Hi, I am Pinar Pinzuti. I was born in Izmir in 1979. I am working for Milan based company Bikenomist as a Cycling Brainwasher.
What’s the role of the bicycle in your life?
The bicycle has a significant role in my life. Bicycle is my hobby, my job and my means of transportation. I cycle to work everyday, I do long cycle tours during my holidays and I write articles on urban cycling and cycle tourism.
What is Bicycle Activism?
Bicycle activism is not different from general activism. It is a complement of actions rendered intentionally to create a social or political change.
Advocacy is essential. While expecting the municipality to do something, I invited people, especially my peers (adults with a profession and a family) to be conscious about their preference of mode of transport. I write about how cycling makes you feel free and attend to the conferences as speaker.
Activism means to me to do things to attract attention of people around me for a thing which I believe is the right thing.
Bicycle is the most innocent transport means in the world. A bicycle user does good to himself and even contributes to the national economy. The reason for my efforts for urban cycling is that the developed countries in the world acknowledge the bicycle as a mode of transportation and make necessary investments.
Velo-city Nijmegen – 15 June 2017
In 2013, I participated in Velo City, which is the biggest bicycle conference of the world organised annually.
In 2017, after four years, I was invited to Velo City as a speaker. My topic was Cycling and Gender.
How does the Fancy Women Bike Ride became a global movement?
The main reason for its success is that it is sincere, voluntary and independent.
The purpose is to ensure safe cycling infrastructure for women on the streets. The number of cycling women is increasing every year.
Will the Fancy Women transform into a continuous act?
It will continue as long as women are willing to partecipate to the event on the World Car Free Day in September each year. Women who attend the Fancy Women Bike Ride, continue to create local women groups to promote the use of the bicycle in their own cities. The event is once a year but the civil local activities continue the whole year.
READ THIS: Interview with Pinar Pinzuti the “cycling brainwasher”