The Sound of Applause

The course begins in an indoor gymnasium where the women can take a tumble on the padded floor without hurting themselves. Some of them bring along their children who film the adventure on their smartphones and act as translators between their moms and Mama Agatha. Hardly any of these women speak Dutch or English. Over the next few weeks, the women move to an underground parking lot. Some take to the bicycle faster than others. The veiled Muslim women, in particular, find it difficult to cycle, because their long dresses get stuck in the wheels. Others are chaperoned by husbands who refuse to leave their side. Mama Agatha handles these cultural differences with wit and humor, telling one Moroccan man, “she is your wife all day long. For this one hour, she is mine.”