3 weeks ago
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Monday, 3 May 2010
Ness gardens...
OUCH!! My upper legs and my knees hurt and it was only 32mi today. I have to add that it was against a terrible north westerly wind for the journey to Ness but it was a bliss coming back. We managed to cut a whole 15min off our journey time. At one time I was pedalling at 25mph down along the Dee whilst my companion whizzed past at 31mph!! That was on the way back though...
Tomorrow seems like a no go as the wind will increase and stay a north westerly. Maybe a run will do just fine...
And May has arrived...!
Finally I'm back home.
The last two weeks were really hectic. A couple of days in Northallerton which was followed by a full five days in Southend-on-Sea disrupted my training schedule severely.
I tried to use every opportunity last week - from walking to the venue to a couple of runs in the morning and using the stairs instead of the lift in the hotel - but overall the progress was miserable.
The picture below is one I took last week of the dedicated cycle lane running past the Civic Centre in Southend-on-Sea.
Well, I'm back home now and we are planning a bike ride this morning after a stint in town. I went with the girls' group to Ness Gardens in the Wirral and thought that it was a great ride to do. So after town, we will go off and cycle the route up to Ness.
Have a lovely bankholiday Monday!
The last two weeks were really hectic. A couple of days in Northallerton which was followed by a full five days in Southend-on-Sea disrupted my training schedule severely.
I tried to use every opportunity last week - from walking to the venue to a couple of runs in the morning and using the stairs instead of the lift in the hotel - but overall the progress was miserable.
The picture below is one I took last week of the dedicated cycle lane running past the Civic Centre in Southend-on-Sea.
Well, I'm back home now and we are planning a bike ride this morning after a stint in town. I went with the girls' group to Ness Gardens in the Wirral and thought that it was a great ride to do. So after town, we will go off and cycle the route up to Ness.
Have a lovely bankholiday Monday!
Monday, 12 April 2010
Beautiful daffodils just outside Dodleston
What a lovely sight when you come around the bend at Dodleston. Spring is the loveliest season to cycle but unfortunately also the shortest. This weekend saw me going along the East Cheshire lanes and also dipping into the North Welsh hills. I certainly felt yesterday that I've done some good cycling on Saturday as my upper legs felt a bit tired. I guess the best would be to go out today for another ride, sometime late this afternoon.
Some of the local news this morning is that a cyclist has been killed yesterday afternoon in North Wallasey, which is close to Liverpool. So sad. It was such a great day for cycling.
A great cycling weekend
This was a brilliant cycling weekend and cyclists all over were out enforce. I had two great rides: one on Saturday with the local women's CTC group and again on Sunday morning - weather too good to be missed.The picture here is of one of my three bikes, the one which I will use to do LEJOG on. She is my Specialized Vita Sport and a fabulous bike. Light and great gears.
I briefly stopped outside my village to take some pictures of the Daffodils that are out and took this lovely picture of my bike.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Cycling coaching
I've been debating for a while whether to get a coach/Personal trainer or not. Well, reality has set in and I'm not as flush as I thought I am. I still need to save for the upcoming bike ride - meals and so on - so I'm taking it the easy way.
I ordered a few books...Oh dear, I can hear you say...and will be trying this on my own. Well, it is a journey, isn't it?
Without taking anything away from any other good books there might be out there, I thought I will share with you what I found. I ordered four:
1. Weight Training for cyclists by Ken Doyle and Eric Schmitz
2. The Long distance cyclists' handbook (second edition) by Simon Doughty
3. The time-crunched cyclits - Fit, fast and Powerful in six hours a week by Chris Carmichael and Jim Rutberg
4. Bicycling magazine's Training Techniques for cyclists edited by Ben Hewitt
I found all of them useful in some sort of way, particularly the first two and have now devised a training programme consisting of weight training and distance cycling for the next 9.5 weeks till the Big Ride.
I'm happy to share it and will be posting it here if I can work out how to paste an excel spreadsheet so that it still looks the part!! I will try and scan it as a picture, hopefully that will work.
The programme is an ideal so I will strive to get this done as it is set down but if I can't make it on a day due to work commitments I'm not going to sulk about it, but try to catch up later.
I have set up power, strength and core weight training programmes from the first book which complements the actual cycling done in a week, again happy to share those individual programmes if you want.
