TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Dozens of women got on their bikes and took a stroll through Downtown Tampa Sunday.

But it wasn’t just for fun; the goal was to take a stand.

“Just all about girl power,” Cynthia Grizzle said as she walked her bicycle over to the starting line.

Bicyclists in Tampa joined more than 200 cities across the globe for the Fancy Women Bike Ride.

“We’re really out here to really raise our voices about [how] we should be riding the streets of Tampa really comfortably,” said Paula Flores, who organized the Tampa event.

The annual ride began in 2013 with a woman whose goal was to challenge the male-dominated cycling world.

“You know it started out with the originator, a teacher, a young lady in Turkey,” Flores explained. “She just felt she couldn’t ride with riding groups which were men and everything else so she wanted to do something.”

That goal resonated with women in Tampa like Elizabeth Corwin who says she’s riding her bike for her mother.

“My mother at that time was living along Bayshore Blvd., and she had been a super bicyclist and she was too scared by the traffic to cross Bayshore,” she said.

Organizers hope Sunday’s ride raised awareness, increasing safety for bicyclists while showcasing the beautiful views of Tampa.

“We determined we needed to make Tampa more bicycle friendly for the elderly, for children, and everyone in between,” Corwin said.

Click here for more information on the global effort.