On your bike – how we can all join in the cycling revolution
As more traffic returns to our roads, author Nick Cotton says the boost cycling has received during the pandemic – with all the attendant health and environmental benefits – is an opportunity to reset how we travel and live
Was it just a dream? Something we imagined? Something that was just too good to be true? Spring 2020 may be seen as an unrepeatable golden moment for cycling. It was the sunniest and driest spring ever recorded. In the lockdown that followed the government’s announcement in late March, the roads and streets emptied of traffic. You could hear the birds sing, breathe fresh, exhaust-free air, the skies were clear and even the motorbikes were silent.
Hundreds of thousands of every type of cyclist, all over the country, basked in a brief period of cycling heaven unlike anything since the Second World War when petrol rationing left the roads clear of vehicles. People of all ages, experienced cyclists and novices, jumped on whatever bike they could find to savour this new-found freedom. Old clunkers that hadn’t seen the light of day for a few years were out there alongside bikes costing thousands of pounds. People wobbling along for the first time in ages shared smiles with regular cyclists who were glad to see such an upsurge in cycling.
Sunshine on your skin, wind in your hair, healthy outdoor exercise, easy to socially distance and a chance to explore far wider and further afield than you ever could walking or running. But most important of all – the roads were almost empty of traffic. All the normal excuses for not cycling “It’s too wet, it’s too cold, it’s too dangerous, I’ll turn up at work sweaty, someone will nick my bike” all melted away as people ventured out in the sunshine on a circular ride from home, many astonished at how far they could get in an hour.
Inevitably there is a transitory nature to this period of cycling nirvana. The lockdown has eased, more people are going back to work, more shops are opening up and week by week there is more traffic on the roads. Even the weather has returned to something like normal, a mixture of sunshine and showers. So it that it? A brief taste of cycling utopia and now back to things as they were before? Well, yes and no. No one can organise the weather to ensure months of sunshine coincide with roads empty of traffic, but there will be a benign legacy. As spring turns to summer, are people desperate to get back onto crowded buses, trams and trains, standing right next to strangers wearing masks? I thought not.
This may turn out to be the crisis that brings on a step change, tipping the balance in favour of far more urban journeys made by bike. Local authorities are already looking at pop-up cycle lanes as a temporary experiment that may become permanent if they achieve the goals of safer streets, better air quality and a healthier population. Businesses may adapt to offer safe cycling parking, showers and clothes lockers. Entrepreneurs may even set up centrally located cycle hubs that will receive your bike in the morning, store it safely (maybe even fixing any mechanical problems while you are at work) then have it ready for you at the end of the working day after you have texted them with a time for collection.
What about recreational cycling? As author of over 50 cycling guides covering the whole of the UK, I have always thought of cycling in terms of a series of steps. Families, novices and ‘bornagain’ cyclists want to start with easy, flat, traffic-free trails where they can ride with the confidence of knowing they will not encounter cars. They may progress to the next step – cycling on quieter roads at quieter times of the day or week. If they become keen they will take on longer distances, tougher terrain and maybe try out some of the offroad trails at the mountain bike centres all over the country. With higher levels of fitness, confidence and street wisdom, cycling all or part of the journey to work becomes an option, incorporating two periods of exercise into each working day. The Cycle to Work Scheme enables you to buy a bike at a discount.
No article covering recreational and utility cycling could fail to mention the biggest game-changer of the lot – electric bikes. People who thought their cycling days were over can think again – electric bikes banish that dread of hills or headwinds, enable partners of differing abilities to cycle together and extend the range of commutable distances, while still allowing you to arrive looking fresh. Technology and battery range is improving year on year and electric bikes look ever sleeker and more like any ordinary bike. Charging the battery is very straightforward and on a longer ride you could always take the charger with you to top up the battery when you stop off for a coffee or for lunch.
You don’t notice extra weight when you are on an electric bike so it’s easy to contemplate a shopping trip if you have a couple of panniers to fit onto the rack or you could carry a change of clothes if you are cycling to work and need to
Don’t be too ambitious to start with. Better to finish your first ride andbekeentogoout again than to exhaust yourself and throw the bike back in the shed saying ‘Never again’
look smart. One unexpected benefit of electric bikes I came across recently is when you are in a group of mixed riders on electric bikes and on ordinary bikes and you are riding on the flat into a strong headwind. Get the person/people riding electric bikes to go to the front and keep up a steady pace and everyone else can benefit from riding in their slipstream, allowing the electric motor to benefit all the cyclists in the group.
So what’s the next step if you are tempted back onto your bike after it has gathered dust for a year or two? First you have to ensure your bike is fit to ride. Often this requires no more than pumping up the tyres, putting some oil on the chain and checking the brakes work. However, if you don’t feel competent even to do this, call your nearest bike shop and book an appointment for them to check it over and give it a service. Don’t be too ambitious to start with. Better to finish your first ride and be keen to go out again than to exhaust yourself and throw the bike back in the shed saying ‘Never again’. Plan your first rides carefully. Choose a day when it’s likely to be dry and not too windy. If cycling from home, try a quiet time like a Sunday morning or a summer evening, after the end of the working day and avoid busy roads. If you are able to transport your bikes on a bike rack, check out the location of your nearest traffic-free trails and build up strength, fitness and stamina on these before trying rides on the road network.
Cycling can be a great social activity and one that families or friends can do together – plan your route well, taking into account the weakest rider so they do not always feel left behind at the back. Have a treat to look forward to such as a cafe or a picnic and just enjoy gliding along outside in the fresh air – it doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.