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Name: Éliane
Location: Montreal
Discipline: Fixed gear – I’ve been riding fixed gear bikes for close to 10 years. I’m a bike messenger and bikepacker, all done fixed.
What does riding mean to you?
Riding to me means liberty. Liberty from society, liberty from car culture. When I’m working as a messenger, riding makes me feel like I’m unstoppable, going in between cars, faster than all of them. I like the chaos of it. And when bikepacking, I love how peaceful riding makes me feel. It takes your mind off problems. Just yourself against nature. Accomplishing those things helps a lot with self-confidence.
What is your favourite set up?
My favorite set-up is what I’m riding now. A fixed gear cargo bike by Memento Cycles, my company where I weld all types of bikes.
Do you think the environment is male dominated? If yes, what are your thoughts about it?
The cycling environment is definitely male dominated. Bike messenger, framebuilding, racing, it’s always hard for women and queer people to get in. The good thing is, there are more and more places where there are efforts made to make women and queer folks feel like they belong. For example, the bike messenger co-op where I work, Chasseurs Courrier, is mostly operated by queer people. Their welcoming environment made me the bad ass girl I am today. There is also the bike polo community in Montreal who hosts a weekly RAD polo night for queer people. Also, as a framebuilder myself, I wanna be there to inspire more non cis-male person to get into that field. There is still so much work to be done with this male dominated world, but at least some things are changing for the best.
Any riding plans for the future?
Since I’ve been focusing on my company Memento Cycles for the last year and a half, I sadly don’t have the extra money I need to do other big fixed gear bikepacking trips right now. But I still continue to work at Chasseurs Courrier and I will do smaller few days trips around Quebec this summer. Riding will always be a vital part of my lifestyle.
Ride like a girl is a series of interviews with WTNB (women trans non-binary) riders from around the world. If you would like to be contributed drop us an email.