At 4am in Patan, the streets are quiet enough to ride. A small group of women cycles through dimly lit roads, riding in a loose line, slowing at turns and calling out to one another as they move. By 6 in the morning, they are already heading home to take their children to school or complete household chores.<\/p>\n
Just 30 years ago, cycling was widely popular, a regular activity and mode of everyday transport. Now, with the rise of motorbikes and the expansion of roads, cycling has largely disappeared from daily life.<\/p>\n
Organisations like the Cycle City Network Nepal (CCNN) and groups such as Women Cycling Nepal are trying to revive this practice. Through weekend rides, school programmes and cycling challenges, they are working to bring bicycles back into daily life. <\/p>\n
For the last decade, growth around cycling has happened on the recreational side only. \u201cPeople head up to the hills for a ride and then return home to the city and go to work. That trend has been increasing,\u201d said Devendra Basnet of the Nepal Cycling Association (NCA). <\/p>\n
Social media has amplified the movement, with riders posting videos and photos that draw in newcomers, especially young people. \u201cWhen children see others riding, they become curious,\u201d Basnet said. <\/p>\n
In Nepal, much of this rise is tied to mountain biking, which has steadily developed since the 1980s. Today, it is one of the most organised forms of cycling in the country. The NCA hosts annual national championships that now draw more than 100 participants, with numbers increasing each year, especially among young riders. Female cycling populations are also rising, though their presence in competition remains limited. \u201cWe still have only one women\u2019s category because there are not many riders,\u201d Basnet said.<\/p>\n
Outside formal competition, however, more women are taking up cycling.<\/p>\n
Asmita Rajbanshi, co-founder of Women Cycling Nepal, said the number of female cyclists has increased significantly in recent years, especially after the pandemic, largely because of bicycle events and challenges. \u201cWhen I started cycling, in a group of 100 riders, there were only five to 10 women. We could count them on our fingers,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Women Cycling Nepal began as an informal network to connect female riders. Today, the group includes riders of all levels, ages and castes, as well as those with disabilities, with one member taking part in paracycling. Across the Valley, Rajbanshi estimates that there are now more than 5,000 women riders, up from fewer than 500 two decades ago. <\/p>\n
Chakshu Malla, president of the CCNN, recalled another group where women ride together, training early in the morning. Communities like these have helped drive the rise in female cyclists across Kathmandu. An avid mountain biker, Malla rides on weekends with a group of six others. \u201cTwo or three years ago, we didn\u2019t see any women riders,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now, there are many.\u201d<\/p>\n
Events across the country reflect that shift. The 2025 Kora Cycling Challenge saw more than 1,000 women participants\u2014a record number\u2014and over 6,000 participants in total. In the inaugural Kora Cycling Challenge in 2011, there were only 35 participants. While those statistics are encouraging to Anu Shrestha, Learning and Community Impact Lead at CCNN, she finds there is still room for growth. <\/p>\n
In Chitwan, through CCNN\u2019s Pedal Paathshala initiative, the organisation is working across 10 schools to teach students how to ride, repair bicycles and navigate roads safely. <\/p>\n
Malla said the organisation chose Chitwan, Nepal\u2019s plains region, for a reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cBicycles used to be the main mode of transport there in the 1980s,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone\u2014men and women\u2014used them. To go to school or the market, people travelled by bicycle.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n