About 15 women attended a four-hour cycling course on Saturday aimed at giving women the confidence to hit the roads.

The 'Pushy Women' course, run by Bike Bendigo in conjunction with Melbourne's Squeaky Wheel, put women through their paces, teaching them basic bicycle maintenance and safety tips and ended with a 15 kilometre ride finishing with lunch at the Boardwalk Bendigo. 

Bike Bendigo's Cath Armstrong, who describes herself as a "plainclothes pedaller" said she wanted women to know they didn't have to be perfectly smooth, lycra-clad athletes to ride a bike. 

"It's about giving people permission to just get on a bike and get from A to B," she said.

"We're trying to break down the barriers that women may find prevent them from getting on a bike."

Ms Armstrong said women played an important role in getting their own families active.  

"Women can determine how families respond. An active culture in a family can start with a parent," she said.

"The more people we get riding bikes the better.

"We've had a culture that's snuck up on us where we always jump in the car and drive where we need to go."