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AMWE PEACE RIDE 2026
2026 AMWE PEACE RIDE
Event
Join us for the fourth annual Amwe Peace Ride on June 6–7!
Using the power of our pedals to build a more empowered world for women worldwide, this year’s ride carries a clear purpose: together, we are bringing the Amwe Women’s Village Center in Tharaka, Kenya to life—the first nonprofit space supporting native women in the region. Every mile pedaled contributes to building this community-led place where global women can access resources, build skills, and rise. “Amwe” means together in the native tounge of our partners (Kii Tharaka), and this ride is exactly that. In California, our team will ride 50–100 miles from Cuesta to Big Sur, while in Eastern Kenya, our partner cyclists team will combine riders from various neighboring tribes to ride through the rolling hills of Tharaka. The Makenna women’s group will walk their land—singing and gathering in community.
Though oceans apart, we move as one—using outdoor movement as both a medium for change-making and a radical act of togetherness in these deeply divided times.
Watch our mini documentary here!
Purpose
This years 2026 ride directly supports the construction of first phase of the Amwe Women’s Village Center.
After last year’s ride, we secured 2.2 acres of land along the river in Tharaka. This year, we are funding the first structures: a kitchen, bathrooms, a gathering space for group support, and a dedicated space for women’s sexual health and mental health education, where women can also access entrepreneurship training, workshops, start businesses, and participate in group therapy. This center will be the first nonprofit space supporting native Tharakan women in the region—a community-led place where women can access resources, build skills, and support one another. Through programs like health education, group therapy, entrepreneurship, and community initiatives such as sewing and farming, it will serve as a foundation for long-term, community-driven empowerment built for women by women worldwise.
Our Dream
This land holds more than infrastructure, most importantly it holds the opportunity for cross cultural connection. The Makenna women continue to ask when women from the U.S. will come to share life with them. From that invitation, a larger vision is growing: a space where women across cultures, ages, and regions gather to learn, move, and grow together. The Amwe Women’s Village Center will become a hub not only for mental/sexual health and community care, but for hosting cross culutral women's outdoor expeditions, through cycling, mountaineering, and sharedloutdoor experiences . A place where distance softens, learning flows both ways, and we witness what’s possible when women move together across landscapes—from across cultures, ages, and regions. A place to be Amwe.
What your Amwe Peace Ride Pedals Have Created so far:
Over the last four years, this community has already created meaningful impact:
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10,507 individuals screened for cancer through Naledi Medical Camps
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6,000+ miles cycled from riders across 8 different tribes
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1,000 neem trees and home gardens planted
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1,000 households supported during drought
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23 women-led businesses launched
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6 community training programs hosted
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35 women receiving cancer treatment through NHIF
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23 households receiving long-term healthcare
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3 cancer support groups formed
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1 widow support group started in California
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2.2 Acre Land purchased to build women's empowerment center
Countless Random Miracles
And then, the unmeasurable, Elders biking beside us in rain boots. Volunteer doctors serving thousands in a weekend. Unexpected gifts—bread, gear, soup, music, cakes—from strangers turned community. Aunties and grandmothers pooling money from all over the US for womankind. Buying a plot of land with our bike pedal, lives saved with our bike pedals. Riding in the dark, in the rain, farther than we thought we could. Skills shared. Belly laughs shared. Strangers becoming family.
Movement is powerful.
You are powerful.
And together, outdoors we are powerful change-makers.
The California Event Details
Amwe extends a warm invitation for women & gender expansive riders of all shapes, sizes, and experience levels to join the 2026 ride team (no cis-men at this time). It’s not a competition, but a collective journey of empowerment, an anti bike "race" rooted in connection. The invitation is to listen deeply to your own capacity and move in a way that honors your body. The ride is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together, traversing dirt, mountains, and coastlines to create a ripple effect of health in the global community.
The Route
We invite all experience levels to join us in a cross-cultural movement with purpose. Join the CA Women's Peace Ride team as we journey up the Central Coast from SLO to Big Sur, CA (Land of the yak titu titu yak tihini- Northern Chumash Tribe), where we will snuggle into our home for the night. Our scenic route will be along Hwy 1, traveling up the coast, with rest stops for water, dance breaks, and all the snacks. There will be two route lengths, including mileage options for both advanced and beginner riders. Our event begins with a send-off on the morning of Saturday, June 6th, with riding continuing through Sunday, June 7th as we connect along the iconic jade coast. Our moonlit evening will include a scrumptious grilled cheeses, a fireside musical guest, and a celebration of our time. Participants will not need bike racks/panniers—we will transport overnight gear directly to the campsite. The entire ride is paved (primarily flat with occasional hills) and best suited for road bikes ( bike checks required for the 100-mile route; disc brakes recommended). Bike repair & medical support will be available en route. If you need support acquiring a working bike, reach out and we will work together!
