Turkey's female bikers demonstrate with powder and paint - and shorts

Thousands of female bikers from 28 cities in Turkey and Turkish Cyprus got behind the handle bars on Sept. 24 for the annual Chic Women's Bicycle Tour in a peaceful demonstration that combined feminism and green transport.

The bike tour, initiated by İzmir-based history teacher and latecomer to cycling Sema Gür four years ago, was a modest attempt to create awareness and encouragement for women who want to bike. But quickly the event has evolved into a rights platform, where women put on their most colorful costumes, decorate their bikes and push the pedals for more rights and less harassment, both on the road and in life.

At this year's Chic Women's Bicycle Tour, which took place in 28 cities including Istanbul, İzmir, the Marmara province of Bursa and the Central Anatolian province of Çorum, there were a number of participants who wore shorts - a reference to Ayşegül Terzi, a nurse who was recently attacked by a man in Istanbul for wearing shorts while riding on public transportation.

The event was also linked on social media to a fatwa by Iran's Ali Khamenei that bans women from cycling in public, even if met the Islamic republic's clothing rules. "Look how Turks can cycle easily, while Iranian women cannot. Thank you [Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk!" said a tweet about the event. 

"We have the Chic Women Bicycle Tour because we are women and we want to be visible," said Gür at the beginning of the tour that started in İzmir's Konak district and ended at the city's Republic Square. At the end of the ride the women parked their bicycles in the shape of a heart and danced to the sound of the 1970's Turkish pop hit "Hayat Bayram Olsa" (If Only Life was a Feast).

"A society can only breathe through the visibility of their women -...