Ok!! Here we go above, it seems to have worked. Now to get the cycling going...
I ordered a few books...Oh dear, I can hear you say...and will be trying this on my own. Well, it is a journey, isn't it?
Without taking anything away from any other good books there might be out there, I thought I will share with you what I found. I ordered four:
1. Weight Training for cyclists by Ken Doyle and Eric Schmitz
2. The Long distance cyclists' handbook (second edition) by Simon Doughty
3. The time-crunched cyclits - Fit, fast and Powerful in six hours a week by Chris Carmichael and Jim Rutberg
4. Bicycling magazine's Training Techniques for cyclists edited by Ben Hewitt
I found all of them useful in some sort of way, particularly the first two and have now devised a training programme consisting of weight training and distance cycling for the next 9.5 weeks till the Big Ride.
I'm happy to share it and will be posting it here if I can work out how to paste an excel spreadsheet so that it still looks the part!! I will try and scan it as a picture, hopefully that will work.
The programme is an ideal so I will strive to get this done as it is set down but if I can't make it on a day due to work commitments I'm not going to sulk about it, but try to catch up later.
I have set up power, strength and core weight training programmes from the first book which complements the actual cycling done in a week, again happy to share those individual programmes if you want.
Ok!! Here we go above, it seems to have worked. Now to get the cycling going...
Monday, 29 March 2010
To coach or NOT to coach!?
I'm seriously thinking about getting a proper coach. This is a massive challenge and I want to do the best I can to make it successful including the BEST prep.
Although I've ordered some good books on cycle training, especially endurance training, I feel I need to sign up to a good coach. Reading in a Cycling mag very recently I came across an article on coaching and that everyone could benefit from a coaching session. There are a couple of coaches quite close to where I live and maybe I should knock on their doors. I know it won't come cheap but a proper cycling coach will be better than a 'normal' PT coach...what do you think? Comments SERIOUSLY invited!
Although I've ordered some good books on cycle training, especially endurance training, I feel I need to sign up to a good coach. Reading in a Cycling mag very recently I came across an article on coaching and that everyone could benefit from a coaching session. There are a couple of coaches quite close to where I live and maybe I should knock on their doors. I know it won't come cheap but a proper cycling coach will be better than a 'normal' PT coach...what do you think? Comments SERIOUSLY invited!
Thursday, 25 March 2010
How much can you do on your own?
My exercise yesterday was my lunchtime spinning class, taken by a really good PT instructor who I've known for several years. I guess he is about as old as I am or maybe even older. Why I'm mentioning this is to indirectly say that he isn't one of these youngsters that you get at the gyms. Don't take me wrong, I have nothing against the young ones but I have a bit more respect for someone who is older than the average trainer but is still a very good PT instructor and who is keeping his body in tip-top shape.
We all know that as you get older your body slows down, even for men and it takes more and more to get and keep those flabby bits off.
I had this brilliant idea whilst I was spinning away during the session to ask him about PT sessions, so after the class I plucked up courage and went over where he was packing his stuff away. To say that I was shocked was putting it mildly! The sessions starts at £30 per session and if you buy bulk (7 sessions) then it is £10 off. I have to admit I don't know anything about PT sessions so maybe this is the going rate but I didn't know it was that much. I politely took his number and said I will get back to him. He said that a session isn't just an hour. It is more like 2 or 3 hours so it might be worth it.
Back in the cloakroom I started pondering about this and finally decided that it might be a very good idea but only if we can do it my way. What I have in mind is 7 sessions, one per week which enables me to build onto the base that he is setting during the PT session and that would also not be so hard on my purse. My time also doesn't allow me to have more than one session per week. I haven't yet spoken to him but will present this idea soon and see what he says...
I know that £200 is quite expensive but hey, there is only so much you can do on your own. I have now been training since 1 February and I'm still not riding the bike as quick and easy as I would like, thinking that I'm not probably in my 7th week of training? Remember my earlier post on the LL diet that I couldn't do due to the rigid way they structure it? I was then thinking that all the money saved (£66 per week) could buy some PT sessions!
My cautious nature has however kicked in and I'm already thinking maybe I should only buy one session as a taster and see if I like it before splashing out on 7 sessions and depart with £200. What if I don't like it or think it is not for me? Maybe I can ask him for a taster session, maybe at a reduced rate? I don't want to come across as too cautious though. Remember I will be at his mercy when I'm exercising and he will definitely stretch me far!
