Lockdown paves way for Tunisian women to break gender norms and learn to cycle

Bicycling has made recent inroads in the Tunisian capital, with women leading the peleton to achieve greater mobility and break gender norms as the coronavirus pandemic boosts the two-wheeled trend. Photo: FETHI BELAID/ AFP

Every Sunday morning, the Japanese garden in central Tunis is transformed into an impromptu bicycle academy for dozens of novice cyclists. The students are adults and nearly all women, who missed the chance to learn to ride as children.

Dressed in tracksuits and sneakers, the beginners ride learner cycles as they wobble around the park, a much safer venue than the traffic-clogged streets of downtown.