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Bicycle-Friendly Businesses in Monroe County: WomanTours

Bicycle-Friendly Businesses in Monroe County: WomanTours

By: Karen Miltner

Bikes are good for businesses and their employees. Through the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) program, employers are recognized for their efforts to encourage a more welcoming atmosphere for bicycling employees, customers and the community.

With the aim of seeing more Monroe County employers give greater thought towards accommodating bike-riding employees and patrons, Reconnect Rochester is proud to shine a light on local businesses who’ve received the distinction of being named a Bicycle-Friendly Business.

First up: WomanTours, a women-only bike tour company headquartered in the Town of Brighton!

Although WomanTours has been in the bicycle touring business since 1995, it wasn’t until 2020 that our company applied for and earned recognition as a Gold Bicycle Friendly Business from the League of American Bicyclists, the advocacy organization that helps cyclists in the United States enjoy the benefits and opportunities of safe bicycling.

We were the first business in Monroe County to garner this distinction. And of course, we were thrilled to receive the Gold designation right out of the gate. Since then, three other businesses have received either Silver or Bronze Bicycle Friendly Business status. We hope there will be more. It’s also encouraging to know that several area colleges and universities, including University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology and Monroe Community College, are also on board.

WomanTours take our pledge to encourage a more welcoming atmosphere for bicycling employees, customers and the community seriously. Some of the resources that have helped us to achieve this:

  • We proactively selected an office with close access to the Erie Canalway, a major traffic-free bicycle commuting corridor. Then we worked with our landlord to install a bike rack and a shower.
  • Work dress code is always casual, making it easier to commute by bike.
  • There are plenty of bike pumps and tools on hand in case commuter bikes need a quick tune-up.
  • Safety is always our first priority when taking customers on tour, so our pre-tour literature and first-day orientation always prioritize defensive riding. In addition, our tour guides offer mechanical tutorials to our customers, teaching them how to change a flat and handle minor bike repairs.

Our company also likes to give back to the local and global bicycling community.

  • Each year, WomanTours donates proceeds from its Tanzania tour to globalbike, an organization that works to make bicycles accessible to women in rural Tanzania in order to improve their health and well-being. The company has so far donated more than $57,600 to globalbike.
  • Thanks to our annual Angel Fund Scholarship (supported by an anonymous benefactor), we have been able to offer dozens of women a chance to travel on select tours for free. Candidates are chosen based on need and suitability to the tours.
  • WomanTours donates older used bikes to R Community Bikes in Rochester, a service that refurbishes bikes for those who could otherwise not afford them. WomanTours also contributed old bikes to Dreambikes, a service that sells used bikes and trains youth to become bike mechanics. (DreamBikes no longer operates in Rochester).

Two of our five staff members in our Rochester office live close enough to commute regularly by bike into the office. One of them is President Jackie Marchand, who also serves as treasurer of Reconnect Rochester. But even those of us who live too far away to commute to work daily take advantage of WomanTours’ bike-friendly resources.

I, for example, live in Geneva, about 55 miles away (an hour by car, four hours by bike). Thanks to our flexible schedules, I work two consecutive days a week in the office, staying overnight in town so I can save a couple hours of driving (and more importantly, two hours of fuel and wear/tear on my car). The other three days of the week, I work from home and telecommute.

I am also able to keep a bicycle on premise. This enables me to ride to and from my overnight lodging. And if I need to run an errand during the work day, I will do so by bike whenever possible. Often, I take a ride during my lunch break or after my work day is over. All three options give me some much needed fresh air and exercise and are a huge reason why my stress levels don’t get out of whack. I know this perk makes me a much happier and more productive employee.

While WomanTours is in the business of providing cycling trips for women of all ages and capabilities, we know our impact goes far beyond a fun outdoor vacation. Our customers tell that our tours coax them to ride more year-round, not just for recreation and fitness, but also for errands, commuting and general well-being. They also let us know that our tours have made them better bike mechanics and safer riders. Lastly, a WomanTours experience has turned many of our customers into bicycling advocates and ambassadors, inspiring their friends, family and neighbors to hop on a bike and enjoy the ride.

Watch Our 2023 Bike To Work Day!

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WomanTours is a woman-owned and women-operated company that offers domestic and international bicycle tours for women. It is based in Rochester. For more information, go to www.womantours.com. 

