WomanTours

Bike touring organization supports pedaling women

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

If you’re a woman cyclist who wants a fellow rider for companionship and increased safety, get to know WomanTours.

The Rochester-based company organizes and hosts women-only bicycle tours domestically and internationally and may be the only women-only bicycle tour company in the US.

Karen Miltner, 60, is the company’s tour specialist. She said that most of the staff of seven is 55 or older. So is much of the customer base, although some mother-daughter duos take tours together.

Why tour only with other women?

“Some go on tours with their husbands,” Miltner said. “Maybe they don’t ride as fast or there’s more of a competitive spirit with their husbands. Or maybe their husbands don’t ride well or at all. We have a spirit of camaraderie. It’s a ride, not a race. We encourage everyone to ride at her own pace. Everyone feels supported. We’re cheerleaders for each other. When women come on tour, they often don’t come with a friend or partner but have friends in about 10 minutes and many times, they stay lifelong friends.”

That’s the power of cycling camaraderie. Many post-tour evaluations completed by participants cite making new friends as the participants’ favorite part of the experience. About 70% of the riders return for more tours.

Each tour except for international tours receives support from a WomanTours van. The company arranges lodging and meals for riders also. Tour leaders in the vans assist when a bicyclist needs assistance, whether a flat tire or a snack.

About a dozen guides nationwide lead the tours. Participants may bring their own road bike or e-bike or rent one from WomenTours.

Miltner said that e-bikes are helping more people to tour as they grow older and feel less physically able to participate in tours such as those recovering from knee replacement. WomenTours doesn’t lead mountain biking tours. It’s all on bike paths or roads.

The shorter tours are about four days; the longer, cross-country tours can last two months. The rides range among all levels of difficulty as well, from flat bike paths to hilly roads that bring on the burn.

Most tours last a week. Local tours include the Erie Canal and the Finger Lakes. The tours begin in the south in early spring and move northward as the weather warms. The last tours wrap up in the fall. WomanTours hosts about 60 tours annually. About 40% of them are international and 60% are domestic.

“Some tours have more of a cultural or sight-seeing focus,” Miltner said. “Our Finger Lakes tour we call ‘Women’s History and Finger Lakes Wine.’”

Wine tasting waits until the tour concludes, as those touring can pick up bottles of vino en route. (Anyone who imbibes while on the tour must ride in the van for the rest of the tour.)

“One of our company’s strengths is we have a variety of tours to fit all kinds of cycling,” Miltner said.

European trips may involve a barge support vehicle that meets cyclists at various parts of their tour. WomanTours’ international trips include a tour in Tanzania that donates proceeds to help outfit women in the African country with bicycles for transportation so they can be more independent.

“It’s very important to give back,” Miltner said. “All tour profits for our Tanzania: Service, Cycling and Safari tour benefit globalbike.org, a nonprofit that invests in women-led bike rental and repair businesses. This type of economic empowerment helps women to be self-reliant and support themselves and their families.”

WomanTours works to introduce new tours each year, which Miltner said encourages participants to return. Some have been riding with WomenTours for 30 years.

Miltner advises anyone interested in bicycle touring to “start slowly. You don’t have to conquer the world at once. A lot of communities have bicycling clubs that might do women-only rides or groups.”

These experiences can help cyclists get a feel for riding in a group and how touring works. Participating in a shorter, weekend tour of only 20 miles daily can help new cyclists build up their endurance.

Miltner also encourages new cyclists to learn about riding safety and basic bicycle maintenance.

“And we always, always, always wear helmets,” she added.

The full tour schedule is at www.womantours.com/tours