It’s a big part of my life now. I cycle to work and go on rides every weekend
My body ached from the damp weather. I missed my family and wanted to go back to India. Whenever we went anywhere here, we’d go by car and I missed being close to nature. Although I got to know my husband’s colleagues and their families, I felt lonely.
Then in August 2012, we went to a festival in Edinburgh and I saw a leaflet for a beginners’ cycling course. It was something different and would get me out of the house, so I put my name down. I had no expectations, I just wanted to learn.
My husband, Raghava, was a bit unsure at first and my mum and dad in India were shocked. They thought cycling was for travel, not leisure and certainly not for a woman in her 40s or 50s. I said, “I want to learn and that’s it.”
I turned up at my first lesson and I was the oldest in the group. I was fitted with a helmet and the right size bike and told to sit straight, look ahead and listen to instructions.
I didn’t have a clue how to brake, but I could balance and from the moment I started pedalling, I absolutely loved it.
Over the six sessions I learned about brakes, gears, signalling and puncture repair. The hardest part was signalling downhill, but I only fell off once and that was on the flat when a dog ran into my front wheel. I wasn’t injured.
My son, Ishaan, now 11, and daughters Haneesha (15) and Eshita (18), encouraged me. My husband was also a good cyclist and soon we were going out for rides as a family, exploring parks, the coast and local countryside.
We had a lot of fun. I re-connected with nature and felt part of the community.
The breeze on my face made me feel free, I felt like I was back in India. My fitness improved, my aches vanished and I had more energy.
I gained a qualification to train others and set up a cycling club for the Telugu community in Scotland, to encourage other families.
Cycling is a big part of my life now. I cycle to work and go on rides every weekend. I’ve organised events, taken part in challenges and taught people from all backgrounds and cultures, including women in their sixties who had never been on a bike before. It creates a special bond and has opened up new friendships.
In 2018, I started teaching three to five-year-olds through the Play Together on Pedals programme. The children run up and hug me sometimes because they know it’s a skill they’ll have for life. It’s very rewarding.
I never dreamed I would learn to cycle. It not only built my confidence, but took me on a completely different path. HTTPS://WWW.CYCLINGUK.ORG/ PROJECT/PLAY-PEDALS