For safety reasons, every group is bookended by two cyclists; one who takes on the role of ride leader at the front and the other who is the sweeper, at the rear. While there is no membership fee to join the club, riders must join Manitoba Cycling Association for insurance purposes.

Kelly Wilson has volunteered to be a ride leader this season.

Wilson, 60, had always been into cycling but never had the time to pursue it fully until she retired.

“Retirement gave me this blank slate to do what I want to do, and cycling was one of those things on my bucket list. I was already a cyclist, but I wanted to do it in a bigger way,” she says.

“I am a fairly active individual and I really wanted to find like-minded people. Sarah and Rose have been so kind, inclusive and supportive. I just love the vibe of the group. It has been such a great journey for me.”

Staying active has not only improved her physical and mental health, but it has also helped Wilson maintain her bond with her adult son.

“I do it for him as well, because he and I cycle together,” she says. “It’s kind of a mother-son thing. When he has a moment in time for me, I grab it. I do it because I want to stay active for my son. I wish my husband would get into it, too.”

There is also a social responsibility aspect to the group — last year they organized four fundraising events.

In August they supported the Ecuador Challenge for Shelter, with monies raised going to Willow Place in Winnipeg. In October they did Socktober with Main Street Project, November was being a part of the Manitoba Shoebox Project and in December they volunteered with Wrap for the Cure in Kildonan Place Mall. They will maintain the same commitments this year.

Gravelle-MacKenzie’s ultimate goal is to introduce Cycling with Sarah across Canada. Along with building a community of like-minded older women, the club also addresses the barriers they face when wanting to get outside and be active.

“I want other cities and provinces to take this up and start cycling groups for senior women,” she says. “A lot of our riders have said to me that they feel invisible, that society doesn’t see them as having the same value as they did when they were younger.

“We may have started off cycling, but now we are giving senior women a voice and a face, a connection to each other, and it’s been powerful. I have heard from so many women how this has changed their lives; it was just what was missing and needed.

“We may have started off cycling, but now we are giving senior women a voice and a face, a connection to each other, and it’s been powerful.”–Sarah Gravelle-MacKenzie

“The group has not just changed my life but the life of other women.”

The organization also counts on the support of the local business community.

“Scattered Seeds has sponsored us, along with Pineridge Hollow, Liv Bikes, and Bikes and Beyond to make my dream of custom cycling jerseys come true for our group,” Gravelle-MacKenzie says. “We will make such a powerful statement about the strength of senior women this summer when we all cycle wearing our Cycling with Sarah jerseys! We for sure won’t be invisible.”

There is currently a waitlist of 20 people wanting to join the group. The main ways to connect is through the Instagram account @cyclingwithsarah or the Facebook group of the same name.

av.kitching@winnipegfreepress.com