Women & Bicycles Photo Series: Barbara Bitondo, Renu Singh, Harum Helmy

The Women & Bicycles Photo Series (#WBPhotoSeries) is a new project in the program that aims to demonstrate and promote the great and diverse group of women that make up the W&B community. As well as appearing on the group’s Facebook page and on Instagram, these features – a brief quote and accompanying photograph of the woman participating – will be published in a periodic consolidation of the portraits right here on this blog! For more information about the project, send me an email at emily.janas@waba.org.
  Barbara Bitondo, Washington, D.C:
“W&B supports empowerment and emancipation of women specifically, which is why I participate. Learning any new skill gives a woman freedom and independence, and, if the skill is cycling, well, in gets her where she is going faster!”
Renu Singh, Glover Park, Washington, D.C:
“So, I was thinking about this the other day. I am a minority, a woman, and I was an immigrant for a while while I was living in London. All of these things coming together. And I feel like weirdly, bicyclists are treated as a minority similarly in that people have these stereotypes about them. When you don’t know something, you tend to misunderstand it. So for us especially in this group, I just feel like it’s important to stick together and get the word out there. The more people you reach, the less there’s going to be an ‘us them’ situation. There just shouldn’t be an ‘us, them’ situation.”
Harum Helmy, Takoma Park, MD:
“Biking is definitely empowering for me, and it’s such a good feeling. I have these moments sometimes, where I’d be going really fast, or actually trying to go fast, and I’d look down and see my thighs going and I’d think – I’m propelling myself forward. Me, my body. It’s kind of neat, you know? And being that happy and feeling so powerful in your body and all is awesome, and it’d be great if more people – more women, really – could feel that, too.” 
Women & Bicycles is proudly supported by The Potomac Pedalers Touring Club; hosts of the region’s most robust all-level group ride calendar and bike tailgates, Chipotle our delicious dinner party sponsors, and we’re supported by all our friends who donated through the Hains Point 100 ride.