Andrea Bidgood

Cycling has been part of my life since I was young. It has grown with me, carried me through all seasons of my life, and has become deeply integrated into how I move through the world.

What I love most about cycling is the agency it can give us. The ability to choose our own wheels, pick our own route, move at our own pace, take up space, explore, challenge ourselves, and feel that quiet power of forward motion. I love that a bike can be transportation, freedom, sport, therapy, connection, and joy, sometimes all in the same ride.

I’ve learned a lot through Ontario Cycling Women’s Month, and I also faced my own nerves by trying the track. It felt intimidating – I was shaking the whole time! But maybe bravery needs us to be a little scared first. Sometimes it feels like getting on a bike you never imagined yourself riding. Sometimes it feels like trusting yourself and the people around you. Sometimes it feels like rolling forward before your confidence has fully caught up, and discovering mid-ride that you are more capable than you thought.  

Cycling has also brought me a strong community. From casual conversations on local rides, to spaces where people are learning, leading, racing, commuting, and encouraging one another, bikes have a beautiful way of connecting people.

The cycling community is a big part of why I am here today as a rider, as an advocate, and as the first Bicycle Mayor of Guelph.

After my first collision in 2021, I was angry and shaken. But what followed changed the direction of my life. People in the cycling community reached out. Conversations began. I started learning more about road safety, infrastructure, advocacy, and what it means to build a city where people feel welcome and can move with freedom, dignity, and care. I would not have chosen that beginning, but it became part of the road that led me here.

Years later, the community that I have been tending to stepped up for me when I needed them the most and changed my trajectory again. After a recent residential fire, I lost my home, my belongings, and all of my bicycles. But what surprised me most was how much that loss shook my sense of identity – What is a Bicycle Mayor without her bikes? But people showed up for me. They supported me. They helped me find my way back onto two wheels before I had fully found my footing. That kind of community truly stays with you and that kind of community is what I hope to keep building.

Whether it is the road, the trail, bike paths, or the track, cycling reminds us that we do not move through the world alone.

I want to thank Ontario Cycling for creating such a meaningful Women’s Month. I learned a lot and appreciate celebrating women in all forms of cycling and for helping create spaces where more women feel welcomed, supported, and inspired to ride their way.

Here’s to more women on bikes, more brave firsts, stronger cycling communities, and more freedom and support on our wheels.