I will give him a ring tomorrow (too busy today; on the train to London and his number is at home anyway) and speak to him, setting out what I want...be firm!
Hopefully I can step my training up a gear. I'm sure coming 12 June I will not regret the efforts I've made to get fit.
We all know that as you get older your body slows down, even for men and it takes more and more to get and keep those flabby bits off.
I had this brilliant idea whilst I was spinning away during the session to ask him about PT sessions, so after the class I plucked up courage and went over where he was packing his stuff away. To say that I was shocked was putting it mildly! The sessions starts at £30 per session and if you buy bulk (7 sessions) then it is £10 off. I have to admit I don't know anything about PT sessions so maybe this is the going rate but I didn't know it was that much. I politely took his number and said I will get back to him. He said that a session isn't just an hour. It is more like 2 or 3 hours so it might be worth it.
Back in the cloakroom I started pondering about this and finally decided that it might be a very good idea but only if we can do it my way. What I have in mind is 7 sessions, one per week which enables me to build onto the base that he is setting during the PT session and that would also not be so hard on my purse. My time also doesn't allow me to have more than one session per week. I haven't yet spoken to him but will present this idea soon and see what he says...
I know that £200 is quite expensive but hey, there is only so much you can do on your own. I have now been training since 1 February and I'm still not riding the bike as quick and easy as I would like, thinking that I'm not probably in my 7th week of training? Remember my earlier post on the LL diet that I couldn't do due to the rigid way they structure it? I was then thinking that all the money saved (£66 per week) could buy some PT sessions!
My cautious nature has however kicked in and I'm already thinking maybe I should only buy one session as a taster and see if I like it before splashing out on 7 sessions and depart with £200. What if I don't like it or think it is not for me? Maybe I can ask him for a taster session, maybe at a reduced rate? I don't want to come across as too cautious though. Remember I will be at his mercy when I'm exercising and he will definitely stretch me far!
I will give him a ring tomorrow (too busy today; on the train to London and his number is at home anyway) and speak to him, setting out what I want...be firm!
Hopefully I can step my training up a gear. I'm sure coming 12 June I will not regret the efforts I've made to get fit.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Sabotage!!! and good news...
Regret is a big 6 letter word. I'm really annoyed with myself. Evertime when things are on track I seem to be losing it. Well, seem is putting it lightly. I AM losing it!!
Let me start with the good news first. I've done a whopping 51 miles on Sunday.
We've decided to cycle the upcoming Spring 50 last Sunday. The actual event is this coming Sunday so we thought we'll do it to check the route and also use it as a training event. My average cycling speed was only 10.6 mph which is a bit ridiculous.
However, in defence I may add that there were many hills and total elevation gain was 650m which is enough for a 50 mile route. It was quite a difficult route to do and I struggled for most of the way. Quite silly really. The feeling to get back home was absolutely great though!
What is nice is that I now have a benchmark for next Sunday.Hopefully I can do a bit better. The picture on the right has a distant cyclist in it...my LEJOG partner!
So why am I losing it? Well, weight-loss is at a standstill but has nothing to do with plateaus or anything like that. Purely me that is sabotaging my own success which is such a shame. Sunday's effort made me drop at least a couple of lbs but only to be ruined by me not sticking to my diet yesterday and also having some wine (when I vowed NOT to drink in the week!). I had a spinning class this morning which was then missed due to feeling way too lazy to get up. So an opportunity to burn 500cals this morning totally missed...
I'm struggling to focus and find it quite tough. Has anyone got some tips perhaps??
Below are my results.
Let me start with the good news first. I've done a whopping 51 miles on Sunday.
We've decided to cycle the upcoming Spring 50 last Sunday. The actual event is this coming Sunday so we thought we'll do it to check the route and also use it as a training event. My average cycling speed was only 10.6 mph which is a bit ridiculous.
However, in defence I may add that there were many hills and total elevation gain was 650m which is enough for a 50 mile route. It was quite a difficult route to do and I struggled for most of the way. Quite silly really. The feeling to get back home was absolutely great though!
What is nice is that I now have a benchmark for next Sunday.Hopefully I can do a bit better. The picture on the right has a distant cyclist in it...my LEJOG partner!
