Fancy Women Bicycle Tour

For the past few years, World Car-Free City Day has been shaken up by an event that originated in Izmir and was held simultaneously in over 100 cities across 14 countries.

Sema Gür on FWBT Before the Tour

Fancy Women’s Bike Tour | 2019

Spearheaded by our teacher, Sema Gür. Anatolian women are accustomed to leaving their mark on history and being the first; however, when considering the daily habits of our society in terms of liberating women, they have reached a dead end. At this very point, the adjective “fancy” holds great significance.

We asked Sema Hanım: why fancy?

Fancy is a sign of defiance; it’s whatever you want. “Don’t dress like this, don’t do that, don’t stand like this, don’t look away…” It’s an alternative perspective on existing reality, in contrast to all of this. Accessorize and adorn yourself as you wish: flowers, sparkly shoes… We said, ‘Create your own style and don’t be the same.’ Come as you please. That was our main concern.

When did you start cycling?

I learned to ride a bike when I was 38 thanks to my father and friends. I encountered a whole new world. As I became actively involved in cycling forums, various routes, and groups, it drew me in even more. Women who didn’t know much about cycling were complaining about the male-dominated attitude of existing tours, and I thought I could do something to encourage them.

How did this tour begin? What were you inspired by?

You could call it a struggle against the stereotype of being a “woman like a man.” The mountain bike tour route was steep, and the route was designed to be breathless. There were no breaks to explore and breathe in nature. When I suggested that if we made the route a little easier, not everyone would be able to join, I received a response like, “Let everyone come.” The idea became, “We should create a tour that everyone can come.” A special tour for women, for fancy women… There was actually a need, and it resonated far beyond our initial goal and grew rapidly. In short, we believe that if women take to the streets, the world will change.

What are your aims with this tour?

Bicycles are a non-polluting, environmentally friendly means of transportation. We humans are responsible for climate change, which is also on the global agenda, and for polluting the environment and nature. We have disrupted the balance of nature, and now we need to think about how to stop it. We can contribute to this by cycling. It can be a solution to heavy city traffic and should be perceived as a means of transportation. If there are appropriate bicycle policies and safe roads, we can easily cycle to work or to our destinations. Like many of our fellow citizens around the world, we can get around by cycling in our everyday clothes. To highlight this, we dressed up and took to the roads with our bikes.

Voluntary Participation, Co-Governance

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