I cannot begin to express how much of a relief it is that things are starting to return to a new normal, even though the risk of coronavirus hasn’t gone. I would like to say a hearty thank you to all the amazing and wonderful people who have kept things going for us all. There are not enough words in the world to show such appreciation.
On a personal note, I feel extremely grateful that my family and I have been fortunate to be able to adapt during these challenging times. Admittedly there were some days when I felt like the walls were caving in, and no matter how grateful I feel for what I have, I couldn’t help but also feel useless for having to postpone or cancel events, even though it was for good reason.
Our living room has become my partner’s home office, filled with day long Zoom meetings, nonstop telephone calls and frantic typing. This meant cycling has become my daily therapy, backyard gardening is a welcome break from homeschooling and both are an opportunity to gather my thoughts.
I am in absolute awe of how cycling has become so popular during the lockdown. My new favourite thing is seeing families with children cycling on roads that would otherwise be busy with traffic. As someone who loves cycling come rain or shine – and a total bike nerd – I can’t share with you enough how incredibly happy this surge in cycling makes me feel.
With more people taking up cycling, it goes to show how different the scene could be with low traffic neighbourhoods and transformed streets if there was a permanent cycling infrastructure where cyclists old and new felt safe enough to ride with confidence on the road with their young children. What the Levenshulme Bee Network achieved with the active neighbourhood project is so inspiring and I hope their great work is continued.
Cycling UK’s Women’s Festival of Cycling has been running throughout July celebrating everything that’s great about women’s cycling. It’s a great excuse for organising for a ride with a friend.
Just before lock down I completed Breeze Ride Leader training by British Cycling. This is fantastic safety training for leading group rides. I absolutely loved the experience, and am looking forward to leading my first social bike ride as a Breeze Champion.
I was also incredibly delighted to be selected as one of Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling for 2020. It is an amazing honour which I am extremely grateful for and will continue to work hard in promoting women in cycling.
TWCCG are a group of women whose love of cycling began long before this ‘golden age of cycling’ which happened as a result of the lockdown. We are feeling immensely excited about working with both beginner and experienced cyclists to keep the momentum of the bike buzz going. Even though traffic levels are noticeably back to pre-lockdown levels, this does not deter us at all, just as it didn’t before.
So, while the going is good, whether you’re new to cycling but perhaps feel a little insecure, a bit wobbly, or quite frankly terrified on your brand new bike – or you’re an experienced two wheels faithful – we’d love to meet you!
We don’t mind what bike you have or what gear you’ll be wearing, just that you want to come along to one of our learn to ride sessions and have a go. As with anything, practice makes perfect. We’d love to help you find your bike balance or show you how to repair a puncture, just to name a few of the things we will be doing in the coming months.
TWCCG will be resuming our learn to ride sessions soon and we want to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable whilst participating. As the risk of coronavirus is still very much with us, we will be taking all necessary safety measures to keep us safe and help prevent the spread.
Please watch this space for more details to come and how you can book your place as well.
Looking forward to meeting you soon on two wheels. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions – we’d love to hear from you!
Atchara
Founder