Cycle Sisters is an award-winning charity providing cycling groups across London for Muslim women to have access to cycling without having to compromise cultural or religious values.
Why was Cycle Sisters created?
Cycle Sisters started when founder, Sarah Javaid, decided to start cycling again as an adult. She hadn’t cycled for a long time so, when she tried to get back into cycling in her 30s after having kids, she felt quite intimidated. She looked for a group for support, but couldn’t find anywhere where she felt like she'd fit in.
Along with a friend and her sisters-in-law, they set up their first Muslim women’s community cycle group in Waltham Forest in 2016. Now Cycle Sisters has groups in ten boroughs across London with more than 1500 women who are part of the network and a team of 100+ trained volunteer Ride Leaders.
Many Muslim women feel unable to participate in cycling, experiencing a number of barriers e.g. confidence/skills, family/home commitments, lack of role models, cultural attitudes and fears around safety/Islamophobia.
Cycle Sisters is passionate about ensuring everyone has access to cycling without having to compromise cultural or religious values, and has developed a successful model which addresses these barriers in a fun, supportive and empowering environment.
How did you know what people wanted?
We train volunteers from within the community to become Ride Leaders and ambassadors.
These volunteers lead regular group rides, provide support, and help organise events and training sessions.
This model fosters a sense of ownership and pride among our members, as they actively contribute to the growth and impact of Cycle Sisters.
We collect demographic data on our participants and conduct member surveys to ensure that the community is at the heart of our work.
How did you promote your activities?
Community Facebook groups, council websites, community noticeboards, places of worship, community events, existing members' community outreach.
The impact of Cycle Sisters
Cycle Sisters has had a profound impact on the community, with their efforts leading to significant improvements in the lives of the women they engage.
One stand out example is Fatima, who was referred to Cycle Sisters by a social prescriber after a mental health crisis. At the time, Fatima was also dealing with chronic health conditions including back pain and diabetes.
I was too self-conscious to be active as I am overweight and wear a hijab. Cycle Sisters made me feel so safe and helped me realise my ability is stronger than my disability. Through group rides and becoming a volunteer Ride Leader, I discovered a sense of purpose, joy, and self-acceptance. I am now planning to get a job as a Cycle Instructor which is something I never thought I could do. Cycling not only improved my mental and physical health but also empowered me to embrace life!
Her story exemplifies the life-changing effects of their work. Fatima’s journey, from a novice cyclist to an active volunteer and participant in sportives, demonstrates the power of the Cycle Sisters’ community. She not only improved her own physical and mental health but also became a source of inspiration and support for others.
Her experience reflects the broader impact of Cycle Sisters, where 92% of participants reported improvements in their health and 85% felt more connected to their communities.
Fatima’s story highlights how their programmes empower women, enhance their confidence, and create a ripple effect within families and communities, normalising cycling and sports within the Muslim community.
How did you overcome barriers when launching Cycle Sisters?
One of our primary barriers was making groups financially sustainable to ensure all of our activities could continually run at no cost to participants.
Now we make sustainability one of our primary focuses, making sure we have upfront commitment from the local authority to support new groups on an ongoing basis.
What are your plans moving forward?
Our future plans include expanding our reach to more London boroughs and training more women as Ride Leaders, Instructors and Bike Mechanics.
We aim to continue making cycling more accessible and inclusive for all through securing places for our community in cycling events in London and across the country. We’re also looking into how we can make our rides more accessible to women with disabilities and neurodiversity.
Top Tip for groups looking to do something similar:
Always keep your vision in mind, especially when things are challenging. Build a strong support network and team who bring different skills to what you offer and who can give you constructive criticism and advice.
How does Cycle Sisters embody the action area 'Safe'?
Group rides provide a safe and supportive space for people to try cycling and build skills. Group rides with trained Ride Leaders give people confidence to cycle on the roads. Bikeability cycle lessons can further develop skills in road confidence.
Ride Leaders and other group members act as role models and demonstrate that people from all backgrounds can cycle. Riding in a group can feel safer especially when starting out.
The logistics of our rides meet participant needs: for example women-only spaces, rides timed around prayers, cafe stops rather than pub stops, shorter rides or breaks during Ramadan.
The group provides a safe and supportive space where people don’t have to compromise or justify values or lifestyle choices and women know they won’t feel like an outsider.