Dates
Pre-Trip Meeting (Required for new riders, optional for returning participants)
Thursday, May 21st – 6:00 pm ( Location TBA)
Meet our team, get oriented to the trip and fundraising, and receive tips on bike-packing, ergonomics, and safety.
Let’s drink chai & get pumped for this journey together.
Sponsor Weeks
Two weeks before and two weeks after the ride (May 23rd – June 21st)
Participants are invited to reach out to their communities to build a circle of support. We encourage focused fundraising in the two weeks leading up to the ride, and continued momentum afterward.
Peace Ride Weekend
Day 1 – Saturday, June 6th
We will meet at in the morning, sort gear, hold an opening ceremony, and begin the ride to Big Sur.
Evening: decompress, enjoy a meal, fireside entertainment, and rest under the stars.
Day 2 – Sunday, June 7th
Breakfast, pack up, and pedal home.
Route options
All riders will begin together at Cuesta College, moving as a collective up the coast. From there, participants are welcome to choose the distance that feels most aligned for their body and experience level, with multiple optional stopping points along the route.
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Shorter option: Ride Cuesta to San Simeon (~34 miles each way ) earlier stopping point are also available on as needed basis.
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Full ride (Century): (50 miles each way ~100 miles round trip) to Big Sur, recommended for more comfortable and experienced riders
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We will camp overnight on a private property in Big Sur with potable water, bathrooms, and stunning views.
If you have concerns about your ability to complete the ride, please reach out, we are here to support you in making this journey feel accessible, empowering, and aligned with where you are. Let’s work together; you are stronger than you know.
Out of Town Participants
We would love to have you. The nearest airport and train station are in San Luis Obispo. If needed, we can likely help coordinate a place to stay before or after the event within the community.
Cost
Registration Donation: $120
Your fee covers the essentials for an epic ride: lunch on both days, snacks to keep you fueled, dinner under the stars, camping, gear transport, and entertainment — everything you need to focus on the adventure and the impact you’re making. This is a tax-deductible donation, supporting AMWE’s work empowering women globally. If cost is a barrier, please reach out — we’re happy to chat about scholarship opportunities. AMWE will never turn away a rider due to funding.
Fundraising
This ride is, at its core, a collective fundraising effort supporting women’s health initiatives in collaboration with our partners in Tharaka, Kenya. Every mile pedaled contributes directly to building care, resources, and opportunity. We ask each participant to reach out to at least 5 people in their community to support their ride—through per-mile pledges ( think back to the jog-a-thon days), one-time donations, or sharing your “why” in a way that feels authentic to them. Our team is so creative with how they fund! Riders have hosted small gatherings, shared stories, and even thrown disco parties in honor of the ride. This is how Amwe works: grassroots, relational, and community-powered. By inviting others in, you’re not just raising funds, you’re expanding the story and the impact we create together.
Our Partners
In Eastern Kenya, the Makenna ("joy") Women’s Group, a circle of 24 native Tharakan women, gathers every Thursday at 6am on the rock face pictured below. They pool resources, share stories, start businesses , weave baskets, farm and build homes together as the sun rises over the dusty red hills. These women are our partners, sisters, and friends. They are mothers, home builders, dancers, hosts, farmers, entrepreneurs, and belly laughers. They have worked closely with our co-founder Robert for years; he grew up in this village, and they are his aunties, sisters, and mentors. Through this collaboration, we exchange knowledge, culture, and support in meaningful, reciprocal ways. We work to actively break patterns of colonization and the white savior complex, staying curious, open to feedback, and guided by the voices of those we serve—knowing they are the experts of their own experience. Rooted in reciprocity, both our partners in Kenya and participants in the U.S. learn, grow, and benefit from our work together. This work is sacred and messy—we are always, always learning.
How We Send Funds (Efficacy)
Funds are sent directly to the certified CBO Naledi nonprofit account. Trusted community members assist with implementation and progress tracking, and Amwe CA team members conduct in-person check-ins during regular visits to Kenya.
This ensures contributions are used with integrity and impact. Amwe is under the fiscal sponsorship of Women's Global Empowerment Fund IEN:20-88-22-616.
Contact
If you have questions, concerns, fears, dreams, or ideas—please reach out.
Email: Amwemovement@gmail.com
Phone: 805-895-7100
