Why choose to cycle?

For so many reasons! When you're relaxed on a bike, there's enjoyment in moving along at your chosen pace, for very little cost, fuelled by your meals. You can pick quiet routes and enjoy being out in the fresh air, maybe noticing the sounds of nature, and stopping whenever you like. Whatever your age as a cyclist, you're sitting on an ingeniously devised machine, built to give you a sublimely simple experience of gliding quietly forward...

Physical health

Turning your legs and pushing the pedals improves your muscle strength and boosts your circulation. Increased blood flow to the brain aids concentration and thinking, and the gentle variation of the cycling rhythm shifts effort around your muscles (including on an e-bike), i.e. it's not relentless! And like other exercise, cycling raises the heart rate and calorie-burning rate, so all in all, it does your body good in lots of ways. Recent UK research has found that cycle commuting cuts the risk of premature death by an amazing 40%.

Mental health

Exercise such as cycling releases endorphins and helps to lower stress levels. When cycling, especially in busy environments (e.g. urban), you concentrate on lots of different things, which is a good workout for your brain! Yet you still connect with the people around you. In fact, communicating with others is key to the safety and enjoyment of cycling. Many other things may also lift your mood as you ride: the fresh air, sunshine on your skin, in-person encounters, birdsong or just being close to nature.

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Getting around

As a mode of transport, cycling can be super-efficient, and if you're only going a few miles, it's often faster than trying to drive along congested roads and then battling to park! You can combine bikes with train / tram / ferry travel, and enjoy reduced entry to some tourist attractions if you arrive by bike. Plus wherever you're going, you can usually "park" your bike right by the door. Personally, I love cycling along quiet, narrow, hedge-lined lanes that you'd never take a car down for fear of meeting something coming the other way...

Caring for the environment

Many of us are aware of the climate crisis afflicting our incredible planet, and wonder what difference we can make. Emissions from transport make up about 25% of the UK's annual carbon footprint (according to .gov.uk statistics), so by choosing eco-friendly ways to travel (like cycling!), you can significantly reduce your personal carbon footprint. You'll save on fuel costs and reduce vehicle wear and tear while also cutting your exhaust fumes and CO2 emissions, improving air quality for everyone.

What about safety?

I often speak to people who can't imagine cycling alongside road traffic; the classic comment is "they all drive like nutters!" Yet lots of us are also drivers (careful, no?) and car accidents don't seem to put people off driving! There's a "way of being" on the road on your bike that clearly shows other road users that you are there, and where your space is. I will teach you how to stay visible, be assertive, protect yourself at all times and cooperate with the road users around you, so they recognise you as a fellow human and take steps to accommodate you.

Ready to give it a whirl yourself?

For anyone who means to cycle in the morning but often runs out of time to gather their stuff… why not use this handy checklist to help you get ready the night before, and then get up and out with minimum faffing?

1. Check the weather. Will you need warm layers? Shorts or leggings? Ear covering? Hair bobble? Waterproofs? Choose your cycle clothing and place it ready to pull on. Including shoes. 2. Will you need a change of clothes when you get where you’re going? Choose your destination outfit! And shoes 😊 3. Will it be dark? Find your lights (red flashing on the back. White steady on the front) and charge them if necessary. Ideally a plug socket close to your cycling clothes! 4. If it’ll be dark, will you be using unlit roads? If so, you need a light that you can SEE BY, not only one that’ll help you be seen. Find this and make sure it works. 5. Are you expecting a hilly ride that’ll make you sweat? Will you need a shower on arrival? Don’t forget your towel! 6. Got your bike lock, and key? 7. How about basic tools and a pump in case you puncture en route? 8. Given your pile of stuff so far, which bag will you need? Choose it and pack it (with laptop? Lunch? Money? Water bottle? Etc.). 9. ABCD check of your bike? (Air in your tyres? Brakes ok? Chain ok? “Direction” (= handlebar firmly directs your bike)?) 10. Helmet safe for use, and at the ready? 11. Lastly, Smile Cycling always recommends a hi-vis, reflective bag cover – it means drivers see you a couple of seconds earlier than they would without it, which means they react to your presence with more time to keep you safe. 12. Bag packed? Then you’re all set! Sleep well, and happy cycling tomorrow 😊