Belles and Baskets offers something special

Belles and Baskets is not your average bike club – routes are chosen based on proximity to pubs and ice creameries, levels of exertion that preclude conversation are prohibited, and men are strongly encouraged to engage in an alternative activity for the day. Meet an all-female bike club founded by Betsy Lawrence, mother of five, English instructor at Spokane Community College, yoga teacher and now, recreational biker. Three years ago, she was groaning to her girlfriend over coffee about wanting to join a bike group, but dreading the competitive machismo, Ironman prerequisites and intimidation that may accompany such clubs. “Maybe it was my own insecurities about biking,” Lawrence says, “I’m not that great at it and I thought if I joined a group, I would just drag people down.” Her preference in a cycling group would be casual rides with female friends, where companionship and fun trump training and speed. So, she created a group with the following mission statement: “A place for women from Spokane to meet for casual bike rides and yummy treats.” Within a day of posting Belles & Baskets on Facebook, the group had 30 “friends.” Today the number is pushing 300. The “Belles” meet every second Sunday and fourth Tuesday (except in the winter) for a 10-15 mile trail or road ride that always ends with a shared meal or dessert. On average, between 10-20 women attend each ride, and range in age between 20 and 70. One of those Belles is Wilma Flanagan, a 55-year old librarian who commutes to work on her bike, but has no interest in speed or sporting a Spandex jersey. For her, Belles & Baskets is a perfect fit. “I like to ride in ordinary clothes and I don’t have clipless pedals,” she says, “I don’t even own real bike shoes,” Flanagan said. Lawrence believes the group’s non-competitive mentality has helped attract people to the sport who may otherwise be too intimidated. For some participants, it’s their first time riding in traffic or more than a couple of blocks. “We are a no-drop ride,” she guarantees, “We never leave anyone behind. There is always someone in the back making sure everyone’s OK.” This factor was important to Sharon Miller, who says when when she first joined, “I tended to be the last person, and I always felt encouraged by the other women.” Today, Sharon rides in the first 3rd of the pack. It is this shared facing of fears and overcoming of insecurities that help create the strong and fast-forming bonds that Lawrence and Flanagan say exist between “the Belles.” “I am basically a very shy person,” Flanagan says, “But being on a bike and then sharing coffee or dinner with ladies that I have just enjoyed a great ride with makes it possible to feel comfortable, even if we’ve only just met. I have met so many wonderful women as a result of this group.” When asked why just women, Lawrence explains that while they probably wouldn’t send a man home, “it just changes things with men.” “I think women tend to be supportive of each other, and having a women-only group just sounded fun and a way to be non-competitive.” Plus, she adds, “everyone talks the whole time, and I think the chatting would be a lot different if men were around.”