Cycling Changed My Life: Ruth
Source: Ruth R
Posted: 28 March 2008
We've been asking you to tell us how cycling has changed your life. Here's your latest feel-good story from Everyday Cycling user Ruth. If you'd like to tell your story to the Everyday Cycling nation, send your words and images to info@everydaycycling.com
Hi, my name's Ruth and I'm 24. In January 2007 I made a new years resolution to learn to ride a bike. Yes you read that correctly - Learn to ride a bike... I am one of those rare people who never learnt to ride as a child. (Cue the violins!!) My parent's always thought it was too dangerous in my area to ride a bike, so I was never bought one as a child.
I didn't quite know where to start to look for a bike, so I went onto ebay. My main criteria was at this stage, must be as low to the ground as possible, must have as few gears to use as possible. I bought a vintage BSA 3 gear folding bike for £50 - it arrived in bits a few weeks later. My partner built it for me, and it sat in the shed for quite a few months, due to me being too nervous to learn. I live in a built up area, and have no parks or open spaces to learn on. In the end I bit the bullet and got my bike out on a sunny day, my four year old daughter also joined me on her bike, and we rode up and down the pavement, her going very fast with her stabilisers on, and me wobbling all over the place.
After a month or so of occasionally riding up and down the road we went on holiday to France. We were staying in the middle of nowhere with no car, and not much to do, so hired some bikes. I managed to cycle all over the local countryside, and even did some offroad cycling. It was fantastic to be somewhere without cars, and without the worry of cycling where I shouldn't be cycling (i.e. on the pavement).
When I got back we did a long bike ride locally, some on road and some off road. My vintage BSA was struggling a bit so I made the decision to sell it and get something more suitable. I bought a Raleigh mountain bike for £40, and sold the vintage bike for something similar. The mountain bike made all the difference and I was able to go out with a friend offroading in a local forest. I struggled to keep up, but it felt amazing to be able to explore the local beauty spot at such speed, and ease.
The icing on the cake was going on a trip to the New Forest last month and being able to ride through the forest with a trailer with my daughter in it. Her excitement with 'Mummy being able to ride with me' was priceless.
I am still learning how to use road safety on the roads, so am still a while away off tackling the busy commute to work. I'm actually considering moving house so I can move to a cycle path which takes me to the door of work. We frequently use the bikes to get to places which we can't get to on the bus, and it also saves us money using the bikes when travelling outside my bus card zone.
I am hoping to take part in the Bristol Big Bike Ride this year, and also plan to complete the Bristol to Bath cycle ride - which was the plan I had in mind when setting my resolution last year. I have had an amazing time learning to ride a bike and just wish I'd had the courage to learn sooner than I have done!
Related: My Cycling Life: Stuart's Story
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