Johannesburg Women Learn to Cycle, Find Community on Wheels

Karabo Mashele couldn't ride a bicycle three years ago. Today, she leads up to 40 women on twice-monthly cycling adventures through Johannesburg's streets, transforming both her life and theirs.

Her brother Titi sparked the idea when he noticed almost no women joining his Soweto group rides. He asked Karabo to help attract more female cyclists, but she had one problem: she didn't know how to ride.

After learning to cycle, Mashele created Girls on Bikes specifically for women who wanted the joy of cycling without the fear of navigating Johannesburg's roads alone. Her brother and his friends escort the rides, controlling traffic and ensuring everyone's safety.

The first rides attracted just a handful of women. Now in its third year, the group has grown so popular that Mashele sometimes turns people away because the local bike shop runs out of rental bicycles.

Every Saturday morning, the women gather outside Cycle Boutique in Milpark for their ride. Some are regulars who attend often, while others are nervously trying cycling for the first time.

Mashele gives everyone a safety briefing before they roll out. She warns about potholes, uncovered manholes, impatient taxi drivers, and unfortunately, catcalling from men on the streets.

As the group pedals through Braamfontein, Newtown and the city center, whoops of joy echo between buildings. Shopkeepers wave, pedestrians cheer, and even some taxi drivers honk approval and flash thumbs up.

First-timer Alexandra Greenberg called the ride tough but enjoyable. "Everyone was so friendly and helpful," she said, promising to return.

For regulars Tumi Katali and Tumi Masetle, the fitness takes a backseat to friendship. "It's more the social aspect: getting to meet people and form friendships," Katali explained.

Both women say they'd never feel safe cycling alone in Johannesburg. The group gives them freedom they wouldn't otherwise have.

The Ripple Effect

Girls on Bikes now offers longer 30-40km Saturday rides for women ready for bigger challenges. Last year, a group from the program completed the 947 Ride Joburg challenge, a grueling 94.7km race, for the first time.

The initiative also teaches women who never learned as children. Andiswa Macala, 29, just finished her first lesson with a smile she couldn't wipe away.

"I can't believe there's like a 10-year-old who does this so effortlessly, and then there's me," she laughed. "My inner child is happy."

For R50 (about $3), participants get vehicle escort support and post-ride refreshments. More importantly, they get something many women in Johannesburg rarely experience: the simple freedom to ride through their own city.

Women passing by on the street regularly stop the group to ask how they can join.