Sarah Gravelle-MacKenzie had the dream to encourage retired women to feel empowered and strong. This summer she found a way to do that through her passion for cycling and the response has been incredible.

Cycling with Sarah first began in June with the first set of groups receiving an overwhelming response and MacKenzie now leads four individual groups plus the one-time group ride. Over 50 women have registered and there are nearly 40 more on the waitlist.

"Often, as women age, I think society stops seeing us," says MacKenzie. "I hear from so many women, 'I feel invisible,' and so part of Cycling with Sarah is to bring women together and create an environment where we can support each other, where we can empower each other and where we don't feel invisible."

To help make them be seen, the hope is to get each of the women a custom cycling jersey so that they can match and look like a unified force showing the power older women have. 

"I think it's a powerful message for everybody to see that we are strong, we are capable and how women can bring out the best in each other and support each other."

MacKenzie is able to see this hope come true with the help of LIV Cycling Canada, Bikes and Beyond and Deb Schwartz, who not only participates in the cycling initiative but is the owner and CEO of the annual Scattered Seeds Craft Market.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sarah (@cyclingwithsarah)

It's not just the founder of this initiative that is impacted by its purpose, but also the women involved. Lisa Molin says that she's been able to feel a sense of community and connect with women in a fun and active way.

"It has been phenomenal," says Molin. "We have been cycling together, we go on different routes and I always feel safe and I've met a lot of ladies, and we're all similar in a similar age group, so we have lots in common."

She continues to say that throughout the rides each of the women makes sure to look out for one another, whether it's bike issues, making sure everyone is in a single file line to avoid vehicles, etc.

Cycling with Sarah also wouldn't have happened without some help, and MacKenzie is grateful to Rose McDonald for becoming a partner in this community initiative.

The two of them worked with each other years back and would spend coffee breaks walking up and down flights of stairs or going for a walk outside. When MacKenzie told McDonald that she was going to start a cycling group, she initially joined because she didn't feel safe cycling by herself but now she's become a co-partner.

"When Sarah started telling me that she wanted to do a [cycling] group of senior women, I just thought it was an amazing thing to do because I was in the situation where I didn't like riding by myself," says McDonald. "So it's to keep our senior women active and to keep them safe, and as you can see, we've started like this community of women. It's just creating this community of riders who feel safe in the senior women community and it's just about supporting women to stay strong as we age."

MacKenzie has high hopes for what will come of Cycling with Sarah and already has the future in her sights and wants to expand and have more groups in various parts of the city. She also has some fundraising initiatives coming up as well.

August is typically when cyclists will start fundraising for different causes they are passionate about and for the Cycling with Sarah group, it is no different. MacKenzie is hoping to raise funds for a fundraising event called The Ecuador Challenge for Shelter which is being put on by Nicole Hakko where she'll be hiking to the highest volcano peak over the course of five days.

Through her fundraiser, 80 per cent of the proceeds will go to Willow Place in Winnipeg, which is a non-profit organization that supports women in domestic violence situations. The other 20 per cent is going towards providing educational opportunities in northern Manitoba.

On Sunday, September 3 Cycling with Sarah is going to host a Generational Ride where grandparents can bring their children and grandchildren or nieces and nephews on a ride to let families connect in a way that they are passionate about or may not have tried in the past.

MacKenzie is also planning for when the weather turns cold and snow is on the ground. To keep the women in contact and active, and again partnering with McDonald, she will be offering spin-offs of Cycling with Sarah, including Hiking with Sarah, Snowshoeing with Sarah, and Skiing with Sarah.

"The goal is to just keep together, so when spring comes not only are we fit, we're continually bonding with each other and we'll be ready to get on those bikes in our new jerseys." 

For anyone interested in joining a Cycling with Sarah group or her future endeavours, she can be reached via email—cyclingwithsarah@gmail.com—or contacted through her Instagram.