Women Who Bike: Melyssa and Adrienne

BIKE NOPA & Bikes And The City have spun out a new collaborative bike series, Women Who Bike. Each Monday and Wednesday we will feature San Francisco women and their bicycles. Check both our blogs for the experiences, stories, and ideas that women who bike the city want to share with you.
Let us know your thoughts and leave comments for the featured riders.

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Women Who Bike: Melyssa and Adrienne

How would you characterize your bicycling style? assertive, carefree, cautious, competitive, law abiding, slow and steady
M. i ride like i assume that i am invisible to cars. slow and steady wins everytime.
A. I ride a bike.

Something basic: how often do you bike and what for?
M. everyday for every reason: to work, to fun and to run borriiiiing errands.
A. Just about everyday and for just about every reason. It has come to a point where I have to make myself remember I have a car I can use. I don't think any of the people I have met in the last 18 months have ever even seen my car.

What could be done in SF to encourage more women, including teens and younger, to bike?
M.i think the same answer you hear often: better bike infrastructure. see ade's answer...
A. Where to start.... first off, we need to get rid of this bloody injunction! Enough is enough and it is time to get some infrastructure going! We gotta make it comfortable to ride with kids on the back and not be crowded in by cars. Second, those of us who are out there with our kids and our heels need to get vocal and visible about what we do, too- we need to brag about how easy it was to park the bike right in front of the play date, we need to vocalize our happiness about the discovery that our favorite jeans fit sooooo much better since we started riding to work, we need to talk about how great it feels to not pay that stupid gym bill any more because the riding has been such a great way to get in the exercise....

How many of your best dates/friendships started with biking?
M. i've met you guys! hugs!!! it's also just easier to hang around people who already enjoy being on bikes.
A. I can think of one or two : ) Making friends on the bike has been great (and making new friends once you get out of college gets harder every year). Best has been finding an easy way to get in fun time with my husband. Even a trip to Costco is fun on the bikes.

I surprise people when I bike by (or with):
M. when i wear my work clothes on my commute. them being surprised surprises me back!
A. Just being on my bike surprises people, but I get the biggest shock value when people see me tackle hills with my 5 year old on the back of my Dutch bike. They can't believe I am not dead at the top : )

My message to women who want to try biking:
M. just get on the bike. and when/if you fall, it's ok, not the end of the world, just dust yourself off and get back on that bike and show it who's boss! also, make sure that the bike is comfortable for you. the more comfortable it is, the more intuitive it will be to meld seamlessly into your lifestyle.
A. Stop saying you can't and just do it. Even if all you are comfortable with at first is riding in the park, just do it. We are women, not Faberge eggs- we will not break biking down the road to the café.

These two women rock. We have all joined the enthusiasm to go a little further than roaming our city daily, and take it a step aside to experience the Marin Century this summer and we get prepared together, alongside with a few other peeps.
Adrienne rides all over the city and is based out of Glen Park and you can find Melyssa anytime adding a dose of sass to the wiggle. Together (+Caryl in LA), and asides our personal blogs, we have a collaborative blog Change Your Life. Ride a Bike!

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♥ Gracias Melyssa y Adrienne!! ♥

Don't forget to check out BIKE NOPA for more Women Who Bike profiles.
Women who bike: Take the Writing Women Back into Bicycling survey online by May 15th. More than 7300 women already have. Survey conducted by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP). See survey here: link
See Bikes & The CIty past profiles here: Women Who Bike Series