Women’s Freedom Ride – After Dark!

Start location: Marble Arch
Timings: Meet 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start.

• Route: This is a safe, fully led and marshalled 7-mile ride, ending at Paddington Station by 8.30pm (as a longer ride, it may not be suitable for younger riders). We’ll pass through dark parks, urban graffiti jungles and isolated stretches and ask – why are these part of Transport for London’s approved cycle network?!
• Dress code: light it up! Wear lights, fairy lights, fancy dress, garish hi-viz and anything that lights up and sparkles and shines after dark! Moodboard inspiration below, homemade placards extremely welcome… Please come wrapped up very warm and waterproof, it will be cold. Gloves are essential at this time of year. Riders must have working bike lights at front and rear.
• Safety: Please note that we have to cap numbers on this ride for safety reasons so sign up now.
• Make some noise! Whistles, speakers, loudspeakers, music, bells, tambourines… get loud!
• No bike? No problem! Forest are providing free codes and bringing bikes to the start, so there will be some ebikes available free of charge (you will need to have the Forest app and have registered for an account in advance). There are also plenty of other hire bikes available near Marble Arch if you are not bringing a bike of your own.
• Would you make a good ride marshal? Register your interest above and sign up for training here. We want as many female ride marshals as possible. And the more marshals we have, the bigger the ride can be. You’ll help keep everyone safe, as well as set the tone to make the ride fun and welcoming. You need a calm, inclusive manner and to be a competent rider (think manoeuvring, communicating and looking all-around). No experience needed: we’ll provide training.
• Thank you! The LCC Women’s Network After Dark report and protest is supported by Forest, the shared ebike service, and Madison, the UK’s leading distributor of cycle parts and accessories.