So why am I losing it? Well, weight-loss is at a standstill but has nothing to do with plateaus or anything like that. Purely me that is sabotaging my own success which is such a shame. Sunday's effort made me drop at least a couple of lbs but only to be ruined by me not sticking to my diet yesterday and also having some wine (when I vowed NOT to drink in the week!). I had a spinning class this morning which was then missed due to feeling way too lazy to get up. So an opportunity to burn 500cals this morning totally missed...
I'm struggling to focus and find it quite tough. Has anyone got some tips perhaps??
Below are my results.
| Time: | 04:52:28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance: | 51.85 mi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation Gain: | 650 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Calories: | 2,451 C |
Monday, 15 March 2010
CTC Ladies ride on Saturday 13 March
Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled
What a great cycling weekend this was! First on Saturday, doing a 10mi ride with the local CTC Ladies (see attached link for details) and then on Sunday, doing a great run of 30.4mi down to Malpas in Cheshire. My legs were aching when I got back home and I can still feel the sore this morning. We had to battle a bit of wind, especially on our way back yesterday so it wasn't a straight forward nice ride. We were determined to go out 'whatever the weather', and were very pleased with ourselves when we managed to finish what we set out to do.
I burned a brilliant 471cal (10mi) and 1451cal (30.4 mi) on Saturday and Sunday. There was a huge hill just outside Malpas which gave us some good exercise! Tonight is another spinning class and my legs will probably complain but I do think they need it to 'unwind'.
My LEJOG partner outside the Red Lion Hotel Garage (interesting name, sin't it?)
I've received a Dutch cycling newsletter this morning from the Fietsberaad people and they mention a good piece of cycling research that was done amongst European cities called 'Bicycle policies of the European cities: continuous and integral' . The document can be found here: http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/Fietsberaad_publicatie7_Engels.pdf
Don't worry! It is in English. It is a document worth reading and will give you some thought about what can be done here and elsewhere.
Happy cycling!
What a great cycling weekend this was! First on Saturday, doing a 10mi ride with the local CTC Ladies (see attached link for details) and then on Sunday, doing a great run of 30.4mi down to Malpas in Cheshire. My legs were aching when I got back home and I can still feel the sore this morning. We had to battle a bit of wind, especially on our way back yesterday so it wasn't a straight forward nice ride. We were determined to go out 'whatever the weather', and were very pleased with ourselves when we managed to finish what we set out to do.
I burned a brilliant 471cal (10mi) and 1451cal (30.4 mi) on Saturday and Sunday. There was a huge hill just outside Malpas which gave us some good exercise! Tonight is another spinning class and my legs will probably complain but I do think they need it to 'unwind'.
I've received a Dutch cycling newsletter this morning from the Fietsberaad people and they mention a good piece of cycling research that was done amongst European cities called 'Bicycle policies of the European cities: continuous and integral' . The document can be found here: http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/Fietsberaad_publicatie7_Engels.pdf
Don't worry! It is in English. It is a document worth reading and will give you some thought about what can be done here and elsewhere.
Happy cycling!
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Fitter Faster Harder Stronger !
I think I'm getting fit...slowly! I have come to this conclusion at around 8am this morning after doing my early morning 45min spinning class where I've struggled to burn more than 300cals and before you say I haven't made a big enough effort - I did!
I read yesterday that Lance Armstrong's resting heartrate is only 32 - 34 beats per minute! Imagine how much effort he needs to put in to burn about 500cals at that heartrate. So the bigger and slower you are, the more cals you burn and someone who is getting fitter needs to put in extra effort to reach the same rate. Or do I have it wrong here??
I had a wicked gym session yesterday by doing 30min gym work which included weights and core training, then 75min of spinning. The grandtotal of 705cals was logged!! Unfortunately I am not shifting any weight at the moment which is a bit demotivating. According to my plan I was supposed to have dropped a stone by now and go below 11st but this is not happening. I'm slightly annoyed and slightly upset but not too much. I measured my waist last night and since 1 Feb I've lost 3.5 inches. That means I've lost an inch during March, when my weight seemed to have stabilised.
