Ovo Energy Targets Women’s Cycling Participation With Night Rides

Independent UK energy supplier OVO Energy has launched a series of night rides as part of a campaign to boost women’s cycling.

OVO, which is title sponsor of the Women’s Tour, last night took cyclists on a tour of London landmarks to launch its series of Night Rides. The aim is to address the barriers to cycling participation that women face and inspire more women to adopt cycling as a lower carbon mode of transport.

According to research from British Cycling, men currently account for 69% of the UK’s cycling population, with barriers such as confidence on the roads, cycling infrastructure and concerns over safety said to be key factors in deterring greater female participation. Some 63% of the women surveyed said that current infrastructure models do not make them feel safe, while 66% said the same about driver behaviour.

In response to these statistics, OVO Energy has partnered with BrightSide Bike Lights to offer its customers exclusive discounts on products that will help make cyclists more visible and address cyclists’ safety concerns.

OVO Energy launched the Night Rides series in London with a panel discussion chaired by British Cycling CEO, Julie Harrington, addressing the crucial barriers hindering cycling participation. The panel was formed of double Olympic gold medallist and two-time world record holder Joanna Rowsell Shand MBE, endurance cyclist and former cycle courier Emily Chappell, Daily Telegraph Women’s Sport Editor Anna Kessel and cycling activist Jools Walker, AKA LadyVelo.

Adrian Letts, CEO of Retail at OVO Energy, said: “Inspiring greater participation in cycling is part of OVO Energy’s ambition to power change and adoption of a low carbon form of transport; a powerful step in the right direction to achieve a sustainable future. The partnership with BrightSide Bike Lights is something we are proud to be able to offer our customers. It hopefully offers support in addressing one of the barriers that cyclists face.

“Last year for the OVO Energy Women’s Tour we equalised the prize money as we wanted to help provide an equal platform on the world cycling stage. This year, we are shining a light on the disparity in gender participation due to factors that hinder women considering cycling. Through the Night Ride events we hope to inspire future cyclists to become part of the movement to lead a sustainable future.”

Harrington added: “We at British Cycling have never shied away from the fact that there is an unsustainable gap between the genders in terms of cycling participation. I’m delighted to say that we’ve made huge progress in narrowing that gap in recent years, but there is still much work to be done.

“It’s in all of our interests to make cycling as easy, accessible and attractive as possible to women and girls, so it’s fantastic to see initiatives such as the OVO Energy Night Rides highlighting the barriers and the opportunities around female participation in cycling.”

Following the OVO Energy Night Ride in London, Night Rides will be taking place in Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow.