Team Beryl Manifesto
Team Beryl believes that it is important to actively create this space, as well as encouraging women and all trans & non-binary folks to participate in the wider cycling community.
Often growing up, these people aren’t given access to knowledge about fixing things and getting their hands dirty. When most mechanics are cis-men, there is a kind of hierarchy of knowledge, where the men fix the bikes and teach others. This primacy of cis-men in cycling spaces can often discourage other folk from participating, as well as bar them from the full range of opportunities available.
We want to do away with all this, and create a space where you are empowered to learn about your bike and share what you know – or just get on with it yourself! – all without the pressure and machismo that can exist in cis-male populated spaces.
We would love to meet you if this resonates with your experience. If you have privileges that Team Beryl is trying to regress, we would ask that you come along to our public DIY sessions and other workshop spaces that we create at Broken Spoke that are open and welcoming to everyone. We trust our workshop users to self identify if Beryls Night’s are a space for them.
Keep up with all our events on our facebook group
Team Beryl-led DIY workshops:
Saturday 14th October 2023 10am to 6pm
Saturday 25th November 2023 10am to 6pm
Saturday 16th December 2023 10am to 6pm
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This month at Beryl’s Night
Thursday 5th October 2023, 6.30pm – Get to know your bike
See you there?
Team Beryl
Next month at Beryl’s Night
Thursday 2nd November 2023, 6.30pm
Fix-a-flat
This month at Beryl’s Night, we will be learning how to easily replace and patch an inner tube, change a tyre, and find out what you can do to prevent punctures in the first place. Unfortunately there won’t be a DIY section to the evening in November.
Thursday 7th December 2023, 6.30pm
(P)arts & Crafts
Who is Team Beryl?
Team Beryl is a group of volunteers who are passionate about the intersection of bikes and gender. We organise Beryl’s Night and other cycling events throughout the year. Not content to meet just once a month at Beryl’s Night, this team is committed to making all workshop, events, and activities at the Broken Spoke inclusive and accessible to everyone by breaking down the barriers which prevent women, non-binary, and all trans folk from engaging in cycling and mechanics. Come along and chat to any member of Team Beryl if you’d like to join us to help plan and coordinate our events.
Beryl’s Nights are a friendly and inclusive evenings, but we understand that new environments and new groups of people can feel intimidating. If you’re coming along for the first time and feel nervous, get in touch and we’ll help you settle in. On the night, you can also come and find anyone from Team Beryl and they’ll be an extra friendly face to help you feel welcome!
Other communities, events and places we like
- The Cowley Road Condors are friendly cycling club with a community focus and over 100 female members, the Condors are one of the leading clubs in the area for women’s cycling.
- Isis Cyclists CTC offer social bike rides for women in Oxford.
- Bristol Bike Projects Raise the Saddle
Why is it called Beryl's Night anyway?
Beryl Burton was an English racing cyclist and one of Britain's greatest athletes. She dominated women's cycle racing in the UK, winning more than 900 domestic championships and seven world titles, and setting numerous national records. She set a women's record for the 12-hour time-trial which still stands today (and exceeded the men's record for two years).
One of Burton's most famous idiosyncrasies was offering witticisms to riders she caught. Dave Taylor, press secretary at Cycling Time Trials, remembers: "The only experience I had with Beryl was being caught by her in a ‘25' in Essex. As she passed me she said ‘Eh lad, you're not trying' where upon she disappeared up the road." She inspires us and we'd like more people to know about her, and others.