I know all about muscle vs fat and if you get to look leaner your weight doesn't always move down. I have one of these fancy Tanita scales which measures body composition and according to that my bodyfat is still the same as it was 4 weeks ago. Annoying!! I bought the scales about 18 months ago and since I bought it, it has calculated my body age at 58. That is probably my biggest motivator, to get that down to my own age and maybe even go younger ;-)
I have a no training day tomorrow coming up due to work and will be doing a lovely Ladies bike ride on Saturday, although it will be a short one.
Talking of short...I am quite short at 5ft 3 and the bike carrier we have is something which carries the bikes on top of the car roof. That is impossible for me to manage so I have had a look for several months now for something else and found it. It is a lovely bike carrier which uses a towbar and looks like a little trailer from behind. Only problem is that my car hasn't got a towbar...until today. I've taken the plunge and is fitting (now!) a towbar onto my car and will also be driving away with a lovely new Thule bike carrier capable of carrying 3 bikes, could be upgraded to 4. I will get a picture up soon for you to look at.
This carrier is quite cool as it also tilts forward if you need to get into your boot and it is also lockable which included the bikes, so you can stop at Services and pop in without being afraid that someone will nick a bike from your carrier.
Back to weight issues...I will give myself till end of March to lose my remaining lbs to get down below 11st and then use April and May to lose the last stone. That should be slow enough weight loss. I need to stay focussed, drink plenty of water (it did slip these last wto weeks), stay away from carbs and maybe work on some different exercises like running instead of just spinning.
Thanks for reading!
I read yesterday that Lance Armstrong's resting heartrate is only 32 - 34 beats per minute! Imagine how much effort he needs to put in to burn about 500cals at that heartrate. So the bigger and slower you are, the more cals you burn and someone who is getting fitter needs to put in extra effort to reach the same rate. Or do I have it wrong here??
I had a wicked gym session yesterday by doing 30min gym work which included weights and core training, then 75min of spinning. The grandtotal of 705cals was logged!! Unfortunately I am not shifting any weight at the moment which is a bit demotivating. According to my plan I was supposed to have dropped a stone by now and go below 11st but this is not happening. I'm slightly annoyed and slightly upset but not too much. I measured my waist last night and since 1 Feb I've lost 3.5 inches. That means I've lost an inch during March, when my weight seemed to have stabilised.
I know all about muscle vs fat and if you get to look leaner your weight doesn't always move down. I have one of these fancy Tanita scales which measures body composition and according to that my bodyfat is still the same as it was 4 weeks ago. Annoying!! I bought the scales about 18 months ago and since I bought it, it has calculated my body age at 58. That is probably my biggest motivator, to get that down to my own age and maybe even go younger ;-)
I have a no training day tomorrow coming up due to work and will be doing a lovely Ladies bike ride on Saturday, although it will be a short one.
Talking of short...I am quite short at 5ft 3 and the bike carrier we have is something which carries the bikes on top of the car roof. That is impossible for me to manage so I have had a look for several months now for something else and found it. It is a lovely bike carrier which uses a towbar and looks like a little trailer from behind. Only problem is that my car hasn't got a towbar...until today. I've taken the plunge and is fitting (now!) a towbar onto my car and will also be driving away with a lovely new Thule bike carrier capable of carrying 3 bikes, could be upgraded to 4. I will get a picture up soon for you to look at.
This carrier is quite cool as it also tilts forward if you need to get into your boot and it is also lockable which included the bikes, so you can stop at Services and pop in without being afraid that someone will nick a bike from your carrier.
Back to weight issues...I will give myself till end of March to lose my remaining lbs to get down below 11st and then use April and May to lose the last stone. That should be slow enough weight loss. I need to stay focussed, drink plenty of water (it did slip these last wto weeks), stay away from carbs and maybe work on some different exercises like running instead of just spinning.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Helmet hair and perspiration prevent women getting in the saddle!
This is just such a true piece of research. That is why at CTC we don't enforce the use of cycling helmets. If you look at the Cycle Chic web blogs it is fabulous how well women can look on bikes, without being in lycra!
Helmet hair and perspiration prevent women getting in the saddle
Despite the gold medal winning success of British female cyclists in Beijing, research commissioned by Cycling England reveals that many women are missing out on the benefits of regular cycling due to concerns about post-cycling appearance.
Men are still three times more likely to cycle than women. Today’s poll suggests that the perceived effect of cycling on appearance, together with a lack of confidence in cycling on the road, is behind this gender imbalance. Two thirds (64%) of women say they never cycle and just 2% cycle every day.
