The women’s cycling platform, Strongher, have launched their new campaign to promote female friendly bike shops with their Strongher Stamp.

Launched in October 2015 by professional cyclist Marianne Vos and her dedicated team of ambassadors, Strongher sets out to promote, encourage and support women in riding. Whether you’re just getting started, or competitively racing, the aim is to get more women confident and regularly riding for run.

For many of us entering the cycling scene, our local bike shops are usually the first port of call. But are they going to be able to offer you a female friendly experience? Offer you a good selection of kit, and helpful advice?

All too often we hear stories from women who have gone into bike shops only to be ignored, spoken down to, shown the entry level bikes when they’re looking to spend a lot of money, or our favourite love-to-hate: had their male partner addressed automatically instead of them.

The latest Strongher campaign is to award bike shops all over the world with a Strongher Stamp of approval for being female friendly. Marianne Vos says: “With the Strongher Stamp, we can give women who are new to the sport, or women that are looking for a good shop, the right service and right experience.”