Wednesday morning, local cyclist, Emma Buron, appeared on the Arkansas Outside segment of Good Morning Arkansas. Emma created the Women On A Roll program and continues to lead the group. She was good enough to tell us about the goals and history of this women’s cycling group.
Women On A Roll (WOAR) aims to make cycling more accessible to women. There is so much fear around cycling: not fitting in, getting dropped, looking like a beginner, not knowing the mechanical aspects of a bicycle, and not having the proper skills (to name a few). With a FOR women BY women approach, the idea is to provide a welcoming environment that is fun to learn and safe to ask questions. We are a diverse group, from different backgrounds, all fitness and skill levels, all shapes and sizes, and a wide range of ages (20s to 70s). Together, we break down cycling challenges into pieces. We identify the required skills, learn them, practice them, and then, we can attack each obstacle with confidence and poise. Through this process, we share our experiences and encourage one another.
WOAR is made of volunteers, all of our events are free, and we address all aspects of cycling: fitness, on-the-bike skills, and mechanical know-how. We also value quality training, so every skills clinic we offer is led by a BICP-certified instructor (Bicycle Instructor Certification Program), and we have a group of trained ride leaders to help with every ride. It is important to learn the proper fundamentals to progress safely and efficiently.
Women On A Roll (WOAR) started in the spring of 2016. It was originally a road cycling group that aimed to teach women the fundamentals of riding a bicycle in a group setting (riding in a peloton: single and double pacelines). By 2018, WOAR had expanded its activities to mountain biking as well. From the very beginning, Chainwheel (bike shop) was a key partner and helped promote WOAR to the cycling community. When Chainwheel was sold, Angry Dave’s Bicycle Shop continued promoting WOAR via its social media platform and remains a key supporter to this day.
For more information on Women On A Roll, go to their Facebook and Instagram pages.
You can watch her interview with Ansley Watson of Good Morning Arkansas KATV 7, by clicking the image below:
