Before moving to London, I never rode my bike on roads . This is how I slowly built up my confidence on my bike where now I guess I am a cycling girly!
Some resources:
– Cycle Highways in London – https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/routes-and-maps/cycleways
– Highway code – https://laka.co/gb/blog/cycling/how-to-ride-safely-on-the-road-a-highway-code-for-cyclists/
0:39 – My cycling fears (things that were holding me back). More on the report referenced – https://lcc.org.uk/campaigns/womens-freedom/
2:25 – Getting started with a bike for my build – https://www.liv-cycling.com/gb/liv-design-bikefit
2:59 – Building the right foundations – https://www.ft.com/content/fd99cdd3-f853-41bc-853d-845705ab0631
5:16 – Planning cycling trips – https://stories.strava.com/articles/find-new-routes-near-you ; https://www.komoot.com/guide/40897/road-cycling-routes-around-london
6:24 – Traffic-free cycling challenges – https://www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/ridelondon ; https://events.kingstrust.org.uk/event/palace-to-palace
#cycling #cyclinggirl #cyclingvlog #cyclinglife
Okay, so I’ll be the first to admit that I am a fair weather cyclist. I used to only cycle on public bikes in the summer or on holidays by the seaside, basically romanticizing bike rides. But then I made a switch from cycling only to feel cute to being a hardcore commuter. It happened because I really didn’t like to be hot and sweaty on the tube in the summer and so started cycling to work. I lived at the time next to a cycle highway, which is basically this protected part of the road, which was a nice little kick out the door to get started. In the beginning, I used a Santenderea bike subscription, and it was nice to not have to worry about any bike theft, but it was super heavy and really difficult to find docking stations. And then, of course, the reality of London life meant that I needed to learn really quickly how to cycle in every weather, even in the rain because it’s like raining like 70% of the time. And not only learning to just be okay with cycling in the rain, but also learning how to cycle in the dark late at night when cars are driving way faster than they should be on main roads with very busy traffic going around buses and road rage, the whole shebang. I read somewhere that women are less likely to cycle in London because of safety concerns. And I mean that was one of the reasons why I didn’t consider cycling as a commuter for the first 3 years I lived in London because cycling on main roads felt scary especially in hightra areas like London. Most of the main roads you share with buses and in the beginning I would flinch when I would hear a bus trying to pass me cuz they’re huge and I was scared to be crushed. I think one thing that really changed the cycling game here in London was actually the pandemic where it really just helped reorient and reset road usage where you felt safe as a cyclist um and almost prioritized where I think before I got yelled at by so many cars who were trying to pass me and you could tell that drivers were just not familiar with cyclists. I think after the pandemic, you saw more quiet ways and cycle highways pop up. And now it’s just so amazing to see so many cyclists who were um definitely not regular cyclists. Like sometimes you just see line bikers going around without helmets, which would have been really unthinkable for me beforehand. But it just goes to show how the culture has changed and folks feel safer. And since I am a big safety gal here, you might ask, how in the world did I build up my confidence as a cyclist on the road? And so the purpose of this video is just to share a bit of my process to encourage other folks who might have been like me, a little intimidated or unsure how to get started. I am by no means an expert. I am not the guy doing laps in Richmond Park kitted out in Lycra. But I will say I do have a bit of pride in how comfortable I feel on my bike today. So how did I get started? I first went onto Facebook Marketplace and I got really lucky in finding a used bike that fit my height, which is 5’2, which is kind of crazy because, you know, I basically needed a bike that was specially made for women because I had a smaller torso. Um, I first started on a hybrid live, which was great for commuting and occasional day trips out. And then I started getting into racing or basically I just wanted to feel light and fast and upgraded to a Liv road bike. So, one of the ways I developed the right muscles for cycling was actually taking spin classes. I found that starting on a standing bike really provided a way to focus my training on getting the foundations right, like posture or how to handle inclines. And I found some really amazing instructors in London who were professional road cyclists and ran classes that trained specifically for power and endurance. And as I was getting swole in my legs and core, I spent some time just doing easy laps in no car areas like Regent’s Parks Inner Ring, where I would just practice turning and finding my balance on my bike. I did some no hands on handlebar practice there which really helped with signaling later on and it was just a really nice social activity to do together with friends. Uh no hate to run gloves but I do think that running while talking is a little bit tricky. Whereas I think cycling and having