Women are three times more likely to cycle indoors on an exercise bike (14%) than to work (4%). When it comes to cycling to work, it seems that fear of being anything less than well groomed in front of colleagues is an off-putting factor. Among 18-34 year old women:
* 58% wouldn’t want to arrive at work sweaty
* 50% would be worried about getting wet in the rain
* 38% wouldn’t want to have to carry a change of clothes
* 38% say there is nowhere to shower at work
* 27% would be concerned about ‘helmet hair’
* 19% wouldn’t want colleagues to see them without make-up or stepping out of the office shower
Although concerns about appearance are most prevalent in the 18-34 age group, they are replicated across women of all ages.
Safety concerns are also a factor: 53% of women say that safety is an issue and 42% say they lack the confidence and skills to cycle on the road. When asked what would make them feel more reassured about cycling on the roads, a quarter (26%) would consider cycling if there were shower facilities to freshen up at work and 16% would be more likely to cycle if they had received proper cycle training to equip them with skills and confidence.
Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, said: ’It’s very worrying that we have such a gender imbalance when it comes to cycling in this country. Women, and in particular mums, have a key role to play in encouraging greater take up of cycling in general – so it’s vital we get more women on their bikes. This research highlights some of the perceived barriers that prevent more women cycling, such as showers in the workplace. Our 17 cycling towns and cycling city, Bristol, will be working hard to make cycling more appealing to everyone’.
‘Concern about safety is understandable but we need to remember that on-road accidents are in long term decline. Cycle training is key to getting more people cycling more safely, more often. Bikeability - the new cycling proficiency scheme for the 21st century - is predominantly marketed to children but I would urge anyone keen to develop their cycling proficiency to take up this training.’
When it comes to female cycling, the UK is behind mainland Europe where male and female cycling rates are broadly equal. A number of initiatives are now in place to inspire and encourage more women and girls to take up cycling. Exeter-based Emma Osborne, a Sustrans Bike It Officer, has run a successful project called Beauty and the Bike to show teenage girls that cycling has a key role to play in looking and feeling good.
Emma Osborne said: ‘Cycling from A to B doesn’t have to mean you arrive dishevelled at your destination. In fact cycling is one of the best things you can do to promote health and wellbeing. Cycling doesn’t have to be a race – you can take it at your own pace without having to work up a sweat or don Lycra cycling wear.’
‘Women who cycle regularly look and feel great, and with increasing numbers of celebrity female cyclists looking chic on a bike, we hope more women will feel inspired to take to their bike and feel the benefits of choosing to travel in an active way.’
To find out more about Bikeability visit www.bikeability.org.uk
For further information contact:
Jo Dyson / Sophie Stringer/ Gill Corish
Tel: 020 7260 2700 Email: cycling@bluerubicon.com
About the Research
The research was conducted for Cycling England by YouGov, who interviewed 1,099 women, online between 11th and 13th August 2008. The men cycling three times as much as women statistic is taken from the Department for Transport National Travel Survey, 2005.
About Cycling England
Cycling England is an independent, expert body funded by the Department for Transport to promote the growth of cycling in England. Further details about Cycling England’s work programme can be found at www.cyclingengland.org.uk
About Bikeability
Bikeability is cycling proficiency for the 21st century, designed to provide children with the on-road skills they need to handle modern traffic conditions. It was launched in March 2007. Further details about Bikeability can be found at www.bikeability.org.uk
About Bike It
Further details about Bike It and the Exeter-based Beauty and the Bike scheme can be found at www.sustrans.org.uk
Helmet hair and perspiration prevent women getting in the saddle
Despite the gold medal winning success of British female cyclists in Beijing, research commissioned by Cycling England reveals that many women are missing out on the benefits of regular cycling due to concerns about post-cycling appearance.
Men are still three times more likely to cycle than women. Today’s poll suggests that the perceived effect of cycling on appearance, together with a lack of confidence in cycling on the road, is behind this gender imbalance. Two thirds (64%) of women say they never cycle and just 2% cycle every day.
