I would like to say how easy it was for me to get back in the saddle but I don't want to mislead you. Like breaking most habits it required will power, a bloody minded determination to make it work. That and a plan.
This wasn't my first attempt at cycle commuting. I mentioned in my previous post the time that I attempted it but was put off by a combination of my physical condition and lack of peer support. On a few other occasions I have tried with slightly better success, but still not enough to fully make the transition to cycling as my main mode of transport.
Previous plans involved breaking myself in gently, cycling once a week for a few weeks then steadily increasing the frequency as I got fitter and more used to the traffic. Three weeks in a row was my record. It wasn't frequently enough to build fitness or, more importantly get comfortable with cycling in busy traffic.I found the traffic particularly stressful, sometimes not giving much space when overtaking or sitting behind me waiting for an opportunity to overtake with me not knowing if or when they would make a move.
One of the mistakes that I now realise I made was to take the same route the bus followed or that I would use when I drove and that is where the plan came in. After some careful planning and a bit of experimenting, I came up with a route on which only 1 mile from a total commute of almost 5 miles is on busy main roads. The remainder of the route is on a mixture of quiet back streets, lanes (including one with a flight of steps), parks and dedicated cycle lanes separated from traffic. The overall distance is slightly longer than the more direct routes and the steps are far from ideal but on the whole it feels safer and is less stressful. I will come back to this in future posts.
As I said in the introduction, will power was a big factor in getting started. Rather than breaking myself in gently, I bit the bullet and cycled every day for a week. Then, despite the aches and pains and groaning muscles and regardless of the weather, the same the next week. I found it tough but I wanted to do it. Some days I really enjoyed it and I wondered if I was allowed this much fun going to work. Other days, when it was wet and windy it was less appealing and I thought instead about how much fossil fuels I wasn't using (and I thought about how little of a difference it would make with so many others driving) and wondered whether it was really worth it or just a futile gesture. I also tried to think about how much fitter and healthier I would become and how I would sleep better(I did) although I didn't feel fitter and the aches and pains weren't natural. But persevere I did and after two or three weeks it became second nature.
I would like to say that the rest is history but it hasn't been that easy. After the clocks changed in the autumn I found myself cycling in darkness morning and evening. Some of the routes through parks were no longer suitable forcing me to use fast busy roads again. Nearly coming off the bike on an icy patch really dented my confidence for riding in all weathers and I've cut back cycling over the winter.
Spring is finally returning, bringing with it daylight and off road routes and its back to the start. I'll let you know how I get on.
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| The River Clyde from National Cycle Route N75 |