social interactions where you’re chatting and and talking about your week is a little bit easier. You’re not out of breath and you’re not as sweaty afterwards. Just some gentle gentle laps. And of course, this park is super nice because you also have a cafe where after some laps, you can have a nice treat or a tea. And very similar to run clubs, there are also cycling clubs. And so you can meet new friends in cycling groups. And I found that cycling in big group rides were really great for building my confidence, especially on big maiden roads with cars because in a group, you’re just way more visible and you’re protected because there’s power in numbers. and writing as a group, you can start to learn road manners like how to politely and safely overtake someone, uh, which is always going on the right of them, um, so you’re not in their blind spot, or how to ride side by side. It was also nice riding in a group because, you know, if you had a flat tire, you’re not basically standing on the side of the road by yourself. Um, you have solidarity uh, with other cyclists. um which just meant that it was more enjoyable and um it’s less daunting when you experience something like that for the first time. Same with things like route planning. So usually there is a leader who volunteers to figure out the optimal route for cycling which just means that as a novice you basically can just follow along for the ride uh and enjoy uh the route and just build up that habit of going out on longer rides um on maid roads which was great for me uh when I was getting started. And slowly but surely, I started to become more confident and feel more adventurous to do uh solo rides on my own. And I started out doing smaller rides with friends into the UK countryside initially because I thought it would be a great way to build more confidence on roads because I assumed countryside meant less cars. But what I didn’t account for is that even though there are less cars, they are driving super fast. And so it was a good lesson in that I was forced to confront my fear of cars zipping past me and and be comfortable with that. I also got way better at route planning and learning how to cycle on all sorts of terrain. Um especially since in the UK there’s actually quite a lot of hills and they pop out of nowhere. So you do have to learn to work your gears effectively uh and avoid all the potholes and unevenness of country roads. Uh but you know at the end it was always like so worth it to have that fresh air and to have a nice little country pub meal at the end and was just a fun way of getting to see more of the UK uh and enjoy a longer weekend uh with friends and before I knew it I felt pretty solid on a bike. My final test was working up my ability and endurance to cycle long distances. And so I signed up for two cycling challenges which I trained quite a lot for. Uh I did Palace of Palace from Buckingham Palace to Windsor which was 50 miles that cut through Richmond Park and was absolutely gorgeous. Um and then more recently uh Ride 100 which was 100 miles through and around Essex. And before I knew it, I too became one of those hardcore fancy cyclists with those kits. I had uh some fancy cycling glasses and some butt padded out shorts. Like honestly, I couldn’t recognize myself with this outfit. I couldn’t believe who I had become. But I think uh it just goes to show like how you can start from not knowing anything about cycling in a city to becoming a really confident cyclist. And I think that the main barrier we all face is self-doubt. We think, “Oh, I can never do that or uh those guys are pros and you know that’s not me.” But with a little bit of practice, you can build up that muscle and knowledge. It’s like that saying about how it’s easy just like riding a bike. And I guess it really kind of goes to show that you only really learn by doing and that by experiencing something and doing it regularly, it does become second nature. And I think the biggest enemy here is not trying at all. Like I am so so glad that I took that first step to try something new and go outside my comfort zone. When I was starting cycling, I didn’t really have many friends who were into it. And it was only at a friend’s dinner party where I mustered up the courage and cornered a Dutch girl and very much played upon the Dutch stereotype that they are into cycling and asked her if she’d be down to cycle to Brighton with me. And she was a complete stranger. Uh but she said yes. And you know that next weekend we planned a trip to cycle from London to Brighton and we became great friends afterwards and now we do these cycling trips together every year. And so you never know really where it can go. Um and I can’t imagine a world without my bike. Like it is the best feeling ever. So freeing zipping around and feeling that adrenaline rush and just such a wonderful wonderful way to see and move around in the world. And I hope that this humble story of my cycling beginnings can be a little encouragement for you. We have some really nice weather at the moment. So go grab that friend and see if they want to cycle around a park this weekend. Summer is the best time for cycling and building up a new habit. And of course, please do remember to invest in get a really good helmet. Safety first. Thank you so much for watching and hope to catch you here next time. Thank you. Bye.