Have you been sitting on the fence, thinking about joining the Spokes Ladies ride? Don’t be shy – there’s one coming up next week and you’re very welcome:
Wednesday 3rd August, 6pm
Meet at St Kevin’s Arcade on K Rd.
Oh – you haven’t heard about a Spokes Ladies ride? Let us take you along on one…
Brainchild of the fabulous Scarlett Lauren, this regular outing happens on the first Wednesday of every month and combines the best things in life. Style, art, music, fine food and beverages – and of course, as the name suggests, conversation and bicycles.
Usually, the ride begins at St Kevins Arcade on Karangahape Road, but the July special was a bit of an exception as it coincided with the big 2WalkandCycle conference in town. So we started at the Aotea Centre, with reserved seats at Auckland Conversations.
Visiting urban design superstar Gil Penalosa gave an energizing talk about 880 Cities. Their vision is to create safe and happy cities that prioritize the well-being of people of all ages and backgrounds: ‘We believe that if everything we do in our public spaces is great for an 8 year old and an 80 year old, then it will be great for all people.’ Gil explained how this related to us here in Auckland, and how using bikes for transport is a crucial part of creating a connected city. (We thoroughly recommend watching the whole talk here.)
After enjoying the nibbles and the talk, we reassembled in Aotea Square, donned our hats and gloves, put on our bright lights and cycled up to Brothers Beer at City Works Depot for a chat about what we’d learned. Drinks were drunk, conversations were had, and friends were made.
Spokes rides are always serendipitously social – makes sense, as the more stops you make, the more people you see. On this occasion, Waitemata Local Board member Christopher Dempsey popped in to say hi, as did candidate for the Albert-Eden Local Board Piet Ubels. It was also lovely seeing a multi-city meet up between Auckland Transport superstar Anja Vroegop and her colleague from Wellington, just as we arrived. Definitely some exciting conversations being had, and great to have so many friends around to run into.
Our next move was a refreshing ride up the Pink Path to K’Rd, and a sit-down at Coco’s Cantina, where we grabbed a little something for our rumbling tummies as the chatter continued to flow until late into the evening.
By this time, our original 16 had naturally slimmed down to 8 hardy souls. The beauty of a Spokes event is you can join in where suits, catch up with us along the way, and head off when convenient. You choose your ride.
If you like the sound all this, please do join us for the next Spokes outing – and keep an eye on the Frocks on Bikes Facebook page for future updates. And if anyone has any ideas of other group rides they’d like to see happen, themed or otherwise, just get in touch with the Frocks crew – let’s make that dream a reality.