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20 Minutes by Bike Blog Series: Brighton Map

The Rochester area is famous for its 20-minute commute. For driving that is. Reconnect Rochester and the Rochester Cycling Alliance are excited to ask a different question in this blog series: Where can you get within 20 minutes on a bike?

Presenting the fourth in a series of custom “bike shed maps.” For this next installment, we chose Twelve Corners in Brighton and are showing how far out in every direction you can get on a bike at a casual but steady pace of 10 miles per hour. This means that if you live anywhere in this green area, you can get to Twelve Corners within 20ish minutes on a bike. Thanks again to Brendan Ryan and Mike Governale for their help putting these maps together for us.

To get us familiar with this green territory in Brighton, here’s WomanTours’ Jackie Marchand sharing her personal travel-by-bike experiences.

One of the many things I love most about living in Brighton is its bikeability. It seems I can ride my bike to nearly everywhere I need or want to go. You’d think with more than 50 years of living here that I’d be able to find my way around without Google’s help. However, it’s become a game. Do I know my community better than my phone does? Can I find a safer, quieter and prettier way to bike to my destination than Google can? Or will it surprise me and show me a hidden bike trail?

Yesterday, I had a breakfast meeting at Morgan’s Cereal Bar on East Avenue. I used the bike feature on the Google Maps app and it sent me down Monroe Avenue. That wasn’t bad because it has a bike lane. Then I was supposed to turn down Alexander, but I knew there was a beautiful new bike path on Union Street. I went one block further than Google recommended and reveled in cycling the former Inner Loop on my way to East Ave.

I left my house ten minutes earlier than if I’d driven, and managed to complete a 20-minute bike ride before breakfast. The best part of all was that while others had to pay the meter, my parking was free!

When I grocery shopped at Tops last week, my phone sent me straight down Elmwood Avenue for one mile to the store. I always avoid cycling down Elmwood Avenue, as the lanes are too narrow for both a car and a bike. Fortunately, that could change in the future. There are plans to extend the Elmwood Avenue cycletrack from South Avenue to 12 Corners, which will be fantastic but is still years away.

For now, I have to find my own safer way. I know there’s a small trail behind Temple B’rith Kodesh to quiet Ashley Drive. At the end of Ashley, another trail connects to Brandywine and then another short trail connects to Lac De Ville into the Tops parking lot. I arrived at Tops in 15 minutes by cycling only one block on Elmwood Avenue. Google – 0, Jackie – 2. 

Last weekend, I wanted bagels from Bagel Land at 12 Corners, the cornerstone of Brighton. In addition to the fastest route straight down Elmwood Avenue, Google offered me the longer but better route through side streets to the back of the plaza. There was even a bike rack waiting for me. It took one minute longer but was well worth it. Thanks Google.

It’s actually pretty easy to navigate around 12 Corners using the small side streets to avoid the tight busy intersections. If traffic is low though, I’ll choose to cycle through it rather than around it. All the stoplights keep vehicles moving slowly.

Now that the Auburn Trail is improved, my favorite after-office ride is to the Pittsford Wegmans on my way home. Google actually found this route for me. My office is just over the Brighton/Henrietta line and an easy half-mile to the Canal Trail. After a mile on the trail, I linked to the unpaved Railroad Loop Trail that took me behind Pittsford Plaza all the way to Wegmans. Google even told me how long it would take – just 18 minutes. Google – 2, Jackie – 2.

After shopping, I crossed Monroe Avenue to hop on the Auburn Trail. Google didn’t know about this trail yet – it’s that new. I exited the trail at Elmwood Avenue and then meandered some calm streets through quiet neighborhoods to my house. It felt safe and relaxing. When was the last time you called a trip to Wegmans relaxing?! 

In search of some comfortable biking clothes last week, I googled the bike route to Sierra Trading Post from my office. Most of the 16-minute trip to the store was on roads, but there were shoulders and the traffic was light, so I felt safe. Google even knew to take me around the back of the stores where the loading docks were to avoid the busy parking lot. Surprise – there was a bike rack waiting for me in front of the store! Google – 3, Jackie – 3. 

Examining the ride home after shopping, I learned that my phone wanted me to take the Canal Trail to the Brighton Town Park, but from there Google failed me. It was sending me on Westfall to South Clinton to Elmwood Avenue for a total of two miles on busy thoroughfares. 

