Featured image: Rebecca Lupton

Belinda Everett is a force of nature. A qualified bike mechanic, workshop practitioner and Manchester’s first-ever Bicycle Mayor, she is on a mission to make cycling inclusive and accessible for all. As Manchester celebrates becoming the first European Capital of Cycling, Belinda’s work is central to driving forward change in our city and putting Manchester on the global stage.

Winning this significant bid highlights the city’s commitment to building a healthier community. From Manchester City Council’s ‘Pedal More in 24’ campaign to the reopening of the National Cycling Centre and miles of new cycleways being built throughout the city, these initiatives are just the beginning of a broader transformation.

Belinda’s focus is on breaking down the barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing the benefits of cycling. “Many women feel that cycling isn’t for them. They don’t feel safe, comfortable or represented,” says Belinda. “The mission is to increase the number of women and girls cycling and the visibility of under-represented groups.”

Belinda explains the physical aspect of riding a bike can be a barrier for women too: “This comes down to the science behind the design of the saddle — as women, it can feel like it’s not made for us and how we sit on the bike.”

But safety concerns and harassment remain a significant issue. “We get abuse thrown at us and it’s not taken seriously. The number of women who have come up to me and said they’ve been sworn at or nearly been pushed off their bikes is unreal – it’s more complex for us.”

According to the National Travel Survey, men make up to three times as many cycling trips as women. Belinda stresses these issues need to be critically examined and addressed before the number of women and young girls in cycling improves.

“There needs to be a cultural shift,” says Belinda, citing that 67% of young girls across the UK drop out of any kind of physical activity by the time they reach puberty. “We know the number of women cycling regularly in Manchester is less than 10%. This needs to be looked at as it means the roads are currently dominated in one direction.”

For Belinda, cycling has always been a necessity, a way “to get from A to B”. But now, she’s inspired by the city’s changemakers of the past, drawing parallels with Suffragettes like Emmeline Pankhurst, who used bikes to push their politics while campaigning for the right to vote. 

Belinda recommends reading Revolutions by Hannah Ross where she learned about the ‘Bicycle Boom’ of the 1800s: “Throughout history, women have had to fight to ride the bicycle. When they were established, it was for white males.

“Over time they started to redesign the bike when they realised they could make more money. The dropped-down bar was introduced and more women began to start cycling, but it was for a certain class. It wasn’t for all.”

Belinda also highlights the wider economic and infrastructural challenges: “Some women do not have a space to put their bikes, regardless of their economic situation. The few spaces available are often poorly lit which makes it unsafe and puts women off cycling.” While the solutions are multifaceted, Belinda is focused on what can be done now, emphasising practical, immediate action.

Through her community interest company Bee Pedal Ready, Belinda provides an inclusive space for women to learn to ride, repair bikes and gain confidence. Belinda trained as a bike mechanic after becoming frustrated that she couldn’t fix her own bike: “For women, we become very vulnerable if something goes wrong when we’re out on our bikes. It’s important to have these skills because we can make ourselves less vulnerable.

Belinda’s initiative has built a supportive community for female cyclists. “When there is a space that is for them, they open up. They tell us stories and situations which have happened to them which I don’t think they would reveal otherwise. It’s become a sort of safe space where they work together as a collective to empower each other — I think that’s really beautiful. Coming from all walks of life, the one common denominator they all have is the bike.”

As a woman of colour with Caribbean heritage, Belinda has often felt unrepresented in the cycling community. “There’s also the racial element that complicates things,” she says. “Cycling spaces are still predominantly occupied by white males, making it difficult for others to feel welcome.”

To celebrate her culture, Belinda incorporates the colours of her Caribbean and African heritage — black, red, yellow, and green — into Bee Pedal Ready’s branding. This simple act of cultural expression helps bring people together. “When people see the colours, they come up to me speaking with their Caribbean accent and acknowledge me as ‘sister’. It helps to grow our community,” she says.

“I always felt as though I was living two lives: my English life and Caribbean life, but then I went into cycling, and it became a sort of balance. However, I’ve never felt culturally identified in cycling because of my background.”

This summer, Belinda took part in one of Europe’s biggest community bike rides, the Black Unity Bike Ride in London — a community event ‘riding in the name of unity, empowerment and love,’ which coincided with widespread UK riots and the worst unrest the country has seen in over a decade.

Despite concerns that these far-right, anti-immigration protests and riots might disrupt the event, 3,000 people turned up to celebrate. Belinda says: “It was incredible to see people come together. It was a very positive affirmation that we are here and we are doing very positive things and we are part of Britain — it’s all of us.”

Belinda adds: “The Black community has been cycling for a very long time — since the 1800s: it’s just you haven’t seen it.”

Belinda wants to change the perception of both the history and current reality of cycling: “People say there’s no diversity in cycling, but if we stand outside McDonald’s and Pret A Manger, and look out for UberEats riders, we see there’s a lot of diversity on bikes in the delivery and logistics side.

“For me, they are also cyclists, they are also on the road, but we’re not having conversations about a collective of people who are predominantly black and brown males who don’t have a voice at the minute and are being demonised every single day.”

Belinda acknowledges that a shift needs to take place to improve visibility and the media has an important role to play: “When we talk about the voiceless, this is something the media can help with — as well as recognising who is actually doing more for sustainability.”

As part of Manchester’s European Capital of Cycling celebrations, Belinda is gearing up for another ambitious project — a second night-time bike ride designed to bring women from across Greater Manchester together to illuminate the streets and ride as an empowered collective.

The Lights Up event offers women and girls the opportunity to engage in cycling, while promoting safe riding at night and raising awareness of the underlying issues. This is especially important as winter approaches, and the number of female cyclists on the roads drops significantly as the days get shorter: “Feeling safe on the roads after dark is important, otherwise women and families are locked in from 4pm.”

Partnering with Manchester City Council and Manchester Metropolitan University, the ride will start at All Saints Park and travel through the university campus, passing the illuminated School of Digital Arts. Belinda says: “Last year, we purposely rode through Alexandra Park because it was a dark area and it became the most uplifting and empowering part of the ride. When you looked behind, there was this mystic trail of lights behind us just lighting up the night – it was magical.”

Last year, 60 women took part in the ride. This year, Belinda is hoping even more will join, including our university community. Belinda says there’s a lot we can learn from the experiences of international students in the city, many of whom say they don’t feel represented or safe on the roads: “They tell me, ‘There’s no way I’d cycle here,’ yet they cycle all the time at home. This shows us that people coming to this country are just expected to get a bike and ride. We need to have structures in place to encourage people and provide stepping stones.”

Belinda’s personality is formidable and her passion for motivating women is infectious. Sharing a word of motivation for students considering joining the ride, Belinda says: “Come and join us! It will be so fun, uplifting and empowering!

Register to join the Lights Up night-time bike ride on Saturday 9 November, starting from All Saints Park. Keep an eye out for upcoming bike workshops designed to help students learn, repair and ride bikes in collaboration with @beepedalready.