Posts Tagged ‘bikes’
Afghan Women Challenging Gender Roles with Bikes
I have found myself constantly inspired in the last year by the story of the Afghan Women’s National Cycling team, pushing the boundaries in a country where cycling is considered taboo.
I recently wrote about them and a new film being made about their story on GOOD:
What if you were told you could not ride a bike because you’re a woman? What if your younger sister wasn’t allowed to ride? What if every single woman in your family was kept away from bicycles simply because riding them was seen as immoral?
While most of us have the luxury of being able to head out on two wheels whenever we want to, for the women of Afghanistan, the world of two wheels is reserved for men. Riding a bicycle is a taboo and a sign of immorality. Something so simple—a means of transportation that so many of us take for granted—is off-limits if you’re a female.
But that is changing.
Despite the cultural taboo of females on bicycles, there is an Afghan Women’s National Cycling Team in Kabul. These women who challenge their country’s gender expectations by riding are the subjects of an upcoming film called Afghan Cycles (Let Media). Earlier this year, co-directors Sarah Menzies and Whitney Connor Clapper travelled with Mountain2Mountain Executive Director Shannon Galpin to Afghanistan with a stash of cameras and more than 350 pounds of bike gear. The goal was to document these amazing, courageous women, but also to provide support for what is hopefully a growing movement.
You can read the full article here. And to support the team, Mountain2Mountain is currently doing a 100 Bikes by Christmas campaign – to help in the launch of a new women’s mountain biking team in Bamiyan – as well as a bike gear drive. To take part and support these women visit mountain2mountain.org/donation or email info[at]mountain2mountain[dot]org.
The Culinary Cyclist Cookbook: 3 for $20 Holiday Special
So this year I wrote a book, a cookbook actually, and it’s called The Culinary Cyclist. Yes, food and bicycles all together in one lovely REAL book (you know, those printed things with pages that you flip through?). Want one? You’re in luck. Through December 15, they’re on a little holiday special: 3 books for $20. That’s basically three books for the price of two. Snag a pack now: one book for you, one for your friend, and one that you can keep on hand until you have the “oh no! I forgot to get [insert name here] a gift!”
There’s a lot of good stuff in here, including recipes (all gluten-free + vegetarian) like Baked Egg in Avocado, Raw Walnut Butter and how to make cold brew coffee in a French press. In other words: you need this book.
Click here to buy.
Is There Anything Better Than Bikes and Sunshine?
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.
– John F. Kennedy
Life is simple really. Take a moment to slow down. Appreciate the present. Celebrate in the small things.
Standing on Pont des Arts I captured this shot, a woman cycling in the afternoon sun. Maybe she was on her way to meet a friend, maybe she was on her way home, or maybe she was just outside taking in the summer day. Whatever she was doing, it was beautiful.
Love bikes? You’ll love The Culinary Cyclist, a cookbook for anyone that believes that life is better spent on two wheels.
New Designs: Upcycled Bike Tube Earrings
Excited about these new bike tube earring designs – you can snag a pair as one of the Culinary Cyclist Kickstarter rewards (my new book) before June 23, 2013!
Buy a Copy of My New Book: The Culinary Cyclist
The idea for the book The Culinary Cyclist came about December of last year, so for the last six months I have had bikes and food on the brain. Well, I always have bikes and food on the brain, but this time as I wrote chapters about coffee, picnics and planning a dinner party, it was book related.
And now, after six months, the book is completely written, the illustrations are drawn (thanks to the lovely Johanna Kindvall) and now somehow in a miraculous showing of support, we managed to raise all of our printing funds on Kickstarter in the first 5 days. That’s a lot of love for food and bikes.
What that means is that the book will without a doubt be printed, and for only $12 you can get yourself a copy! So hop on over to Kickstarter and snag one.
Biking in Paris
Everywhere I travel, I try to ride a bike. It’s one of those weird obsessions that I have; the need to discover everything on two wheels. Be it Afghanistan or Amsterdam, game on.
Here’s the thing about riding a bicycle in new places: it’s like learning how to ride a bike all over again. No matter how used to the bicycle you are – at home in Portland I don’t even own a car – discovering a new city on two wheels makes you fall in love with cycling all over again. It’s a challenge. Navigating streets you have never walked down before, learning the ins and outs of local bike culture, figuring out how traffic works. There’s a flow to cycling, and each city has its own variation.
