cycling community

This month we talk to 10 year old Halim about why he loves cycling and about his bike ride to school.  ‘I find cycling really fun and quick. I got a bike computer for my birthday in September, and I like to go really fast. When it said I was going at 26mph, I felt it was more like doing 260mph! Being on a bike at that speed was just amazing’

This month we talk to Camille (13) about why she started cycling to school ‘‘I love cycling, you feel so free and it is so much quicker to get to school than walking or catching the bus. I have a good off road route to school and I cycle with a group of friends and we meet up at different points along the route.’

James Alden, age 10, did a Bikeability Learn to Ride course at the beginning of August and, with mum Kate, talked about cycling during the summer holidays.

Thanks to St Helena Hospice for providing this month’s profile of a local cyclist. They speak to Christopher Welham, 54 who discovered cycling after a health scare in 2008. Christopher is due to compete at the Track Cycling World Masters Championship for the second time, but still finds time to support St Helena’s Hospice’s fundraising cycling events.

Tristan, a bar volunteer at the Waiting Room, was riding along one Monday and his frame snapped at the bottom of the headtube, right above the lug. “Sheared clean through,” he said, “all the way around. The only thing keeping it together was the steerer tube!”

Cllr Julie Young who has recently become this year’s Mayor tells us about how cycling has always been a part of family life and how her mother’s enjoyment of cycling has been an ongoing inspiration to her to carry on cycling as she has got older.

Jan Plummer talks to us about how seeing the evidence and impact of the effects of climate change first hand while on her travels, influenced her decision to adopt her bike as her main form of transport.

Rob and Polly Davies, and their twin sons Ned and Fin aged 9, live in Rowhedge. After buying some second-hand bikes from Re-Cycle last July, they decided to have a cycling adventure and see if they could get as far as the Colchester Free Festival and back.

Christina Allen-Cole talked to us about the 45 minute Bikeability Learn to Ride training (funded by SERP and delivered by Essex County Council) which her 8 year old son Finn completed last week.