When Cycle Sisters’ founder, Sarah Javaid, found herself wanting to get back into cycling as an adult. The prospect of returning to cycling in her 30s, post-motherhood, left her feeling apprehensive. In her search for a supportive community, she couldn’t find anywhere where she felt like she’d fit in. Alongside her friend and sisters-in-law, Sarah established Cycle Sisters’ first group in Waltham Forest in 2016. Since then, Cycle Sisters groups have been established in ten boroughs across London, with over 1500 women as part of the network and a dedicated team of over 90 trained volunteer Ride Leaders. Sarah Javid kindly agreed to do a Q&A with us so we could find out more about the journey of Cycle Sisters! 

Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you?

Prior to starting Cycle Sisters, I’ve had experience in various sectors including community work and not-for-profit organisations. My inspiration for Cycle Sisters stemmed from finding it challenging to start cycling in my 30s leading to a desire to address the lack of representation and accessibility for Muslim women in this space. Seeing the transformative impact cycling had on my life, I wanted to create a platform that would offer the same benefits to other Muslim women, while also fostering a sense of community and empowerment.

What was the turning point that made you decide to take the leap and start Cycle Sisters?

The turning point was when I decided to start cycling again myself as an adult. I hadn’t cycled for a very long time so, when I tried to get back into cycling in my 30s after having kids, I felt intimidated. I looked for a group for support, but couldn’t find anywhere where I felt like I’d fit in.

I started cycling weekly with my friend and sisters-in-law and this became our first Muslim women’s community cycle group in Waltham Forest in 2016. This showed me there was a significant demand for an organisation dedicated to supporting and encouraging Muslim women cyclists.

Now Cycle Sisters has groups in ten boroughs across London with more than 1500 women who are part of our network and a team of 90+ trained volunteer Ride Leaders.

What, if any, were the biggest challenges you faced when setting up the charity?

Some challenges included securing bikes for our 10 groups to ensure our rides were accessible to everyone, even if they didn’t own their own bike.

Secondly, finding volunteers with the right level of cycling experience to train as Ride Leaders who also had the availability and commitment to run rides - volunteers are key to our model and without them Cycle Sisters wouldn’t exist.

Finally, the biggest challenge was making groups financially sustainable to ensure all of our activities could continually run at no cost to participants.

What is the core mission of Cycle Sisters?

The core mission of Cycle Sisters is to inspire and enable Muslim women to cycle, fostering confidence, well-being, and a sense of community. We aim to break down barriers and create a supportive environment where Muslim women can enjoy the benefits of cycling.

Can you describe how the services you offer empower Muslim women?

We offer a range of services including regular group rides, cycle training, and workshops on bike maintenance. These services empower Muslim women by providing them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to cycle independently. Additionally, our supportive community encourages social connections and mutual support, further enhancing that sense of empowerment.

In what ways does Cycle Sisters inspire confidence in Muslim women taking up cycling, and encourage safety?

We inspire confidence through our group rides and training that address the needs and concerns of Muslim women. Our rides are led by female Muslim volunteer Ride Leaders, who’ve received British Cycling Ride Leader qualifications. The volunteers both model good road cycling practice for the groups and act as role models.

Several women within our network have also trained as qualified Cycle Instructors, so Muslim women can access cycle training sessions from women within the Cycle Sisters network. These sessions are accessible for complete beginners, those wishing to cycle on the road for the first time, as well as those who are looking to improve their skills and confidence in more complex road environments.

You have developed a successful Cycle Sisters volunteer-led model, can you tell us more about how this model works?

Our volunteer-led model is central to our success. We train passionate volunteers from within the community to become Ride Leaders and ambassadors. These volunteers lead regular group rides, provide support, and help organise events and training sessions. This model not only ensures sustainability but also fosters a sense of ownership and pride among our members, as they actively contribute to the growth and impact of Cycle Sisters.

Can you share some of the success stories that highlight the impact of your work?

We regularly hear incredible stories from women about how learning to cycle has changed their lives or how our rides have had a hugely positive impact on physical or mental well-being. This is definitely what we are most proud of.

Stories like Fatima’s, who was referred to Cycle Sisters by a social prescriber after a mental health crisis. At the time, Fatima was also dealing with chronic health conditions including back pain and diabetes.

“Cycle Sisters made me feel so safe and helped me realise my ability is stronger than my disability. Through group rides and becoming a volunteer Ride Leader, I discovered a sense of purpose, joy, and self-acceptance. I am now planning to get a job as a Cycle Instructor which is something I never thought I could do. Cycling not only improved my mental and physical health but also empowered me to embrace life!” - Fatima

You can see some individual stories here.​

What has been the most rewarding aspect of running a charity?

The most rewarding aspect has been witnessing the personal growth and transformation of our members. Seeing women gain confidence, form lasting friendships, and embrace cycling as part of their lifestyle is incredibly fulfilling. Knowing that our work is making a tangible difference in their lives is what drives me every day.

Each year we conduct an annual impact survey of our members to help us understand the impact that our led rides have. In our latest survey:

• 92% have improved physical and mental health
• 85% feel less lonely and isolated
• 90% feel more confident
• 52% use their car less
• 46% say that their family cycles more

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Looking back, I think that we’ve been learning and incorporating what we’ve learnt into the model as we’ve gone along. You have to go through a process and learn from it in order to get to a good point, which I think we are at now.

One thing we could have done differently was to make sustainability one of our primary focuses when setting up a new group. Making sure we have upfront commitment from the local authority to support new groups on an ongoing basis is key because sustainability and funding is a challenge.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to set up a similar initiative?

My advice would always keep your vision in mind, especially when things are challenging and make sure the community is at the heart of your work. Build a strong support network and team who bring different skills to what you offer and who can give you constructive criticism and advice. Most importantly, trust in Allah to open doors for you and just do your best.

What are your future plans for Cycle Sisters?

Our future plans include expanding our reach to more London boroughs and training more women as Ride Leaders, Instructors and Bike Mechanics. We aim to continue making cycling more accessible and inclusive for all through securing places for our community in cycling events in London and across the country. We’re also looking into how we can make our rides more accessible to women with disabilities and neurodiversity.

Are there any new projects you’re excited about that you can share with us?

Yes, we’re currently running our new Switch Your Journey campaign for the first time.

The new campaign aims to promote cycling for transport. From 1st-14th July, we’re encouraging our sisters to switch one or more journeys to cycling. Whether it’s a work commute, cycling with the kids on the school run or travelling to the shops. Many sisters join us on our weekly led rides but often don’t have a chance to cycle independently outside of these. Switch your Journey is an opportunity to try out switching to cycling for a regular journey and see whether it’s something our sisters could make work long-term.