The gendered, embodied experiences of women learning to ride a bike as adults

This study draws upon corporeal feminist approaches to examine the gendered and embodied experiences of women learning to ride a bicycle as adults, with a focus on how constructions of femininity shape engagement in active leisure. To explore these experiences, a qualitative methodology was employed using semi-structured interviews with women enrolled in an adult learn-to-cycle group. Findings reveal that women's interactions with their bodies and physical movement are profoundly influenced by both internalized gender norms and external societal pressures. Participants described how concerns about appearance, bodily competence, and perceived failure intersected with broader ideals and expectations surrounding femininity, shaping their motivations, anxieties, and sense of self. Yet, through the process of learning to cycle, many women experienced a sense of empowerment, a reconnection with their physical selves, and a redefinition of what their bodies were capable. The study highlights the transformative potential of active leisure as a space for women to resist normative gendered scripts and reclaim embodied agency, contributing to feminist understandings of leisure as both a site of discipline and empowerment, where embodied practices can simultaneously reproduce and contest dominant constructions of femininity.