What motivates you to exercise? For me it was never cycling and I know cycling isn’t for everyone, I also know it also isn’t accessible for everyone. What I’d love you to take away from this is to find something that you enjoy and even when you don’t feel like doing it - do it anyway!
For me my motivation has always been team sports. Growing up with two brothers we would often find creative ways to use our driveway, a small patch of grass or making use of an old piece of carpet to create a goalmouth to kick a ball around.
This love of team sports continued through childhood and into my adult life, regularly finding a team to attach myself to.
However all of that changed earlier this year. National lockdowns were imposed in March and team sports and access to the gym were all stopped - a hobby I’d taken up a couple of years.
The challenge presented itself of how was I going to continue to stay active without the usual activities I’d built into my life? The routine of 6 a side on a Monday evening or dragging myself to the gym 3 or 4 times a week.
So I had my allocation of 30 minutes a day to get outside and stay active. What options did I have that involved getting outside?
The obvious option was running, I’ve just never enjoyed it!
I’m slightly envious of those that enjoy running and that it helps give them some much needed head space. For me it provides me with too much thinking time.
But with limited options, I started. I’ve always thrived on competition but this time was different. I wasn’t competing against anyone. I was competing with myself. I downloaded Strava which enabled me to track my speed and distance covered. I prefer to have a good time than do something for a long time when it comes to exercise.
That said it was the start of something, trying to improve myself run by run, day by day. I was starting to see improvements, but I still wasn’t enjoying it. I wanted to be better than I was but the good days were outweighed by the days where I thought I could be better, go further or run faster.
I needed something new and different!
For a long time, I’d had a half decent bike sat on my balcony that I’d inherited from my brother that for years I’d promised I’d get fixed up and make good.
It was in August that across Sheffield temporary active travel infrastructure was put in place and a low traffic neighbourhood installed in Kelham Island, my neck of the woods.
I recognise that it was a controversial topic for many and understand it wasn’t universally popular. However it prompted me to get my bike fixed and make use of the road space.
Now I’m absolutely no bike or cycling expert and last got on a bike when I was 14 and had an evening paper round. I’d heard good things about ‘A Different Gear’ in Heeley and booked myself in for a bike MOT. Within a few days they’d reported back that the bike was in pretty decent order and that they could bring the bike up to working order.
Now not knowing how much things cost I had no idea what to expect but I had convinced myself in my head that whatever the cost it would be a worthwhile investment on a few fronts;
- Save the planet by using my car less in turn saving on petrol and reducing CO2 emissions
- Improve my health (physical and mental)
- Make use of the new infrastructure and new road space in the city!
So that was that, I now had a working bike and a helmet – I was all set!
One statistic had stuck in my mind that I had heard on a number of occasions that around 40% of all car journeys that take place are under 2 miles.
I was conscious that I was one of those people that contributed to this statistic. I had made changes and had started to walk but I’m someone who likes to get where I need to be as quickly as possible, another reason running (plodding) isn’t for me.
Surely a bike wasn’t going to rival the car? But I made a commitment to myself that where reasonably possible I’d get on the bike.
Having lived in Sheffield for the best part of 15 years, I’m well versed that it is “hilly”. I also know there are lots of e-bike advocates who I work alongside in the City. But here I was with my normal bike – how hard could it be?
Well initially it was easy, but that’s because I stuck to routes in and around Kelham, the River Don and out towards the Olympic Legacy Park at Attercliffe on the routes with active travel lanes.
But confidence grew and the new found freedom of getting places quicker, feeling better and seeing places and routes I wouldn’t have been able to take in a car had started to interest me.
One of my regular journeys from Kelham takes me up to Crookes, which for anyone knows, we’re going from the bottom of the City Centre to one of the highest points in the City.
For a novice (and I’m hoping more experienced cyclists), it is a relentless up hill slog. Your legs burn, your heart feels like it's beating out of your chest and you struggle to catch your breath. First time out it took me 25 minutes to do the just under 4km route, up through Ponderosa Park, Commonside and up School Road.
I’d found my competition. The challenge was to complete this journey in under 20 minutes by the end of 2020. I failed, but by only 21 seconds.
I’ve revelled in the hills, I made a commitment to get over the barrier of cold/dark/wet wintery nights and just get it done and I have. The hardest part is getting changed and winning that mental battle, once I’ve set off, I have no other choice than to complete this.
Are there days I can’t be bothered, absolutely yes! Are there days I look for any reason to not do it, nearly all of them! (Rain, Wind, Snow, My bags too heavy etc.)
Its started to grow into more than something I do to just get places as well. I’ve biked out to Lady Cannings and up to Parkwood Springs to head round the mountain Bike Trails at both sites.
In conclusion;
Sheffield is hilly, but it makes it hard for 50% of the time, but it makes it great fun the other 50% of the time when you head downhill!
Car Users aren’t bad! In 7 months I haven’t had a single bad experience on the roads with drivers, I’ve found them much to my surprise, very considerate.
It’s had a massive positive impact on my physical and mental health
The journeys may all be short, but in the 5 months up to New Years Eve I’d done around 69 journeys, 211 miles and saved roughly 5kg of CO2 (if the Love to Ride app is correct)
I’ll continue to cycle, I’ll continue to have the internal battle in my mind of “can I be bothered today” and I’ll continue to swear at the hills, but I’ll take them on!
Tom Hughes
Development Manager - Sheffield
Yorkshire Sport Foundation
@tomhughes_11