Oakwood<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I divide my time between part time work and several voluntary jobs. I am also working at getting fit by cycling, dancing, running and walking.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have only recently started cycling regularly. Although I learnt to ride as a child, I was never allowed to ride on the roads, so at about the age of twelve I stopped. When I first moved to Derby in the late 70\u2019s I bought a bike with the intention of using it to ride to work. However, I struggled with balance and co-ordination and didn\u2019t feel safe, and decided that cycling really wasn\u2019t for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, a couple of years ago I decided to give it another try, and this time I stuck with it, spurred on by the incentive of receiving a new bike as a birthday present from my family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I find that it is the best way to explore and see places. I can go further than I could by walking, and I can see more than I could by car. I was motivated to ride by my two grown up, adventurous children, and I felt that by not riding I was missing out on something good. I ride for leisure, both on my own and as a participant on led rides, and to get some exercise. I sometimes use my bike to go into town to do shopping or other errands, and I like the fact that it is an environmentally friendly way to travel: it feels good to ride past a traffic jam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have a favourite ride, but what I enjoy doing is exploring locally and discovering a route as I go along. I like following the national cycle network blue signs, which I hadn\u2019t really noticed as a driver, and finding off road, traffic free routes. It gives me a whole new perspective on places I thought I knew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t buy specific or expensive kit. I wear whatever I feel comfortable in. Aldi has reasonably priced clothes that are good for cycling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that a lot of women and girls don\u2019t want to wear a cycle helmet, but feel they should, and that deters them from cycling. Many young women, and girls in particular, would still like to feel fashionable when riding a bike and I think there are very few role modals that they can identify with. Safety is also a big issue, and we need more cycle paths and segregated routes. I would like to see more \u2018women only\u2019 rides and greater publicity of these. I think Breeze rides are very good, especially for new riders, but not enough women know about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That depends. Sometimes I find cycling difficult and on those negative days my three words would be: slow, fat, failure. Usually, however, my three words are: free, adventurous, healthy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Where are you based? Oakwood What do you do? I divide my time between part time work and several voluntary jobs. I am also working at getting fit by cycling, dancing, running and walking.\u00a0 How long have you cycled for? I have only recently started cycling regularly. Although I learnt to ride as a child,… Continue reading Why we cycle: Kim Kimberly<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iwd","category-whywecycle","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t