Women are three times more likely to cycle indoors on an exercise bike (14%) than to work (4%). When it comes to cycling to work, it seems that fear of being anything less than well groomed in front of colleagues is an off-putting factor. Among 18-34 year old women:
* 58% wouldn’t want to arrive at work sweaty
* 50% would be worried about getting wet in the rain
* 38% wouldn’t want to have to carry a change of clothes
* 38% say there is nowhere to shower at work
* 27% would be concerned about ‘helmet hair’
* 19% wouldn’t want colleagues to see them without make-up or stepping out of the office shower
Although concerns about appearance are most prevalent in the 18-34 age group, they are replicated across women of all ages.
Safety concerns are also a factor: 53% of women say that safety is an issue and 42% say they lack the confidence and skills to cycle on the road. When asked what would make them feel more reassured about cycling on the roads, a quarter (26%) would consider cycling if there were shower facilities to freshen up at work and 16% would be more likely to cycle if they had received proper cycle training to equip them with skills and confidence.
Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, said: ’It’s very worrying that we have such a gender imbalance when it comes to cycling in this country. Women, and in particular mums, have a key role to play in encouraging greater take up of cycling in general – so it’s vital we get more women on their bikes. This research highlights some of the perceived barriers that prevent more women cycling, such as showers in the workplace. Our 17 cycling towns and cycling city, Bristol, will be working hard to make cycling more appealing to everyone’.
‘Concern about safety is understandable but we need to remember that on-road accidents are in long term decline. Cycle training is key to getting more people cycling more safely, more often. Bikeability - the new cycling proficiency scheme for the 21st century - is predominantly marketed to children but I would urge anyone keen to develop their cycling proficiency to take up this training.’
When it comes to female cycling, the UK is behind mainland Europe where male and female cycling rates are broadly equal. A number of initiatives are now in place to inspire and encourage more women and girls to take up cycling. Exeter-based Emma Osborne, a Sustrans Bike It Officer, has run a successful project called Beauty and the Bike to show teenage girls that cycling has a key role to play in looking and feeling good.
Emma Osborne said: ‘Cycling from A to B doesn’t have to mean you arrive dishevelled at your destination. In fact cycling is one of the best things you can do to promote health and wellbeing. Cycling doesn’t have to be a race – you can take it at your own pace without having to work up a sweat or don Lycra cycling wear.’
‘Women who cycle regularly look and feel great, and with increasing numbers of celebrity female cyclists looking chic on a bike, we hope more women will feel inspired to take to their bike and feel the benefits of choosing to travel in an active way.’
To find out more about Bikeability visit www.bikeability.org.uk
For further information contact:
Jo Dyson / Sophie Stringer/ Gill Corish
Tel: 020 7260 2700 Email: cycling@bluerubicon.com
About the Research
The research was conducted for Cycling England by YouGov, who interviewed 1,099 women, online between 11th and 13th August 2008. The men cycling three times as much as women statistic is taken from the Department for Transport National Travel Survey, 2005.
About Cycling England
Cycling England is an independent, expert body funded by the Department for Transport to promote the growth of cycling in England. Further details about Cycling England’s work programme can be found at www.cyclingengland.org.uk
About Bikeability
Bikeability is cycling proficiency for the 21st century, designed to provide children with the on-road skills they need to handle modern traffic conditions. It was launched in March 2007. Further details about Bikeability can be found at www.bikeability.org.uk
About Bike It
Further details about Bike It and the Exeter-based Beauty and the Bike scheme can be found at www.sustrans.org.uk
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
www.velo-city2010.com
www.velo-city2010.com
For those who don't yet know about this wonderful opportunity!
Velo-city Global 2010 - Different Gears, Same Destination
World’s largest Global Conference on Cycling
Copenhagen, June 22-25, 2010
Networking Across Disciplines, Countries and Cities - 2nd Announcement out now!
The European Cyclists' Federation, the City of Frederiksberg and the City of Copenhagen are excited to invite you to the first ever VELO-CITY GLOBAL 2010, a conference that brings together city- and transport planners, decision makers, cycling experts, NGOs and researchers from all over the world to discuss the potential and challenges of cycling.
We believe that the time is ripe to explore and unleash the potential of the bicycle as a tool in tackling global challenges like obesity, pollution and congestion, not least in the cities, where more than 50 % of the world’s population live. Velo-city Global 2010 will serve as a platform for the exchange of knowledge, research and ideas and experiences across borders. Already now we have confirmed Janette Sadik-Khan, Jan Gehl and John Whitelegg as plenary speakers and more contributors from around the world will be announced soon.
