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BEGINNER Programmes |
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Would
you like to go from being a pedestrian to a cyclist in less than an
hour? Two womens' stories CTC's Inclusive Cycling Forum A few more success stories The Cuban adventure .. and how!! Cycle Challenge links for you ..
It was purely fear holding her back .. her boyfriend cycles, her friend whom she is on holiday with cycles and now she cycles too, this week they plan on hiring bikes and riding along to Marazion and when they cross to St Mary's, to also hire bikes to get around the island. She was more of a natural than she dared to hope and despite the strength of the wind coming off the sea and rain in Penzance, she was still cycling around quite happily when we got back from the quiet spot we'd chosen initially to get her going in a relatively traffic free area.
So anyone who tells me they can't, I'm sorry but I will dispute that as will these ladies ....... if you are sufficiently determined, then you will succeed. None of these people thought they could do it either but they all proved themselves wrong!! Generally speaking, the older one is, the higher the fear factor and that is the first barrier we have to break down and overcome, although as one client has proven, that is not always the case! Where possible, whilst you gain your confidence as you find your centre of gravity scooting around, the pedals should be removed (or folded down on a folding bike, which works equally well) .. having then learned to ride solo, with time we then progress to doing ride outs either with Pedal Back the Years or as part of 5 Miles to Fabulous ...
"When I started riding with a prosthesis I picked the Brompton because effectively it has a lower crossbar and it's easy to get the leg over, but like you say, the other advantage is the easily variable saddle height over a wide range. I too found the lower saddle height better until I began to get the hang of it, got more confidence, then could raise it to make pedalling more efficient."
I'd never have thought of the
comments he made but with hindsight, they certainly make sense ..
speaking for myself, it is wonderfully inspirational and something I
have been permission to use, just to show what can be achieved and
if he can do it, then anyone can especially given he has to overcome
the weight distribution aspect as well!! It was a very
humbling experience and I feel privileged to have had the
opportunity to meet and work with people, who do have to deal with
these issues and in such a positive manner.
Just before she flew out I received an email as due to circumstances beyond her control, she hadn't had the time to do as much training as she'd have like to and had begun to doubt her ability to achieve it. In response, she got a pep talk, reminding her of what she had achieved last summer when she faced her demons, cycling in excess of 12 miles along the same stretch of trail as she'd been when she fell in. Her response was simply this "Thank you Wendy, I will keep this text and refer to it every time I have a wobble, you are a great inspiration, perhaps you should bottle your 'pep talk' and sell it! S" Knowing she would have completed it by now, I emailed her to ask how it went ... this was her reply! I am so proud of her as like me before embarking on the E2E, she was having some serious doubts and butterflies were abounding!! It was less than a year ago she got back onto her bike so read on and be inspired ..
It was a very emotional and emotive journey, so many sad and moving stories of why each person became involved in raising money for the 'Women for Women' charity, also a lot of time on your own to reflect on your own life, so as a result a lot of tears but also a lot of shared laughter. Cuba itself was spectacular such a vast range of scenery, we cycled by swamps, beaches, sugar cane fields, across a mountain range and through little fishing villages and busy market towns, also along the Cuban 'motorway' ! I still can't believe I did it, but what an achievement and I have the medal and certificate to prove I was there. We also received a personal letter of thanks from Professor Robert Winston, thanking us for our hard work in training and raising the funds needed to take part in the challenge and an invitation to the 'House of Lords' for a congratulation's ceremony where they will announce the total amount raised, personally I have raised nearly £4,000 and there were 67 of us in our group and we were one of a total of four groups who did the cycle Cuba challenge so it should be several thousands. Thank you for your help and encouragement, you were right, you can achieve anything if you think positively and really want to do it !
**Use the calculator to work out figures for yourself at http://cyclescheme.co.uk/employee,calculator.htm So what next for her I ask., perhaps China 2010 .. check out the possibilities at http://www.women-for-women.org/cycle-challenges/ and the photos of past challenges at http://www.women-for-women.org/events-photos/. Do you have a pet charity that you are passionate about and if so, let this inspire you into how you could go about fundraising .. cycling is not only a healthy thing to be doing but very sociable and flexible as well .. anything is possible if you have the right mindset!
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When
she goes home in a week's time, she plans on taking more lessons
back in London (she tells me there is an alternative route into work along
the River Walk where cyclists are allowed) and getting a bike
through CycleScheme as she works for the government so knows about
it as it is promoted internally ... her friend came out too
and was encouraging her as she just got better and better., she
still wasn't convinced but not even the heavy showers or the wind
were going to stop her having one last go earlier on., and if you
are reading this, "hope you have a good rest of the week girls ..
and see you next year when you come down again".jpg)
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After
10 minutes she was scooting along having found her centre of
gravity, (her feet were off the ground and she was
letting the momentum carry her without the bike wobbling at all,
the saddle taking her weight). Within 15 minutes she was
cycling alone with both feet on the pedals and when she did it
for the first time, she needed no support whatsoever! She was
even cycling through cones as well and within 20 minutes she was
doing U turns and coming back to me whilst still pedalling.
Within 25 minutes she was going great guns to the extent that
she was flying and I had to jump on my bike and catch up with
her as her confidence levels were beginning to soar and she was
becoming almost independent of me already, wanting to go and
explore the big wide world a little more. 
She can also signal
confidently as well as maintain a fair pace., she definitely
gets her Level 1 certificate., she really is a born natural and
wonders why now, she has wasted all this time ~ her face was a
picture when she realised what she'd just achieved ... 10 years
ago though, National Standards were not even on the drawing
board ... which says it all! Now she is looking at practising
with her family and then progressing onto Level 2 so that she
and her son can cycle to school together before she goes off to
work. Her long term goal is to also complete Level 3 as her
husband comes from a family who prefer to cycle rather than
drive, whenever feasible.
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A
few days ago, (March 2009) I attended a CTC Forum Workshop for All
Ability Cycling and met a gentleman who is also an amputee .. (there
were actually two amputees there) I only talked extensively with one of
them in particular as he tends to use his bike as a mobility aid .. this is what
he said when comparing strategies and explaining the approach I use with complete novices,
it transpired the similarities of learning to ride again post operatively
were amazingly alike ..
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Get
it wrong as one of my clients did before I met
her, having learned to put her feet on the pedals but not how to use
her gears and brakes or turn, she ended up having an accident and
falling into the stream that runs by the Camel Trail resulting in
her also contracting phlebitis – it was over 6 months before she got
the courage to consider getting back onto her bike and called me for
help. Now 
Amazing !! It
was such an awesome experience to be part of such a great team of
very special women, all very different, but all there for the same
common cause. It was very testing but worth every minute. I
took a tumble on the first day but nothing too dramatic, there were
several accidents mostly due to pot-holes, one particularly nasty
one only 10km into first day requiring hospital treatment and a few
stitches to her knee but she was able to rejoin us for the last day
across the finish line, also quite a few sunstroke victims
temperature was 28-30 degrees. 
