- Mara has always been an active woman, biking and participating in triathlons with her husband but once she had children, she put her hobbies on pause
- After her 40th birthday, she finally got back on the road on her bike and realised there was a shortage of women in the sport she loved doing so much
- It gave Mara an idea to inspire more women of all ages to take up the activity and together, they established the Women’s Bike Skill, Fun and Friendship Program
Here, Mara Ferraro, 58, Melbourne, Vic, tells her story in her own words
‘Trust yourself. Confidence is key,’ I told my students, as they strapped on their helmets and swung their legs over their bicycles.
After a wobbly few moments, the group was off! Wheeling down the pathway, fear melted from their faces.
‘I did it!’ one lady aged in her 70s beamed.
It was May 2021, and the students I’d been teaching to cycle had just enjoyed their first bike ride. Their joy made my heart soar.
I was lucky to learn how to ride a bike aged eight, back in the 1970s.
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My dad, Giovanni, would hold my seat as I pedalled as fast as my little legs could. And when Dad let go, I was off!
I’d loved cycling ever since. When I was old enough, it became my job each week to ride our family bike to the local milk bar, and bring home a carton of milk and loaf of bread.
An active teen, by 18 I started karate classes. There I met my now husband, Angelo, then 22.
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Bonding over our shared love of staying active and being outdoors, we spent our early dating days training for triathlons – swimming, riding and running.
Settling down after marrying in April 1990, we welcomed our children, Gabrielle in 1991, Damian in 1995 and Christian in 1999. I put my love of riding bikes on hold while I raised them.
It wasn’t until my 40th birthday that I got back in the saddle! Whizzing down the road, the wind blowing through my blonde locks, I’d forgotten how much I loved to ride.
Within a few weeks I’d signed up for my first triathlon and, also that year, I went on 20km group rides on the road.
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That’s when I realised, I was one of very few women taking part in the sport. So when I joined the Whittlesea Bicycle Users Group (BUG) in 2018, I encouraged other women to sign up.
I advocated for safety on the roads. ‘Nobody wants to run over their grandma, or their mum, or their sister,’ I explained
Securing government funding and a few bikes refurbished by a local men’s shed, we started the Women’s Bike Skill, Fun and Friendship Program, inviting women of all ages to take up the activity.
Working as a leisure specialist at a rehabilitation centre, I was perfect for the job, and ran the classes to help rusty cyclists get back in the saddle as well as teaching beginners the all-important basics.
With two 90-minute classes a week, students had plenty of opportunity to master the skills.
Many took to it immediately.
‘You’re a natural!’ I cheered as one student went from wobbly to whizzing in a few sessions.
‘Riding has been on my bucket list for years. I can’t believe I’m doing it,’ another rider told me.
I was thrilled to work with women from all walks of life – the young, elderly, mums and grandmothers, Aussies and internationals.
The demand was even higher than we had anticipated, and I soon introduced learn to ride classes for school kids.
Now a grandmother to three grandkids, I’ve been using my skills to teach my youngest grandson, Miles, three, to ride.
Today, whenever I’m out on a ride, I feel so grateful to have so many women by my side.
You’re never too old to try something new
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