SPIEGEL: Ms. Rasouli, it is always said that Ottawa is a boring governmental city compared to cities like Toronto or Montreal. They offer biking there. Is it worth it?
Maria Rasouli: I think that's a prejudice. It is better to take the time to discover the city with your own eyes. Toronto and Montreal are big cities with many exciting offers. But who wants to get out into nature, is traveling there for a long time. In Ottawa, on the other hand, there is already a lot of green in the city center. For larger parks you are only 10 to 20 minutes from downtown. There are many trails along the water, the Rideau Canal or the Ottawa River. And we also have great museums, art galleries and locally run restaurants.
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Canada: By bike through the green OttawaSPIEGEL: What special green spots in Ottawa miss tourists when they are not cycling?
Rasouli: One of my favorite places is the Arboretum, a haunted park in the middle of the city on Dow's Lake. It is part of Experimental Farm, a 427-acre Canadian Department of Agriculture research facility with livestock, tropical greenhouses, and flowerbeds. Also worth seeing are the Hog's Back Falls at the Rideau and the Remic Rapic Rock Sculptures site by artist John Ceprano on the shores of the Ottawa. These beautiful places are only about five kilometers from the Parliament Hill and are easily accessible via bike paths.
SPIEGEL: What is your personal favorite place?
Rasouli: The hilly terrain in Gatineau Park is a nice sporting challenge. If I want to do something on my own that really grounds me, I prefer to cycle there. It is not far from my home in the center, and during the week you really have your peace.
SPIEGEL: How did you come up with the idea of opening a bicycle rental and tour operator in Ottawa in 2015?
Rasouli: My happiest childhood memories come from my bike trips. I wanted to do something professional that connects my love for Ottawa and its nature with these passions and makes me happy.
SPIEGEL: Where did you grow up?
Rasouli: In the small town of Sangachin in northern Iran. Driving in the woods nearby was not really allowed. But my parents did not keep an eye on me every second. This was the first time I discovered freedom on my bike. But when I was eleven, that had an end.
SPIEGEL: What happened?
Rasouli: Me and a girlfriend are cycling towards a soccer field. The guys who played there walked there. So we had to slow down, lose our balance, fall off the bike and laugh. An elderly man then said to us, "You should not ride a bike at all, the young men will see your legs." I saw the shame in the eyes of my girlfriend and was embarrassed myself. At the same time I thought: That's so wrong! How can you shame a child who laughs so carelessly?
SPIEGEL: Did you not get on your bike after this time?
Rasouli: Yes, about. They are subtle signs that society sends you. My parents said you're in puberty now, and that can not go on like this. The power of tradition and culture is like a river whose current forces you in a direction you may not want.
SPIEGEL: Did you emigrate to Canada because of that?
Rasouli: I immigrated to Ottawa to do my doctorate. But the real reason was that I was upset about how I was treated as a woman. I felt like a prison every day.
SPIEGEL: Has anything changed in your Iranian hometown?
Rasouli: A little bit. I was visiting my family two years ago. Women cycle in their free time, but often they are accompanied by men. If you drive once a month or only from time to time, that will be tolerated. But when they cycle to work regularly, people start talking.
SPIEGEL: When did you first sit on a bike again?
Rasouli: Right after my arrival in Canada in 2002 - after a round-the-clock trip. My professor from Iran had left me his bike after his stay in Ottawa. I dropped my luggage and left immediately to finally feel free again. I immediately fell in love with the country and the city - so much green, so much space.
SPIEGEL: Do you sometimes go on longer tours?
Rasouli : Yes, mostly multi-day trips. Recommended is for example a bike ride on the "Le P'tit Train du Nord" through the valley Rivière du Nord. Originally there was a railway line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The beauty of Ottawa is that if you cross just one bridge, you are already in another province - Quebec - and can also discover the cycle paths there.
SPIEGEL: Initially, your environment was skeptical of the idea of opening a bicycle shop. Why?
Rasouli: The season is only from May to October, because the weather in winter is often very harsh and unpredictable. In addition - so the criticism - the city is not like Montreal on the bucket list of every tourist. But instead of looking at the problems, I saw more of an opportunity to improve tourist offerings. After all, there are 600 to 800 kilometers of cycle paths in the region, and the "Bike Ottawa" advocacy team works to improve networking.
SPIEGEL: Do prominent politicians often use the cycle paths? About Justin Trudeau?
Rasouli: I think he prefers to run. But we often see our Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and city councilors on bicycles, sometimes members of parliament. For example, Jagmeet Singh, the party leader of the Social Democrats.
SPIEGEL: There's a lot of talk about sustainable mobility in Germany: rail instead of flying, bicycles instead of cars. Canada is more like a car country - is there a trend towards cycling in Ottawa?
Rasouli: Definitely, more and more people go to work by bike, and new bike lanes are always well received. I wish that everyone knows Ottawa as the bicycle city of Canada. Everyone talks about Amsterdam as an ideal city for cyclists - but I think Ottawa has the potential to build that reputation in North America.
Globetrotter on two wheels