Bike Week may be over, but as Karen Clarke, winner of the Dutch Diva Bike from the Vitality Show, tells us, there's so many reasons to keep on cycling.
Posted on 22 Jun 2009
Bike Week may be over, but as Karen Clarke, winner of the Dutch Diva Bike from the Vitality Show, tells us there's so many reasons to keep on cycling.
"I haven't had a bike since I was a teenager and didn't really use it that much back then and only did short journeys. I've never considered myself as sporty and hated sports at school as I was overweight as a teenager which made it difficult for me. I now see the bike could have helped with my fitness back then.
I've been going to the gym and exercising for quite a few years with limited success (I used the stationary bike!) until I met Nigel, a Personal Trainer. Nigel has encouraged me to start running outside, and has been working with me to change the way I exercise helping me to lose weight (I've now lost 2 stones!). For some time now Nigel, a keen cyclist himself, has been encouraging me to get a bike - "it will help with your fitness, encourage you to exercise outdoors etc...." I did say I would think about it but hadn't really made any positive moves to get one so it must have been fate that made me fill in my details at the Vitality Show back in March!
I was very surprised and delighted when I got the email saying I'd won the wonderful Dutch Diva Bike! My colleagues thought I'd gone mad (it was April 1st so they didn't believe it could be true!). I couldn't wait to get out and get cycling. Although it has been along time since I've ridden a bike I soon got the hang of it. I've discovered places I didn't know existed. There is a cycle path about half a mile away from me that leads to a nature reserve and eventually to the Grand Union Canal.
I have been up and down the canal many times and sometimes just want to keep going, but have to remember that I need to cycle back too! It is a different world along the canal with all the house boats and pleasure cruisers going up and down and through the locks etc. It is also good to see lots of other cyclists, runners and walkers all enjoying the peaceful canal and only a stones throw from the busy town and shopping centre, where I used to spend a lot of time.
Nigel is even planning training sessions using our bikes. I can see some hill training coming up as I'm not very good with hills at the moment! Nigel thinks my bike is great and I've had lots of people telling me how great it looks. I am planning to take my bike on the train in the future though outside of rush hour to travel a bit further to try out other cycle routes
A huge thank you to everyone at Sustrans for giving me the opportunity of discovering the joys of cycling and for presenting me with such a lovely bike!"
Has cycling helped you to get fit? Tell us your story here.
Sustrans would like to say a big thank you to the Littlehampton Dutch Bike Shop who kindly supplied the Dutch Diva Bike as a prize
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Comments
Looks good! Wish I could win a bike, I've been wanting to buy a new one for a while now but I just can't afford to spare the cash. Might try and get a cheap one after Christmas when people have clearouts or the shops have sales. I used to use a personal trainer newcastle but had to give it up when I had to get a new job.
Posted by Personal Trainer Newcastle on 09/12/2009 at 16:18pm
I am very jealous of Karen winning the Diva bike - I saw it and drooled over it at the Vitality show.
Cycling is an essential part of keeping me trim and fit. I try to cycle on a daily basis and use a bike in the village to do lots of errands and also to get to and from work. Its much quicker than sitting in a car in a traffic jam, much cheaper to run and allows me to eat a chocolate or two! When the weather is kind there is no better way to get out and blow the cobwebs away then by cycling.
Posted by Jane Hornsby on 24/06/2009 at 13:57pm