When I zoomed in, I saw that there was a small path connecting Westfall to Schilling Lane in a small residential neighborhood. It allowed me to cut out the hilly intersection at Westfall and S. Clinton and cycle nearly the entire two miles on a mix of quiet roads and paths. Admittedly, I probably wouldn’t have found the trail without Google, so I gave us each a point. Google – 4, Jackie – 4.

Finally, I already knew that the two newest trails in Brighton are not recognized by Google as bicycling routes. The one-mile long Brickyard Trail recently celebrated its fifth anniversary and connects Westfall and Elmwood Avenues. It’s a stroll through wetlands where I’ve regularly spotted foxes, turtles, owls and turkeys. The Highland Crossing Trail is less than two years old and also connects Westfall and Elmwood Avenues, but then continues north through Highland Park, ending at the Genesee Riverway Trail. Its highlight is an elevated boardwalk through a forest.

Jackie on the Highland Crossing Trail

The two trails are my favorite place to go when I don’t have anywhere I need to be. I tried the loop the other day, incorporating a couple calm bike boulevards that Google suggested. So I gave Google two points for the bike boulevards, and myself a point for each trail. Google – 5, Me – 5. I’m going to have to keep cycling so I can get ahead!

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Reconnect brings on three new board members!

We kicked off the new year and decade with our Annual Meeting the first week of January, where we welcomed three new board members — Victor Sanchez, Jackie Marchand and Arian Horbovetz.

Victor is a long-time volunteer for Reconnect Rochester, doing a lot of heavy lifting for our major events through the years. Jackie assisted our Reconnect Rochester/Rochester Cycling Alliance transition team with the Cycling Coordinator candidate search & interview process, and has volunteered on our membership committee. Arian has worked with our communications team to provide content for our blog, as well as provided invaluable background research on e-scooters that shaped our recommendations to the City of Rochester about smart, safe implementation.

Welcome, Jackie, Victor and Arian! Thank you for volunteering your time and talent to hop aboard our train.

ARIAN HORBOVETZ, PHOTO CREDIT: KENDRA FEE

Arian Horbovetz was born in Chicago Illinois, but has spent most of his life in the Greater Rochester Area. Aside from working in clinical trials for the University of Rochester, Arian has owned and operated a professional photography company, ArianDavidPhotography for over a decade.  Five years ago, Arian’s love of urban living and passion for the revitalization of our Upstate New York cities led to the creation of his online urbanist publication, The Urban Phoenix.  Spurring conversation about our cities today, the history behind why our cities are the way they are, the importance of public transit, walkability, and cycling infrastructure are just a few of the topics raised in the nationally-enjoyed blog and podcast. Nearly 40 of The Urban Phoenix’s posts have been republished by Strong Towns, a national leader in the New Urban conversation. Calling himself an “Urban Influencer,” Arian takes pride in challenging the long-held misconceptions about cities, how we live, and why our urban cores face the hurdles they do in a changing world.

JACKIE MARCHAND

Jackie Marchand received an undergraduate degree from the University of Albany and an MBA from the UR Simon School. After working in nonprofit development and then a decade of making bikes and biking apparel for women at Terry Bicycles, she knew she wanted to help make cycling more accessible to more women and purchased WomanTours in 2004. Since then, she has quadrupled the size of the company. In all, Jackie has worked in the Rochester bicycle community for 25 years. When not biking to the office, she’s on the road planning and designing new tours to share her love for cycling with more and more women every year. Jackie travels quite extensively, in fact, having visited all seven continents and at least 45 countries. She’s witnessed how multimodal transportation can transform cities around the world, bring people together, and create more vibrant communities. Jackie wants to help bring the successes from other places to our very own region.

VICTOR SANCHEZ

Victor Sanchez is a Virtual Design and Construction Administrator for Wegmans Food Markets. Victor was born in Mexico and later moved to White Plains, New York. He graduated from RIT with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology. Victor is the immediate past Chair of RocCity Coalition, an organization focused on young Rochesterians. He has represented the Coalition in the Regional Economic Council, Roc-The-Riverway Management Entity Committee, and Re-imagine RTS Advisory Committee. Victor volunteers on several committees with the Out Alliance, Human Rights Campaign, and Genesee Land Trust. Victor also serves on the Boards at Trillium Health, New Pride Agenda, and Rochester People’s Climate Coalition.