Jaynelle Nixon moved to Syracuse in 2021 and quickly realized something it was missing: A cycling group geared toward women and gender nonconforming people.
Nixon had lived in Buffalo and Rochester previously, places where she planned and experienced bike festivals geared toward those groups. In Nixon’s view, Syracuse did not have a diverse bike community.
“I thought that was a need,” Nixon said. “They’re beautiful events.”
So Nixon created an event of her own. Nixon, a visiting assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University and vice chair of Syracuse Urbanism Club, calls it Syracuse Women’s and Gender Nonconforming People’s Bike Fest or S.W.A.G Bike Fest. She hopes to amplify the representation of marginalized people in biking.
The bike fest will roll out on Saturday at 10 a.m. All participants are expected to meet at the Ocara Fine Arts at 701 N. Salina St. The event will include workshops informing and educating participants on city bike paths and safety and a cycling-themed arts workshop. Centro will provide a bus with a bike rack so participants can learn how to place their bikes on the rack. Veo scooters will also be available for riders to use. Cyclists can participate in a short bike tour around the North Side. There will be refreshments provided by Wegmans, free T-shirt giveaways from Wildflowers Armory, and bike-related freebies.
All participants have a chance to participate in a summerlong scavenger hunt. Every participant will receive a map with specific locations to visit, including art galleries and local shops.
Nixon intentionally named the event because she believes that nonbinary or trans people question whether they’re allowed into spaces because of a lack of inclusive language.
“I think sometimes we need to state our inclusivity explicitly, so people know that they’re included,” Nixon said.
Nixon hopes the event will create a space for women and gender nonconforming people in a space that often caters to men and white people, Nixon said. She wants people to enjoy cycling in the way she has since her childhood.
She has lived in Rochester, Buffalo, and places like Belgium and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she frequently cycled and volunteered.
While living in Buffalo and Rochester, Nixon led workshops at the Rochester Women’s Bike Festival. Nixon in 2018 also helped plan Go Buffalo and the Buffalo/Niagara Women’s Bike Festival, two bike events in the Buffalo area.
This year, she looks forward to making S.W.A.G Bike Fest into an annual festival and encouraging Syracuse community members to attend.
“You don’t have to have a bike to participate,” Nixon said. “This is all about community, education, information, and just having fun.”
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