Pedal power: Women’s Bike Ride Brussels to highlight cycling gender gap on Car-Free Sunday

The Women’s Bike Ride Brussels returns for its fourth edition on Car-Free Sunday on 21 September, setting off from Place de Brouckère at 11.00. 

This independent initiative encourages more women to cycle in the city and to push for safer streets for all riders.  Families - children and supportive men - are welcome to join the festive event.

The ride is preceded this year by the launch of a video interview with Juliana Betancur Arenas of the VUB research group Mobilise. It highlights the motivations for women to cycle, what discourages them and what can be done to close the gender cycling gap.

The researcher, originally from Colombia, notes that countries like the Netherlands and Denmark are “cycling paradises” with more women taking to their bikes than men.

In Brussels, however, women currently make up 40% of cyclists, down 2% from the Covid years, when more women embraced cycling. Infrastructure has improved in the Belgian capital since the pandemic - with more bike lanes, repair workshops and wider access to shared bikes and e-bikes. A recent report shows that one in five Brussels residents now commutes by bike, boosting both mobility and wellbeing.

But as Betancur Arenas points out, gendered mobility patterns are still poorly understood: “Women tend to do what's called trip chaining – more stops over shorter distances, mostly related to care mobilities, because care is still mostly done by women.”

Her research also highlights why confidence, safety and the realities of care responsibilities remain barriers for many women who might otherwise cycle. Although Belgium boasts a cycling culture, the multicultural population of Brussels means that women in some communities have not grown up riding a bike.  

The short film by First Move Productions features some of the growing number of grassroots initiatives in Brussels that are tackling these issues, including Kidical Mass Brussels, Molenbeek à Vélo, Molembike and Ride Your Future, among others.

For director Anny Tubbs, the interview with Betancur Arenas, enriched with visual contributions from local organisers, aims to spark a better-informed debate on how Brussels can become a true “cycling paradise”.

Participants in the Women’s Bike Ride on Sunday are encouraged to dress up in bright hues, including the movement’s colour purple, and decorate their bikes. Registration for the event is not necessary.

Photos: Zoran Popovici, WBRB graphics Leticia Sere