For those who don't yet know about this wonderful opportunity!
Velo-city Global 2010 - Different Gears, Same Destination
World’s largest Global Conference on Cycling
Copenhagen, June 22-25, 2010
Networking Across Disciplines, Countries and Cities - 2nd Announcement out now!
The European Cyclists' Federation, the City of Frederiksberg and the City of Copenhagen are excited to invite you to the first ever VELO-CITY GLOBAL 2010, a conference that brings together city- and transport planners, decision makers, cycling experts, NGOs and researchers from all over the world to discuss the potential and challenges of cycling.
We believe that the time is ripe to explore and unleash the potential of the bicycle as a tool in tackling global challenges like obesity, pollution and congestion, not least in the cities, where more than 50 % of the world’s population live. Velo-city Global 2010 will serve as a platform for the exchange of knowledge, research and ideas and experiences across borders. Already now we have confirmed Janette Sadik-Khan, Jan Gehl and John Whitelegg as plenary speakers and more contributors from around the world will be announced soon.
Friday, 19 February 2010
National Cycle Plan to be paired with Active Travel Strategy Bike For All >> The essential resource for everyone who cycles... or is thinking about it.
National Cycle Plan to be paired with Active Travel Strategy Bike For All >>
Watch this space!! The Government is publishing its Active Travel Strategy on Monday 22 February.
Watch this space!! The Government is publishing its Active Travel Strategy on Monday 22 February.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Mythbusting on Highway 535 on Vimeo
This is cool: The cyclist takes the lane on a 55 mph divided 4 lane highway with 12 foot lanes and 8 foot shoulders.
To accuse a cyclist of being militant, selfish or rude for riding in the lane is nothing more than car-centric bias assuming the bicycle driver is of lesser status than the motor vehicle driver — especially in context of how easy it is to see and safely pass a cyclist.
Those of us who choose to ride in the lane vs the shoulder do not insist that others make the same choice if they are not comfortable with it. We simply provide information to allow others to make the choice based on something more than knee-jerk fear of the unknown. The only thing we insist upon is protecting our right to ride in the part of the road where we feel safest and most comfortable.
Mythbusting on Highway 535 from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.
To accuse a cyclist of being militant, selfish or rude for riding in the lane is nothing more than car-centric bias assuming the bicycle driver is of lesser status than the motor vehicle driver — especially in context of how easy it is to see and safely pass a cyclist.
Those of us who choose to ride in the lane vs the shoulder do not insist that others make the same choice if they are not comfortable with it. We simply provide information to allow others to make the choice based on something more than knee-jerk fear of the unknown. The only thing we insist upon is protecting our right to ride in the part of the road where we feel safest and most comfortable.
Spin those wheels!!
Spinning class is quite addictive! I've attended tonight's and already looking forward to tomorrow morning's which is at 6.45am.
I took my Garmin to the class and put it on a training programme where I needed to burn 500cal for the session. Spinning class ended and i had 40cal more to go, so I joined the main room and went on the treadmill for less than 2 minutes when my calorie target was reached. Yippee!
My willpower was strong today and I didn't cheat apart from having a few ovenbaked chips tonight (as a meal) with my other half. I had lots of water and that continues.
I have a bit of a challenge coming up. I'm sleeping over in a hotel on Wednesday night and usually I will have a glass or two red wine and a lovely meal but I'm in a different frame of mind now so wine is OUT! I will have to tell the cook what I want for dinner which is a small portion of protein and lots of veg.
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
- Ursula Le Guin
I took my Garmin to the class and put it on a training programme where I needed to burn 500cal for the session. Spinning class ended and i had 40cal more to go, so I joined the main room and went on the treadmill for less than 2 minutes when my calorie target was reached. Yippee!
My willpower was strong today and I didn't cheat apart from having a few ovenbaked chips tonight (as a meal) with my other half. I had lots of water and that continues.
I have a bit of a challenge coming up. I'm sleeping over in a hotel on Wednesday night and usually I will have a glass or two red wine and a lovely meal but I'm in a different frame of mind now so wine is OUT! I will have to tell the cook what I want for dinner which is a small portion of protein and lots of veg.
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
- Ursula Le Guin
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