Meet Martina’ Franklin | Girls Who Bike Inc. Founder and President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Martina’ Franklin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Martina’, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
During the pandemic we were all stuck inside and being outside was the only escape. I began riding bikes with my friends and it became a hobby for me. One day I was talking about creating a group for women to ride and stay active. one month later Girls Who Bike was born.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are a nonprofit.

Girls Who Bike Inc. is a non-profit whose mission is to encourage women to stay active through cycling. To do this we host two rides monthly. Don’t have a bike? No problem. We have partnered with Comet Trail Cycles to provide rentals to those who do not have bikes of their own. While we are a cycling group we host 4 annual events outside of cycling for the community: A kickball tournament to bring awareness to mental health, a free zumba event, Relay for Life Cancer Walk and donation/participation in a back to school event where we donated 500 backpacks this year. What sets us apart from other non profits is that we encourage women to come together to improve themselves and also give back to the community that we live in. As the leader of this group I have learned that consistency from me encourages consistency and participation from the group. At times it can get discouraging when there isn’t a big turn out for the group rides. But I’ve learned to look at it this way, when anyone shows up that’s one more person that is encouraged to stay active than before. Every ride is a win no matter how big or small the turn out is. I want the world to know that Girls Who Bike Inc. is just getting started. We will continue celebrating women and finding more ways to bring more resources to women’s health in our community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My best friend makes an annual trip to Atlanta so this question is perfect for me.

We are huge foodies so we would hit a lot of spots: Planted Soul, The Vine Cafe and Market, Red Velvet Bistro, Gritz and we would find a few spots while we are out. We are both outdoorsy and Georgia has so much to offer than our hometown (Houston,Tx). I would take her on a few hikes to see waterfalls and great views. The hikes would include Cloudland Canyon, Cheaha State Park and the Bamboo Forest. Lastly, we would go to spoken word at one of the pop up shows.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this article to my grandmother Delores Franklin who raised me. As she rests peacefully in heaven, I hope I am making her proud. Her leadership and love for our community inspired me to follow in her footsteps. I have some big shoes to fill.

Website: girlswhobike.org

Instagram: @girlswhobikeinc