You can do hard things!' The young cycling enthusiasts reclaiming the streets of Johannesburg

"On a hot Saturday spring morning, Karabo Mashele urged a group of female cyclists up the hills of a plush Johannesburg suburb. Come on my ladybugs, the 32-year-old shouted over the sounds of 4X4 cars overtaking the riders. You can do hard things! Twice a month, Mashele, who only learned to cycle aged 29, leads Girls on Bikes casual rides for up to 25 women in their 20s and 30s, through Johannesburg or Pretoria."

"Johannesburg, with a population of nearly 5 million, is not designed for cyclists or pedestrians, with dense townships and sprawling suburbs connected by highways. Less than 1.5% of the City of Gold's commuters cycle to work, the majority of them migrant workers from other southern African countries, according to Njogu Morganm who has studied transport in the city. Bikes are usually seen as either an elite hobby or a last resort for the poor."

"South Africa's metropolitan areas haven't changed much since apartheid ended more than three decades ago, with poorer black workers commuting to wealthier areas from the townships into which the white minority regime forced their communities. This dynamic is something Titi Mashele is acutely aware of. He launched Banditz Bicycle Club in 2018 to find a cycling community and now has a bike shop and runs weekly Homies Night Rides. He also encouraged his younger sister Karabo to start Girls on Bikes."

Karabo Mashele leads twice-monthly Girls on Bikes rides for up to 25 women, encouraging novices and joining longer mixed-gender rides on other weekends. Johannesburg's urban layout and highways make cycling and walking difficult, and fewer than 1.5% of commuters cycle to work. Cycling is often viewed as an elite pastime or a last-resort option for the poor. Post-apartheid spatial patterns still force poorer black workers to commute from townships to wealthier areas. Community clubs like Girls on Bikes and Banditz Bicycle Club are building cycling communities, asserting visibility in suburbs and challenging social and spatial norms.

Read at www.theguardian.com