Women invited to join Big Breeze Bike Ride in Hull's East Park
WOMEN are being invited to take to two wheels at a huge cycling event in Hull.
Tomorrow, women from across the city will descend on East Park to enjoy a traffic-free route and join in family activities.
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SPOKESWOMAN: Breeze ambassador Reka Pataky will be attended the event in East Park. Picture: Rob Stebbing
Big Breeze Bike Ride will aim to clock up 2,012 laps to mark the sporting year.
And if anyone knows about taking up biking, after leaving cycles in her childhood, it is Sam Geall.
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Sam was a self-confessed "bike-a-phobe" up until last year.
She said: "I turned 40 in October and started a university course.
"I don't drive and needed to get between home, work and university. It was almost impossible.
"I bought myself a bike and ended up pushing it until I found a cycle path.
"When I first got on it, my legs were shaking and I was really nervous."
At first, Sam refused to ride on roads and was a very nervous cyclist.
When she did finally progress to cycling alongside traffic, she would try to plan routes with no right turns or roundabouts – a difficult feat for someone who lives in Bransholme, works in Holderness Road and studies in Cottingham Road.
But now Sam is a confident cyclist who would urge anyone to take up the sport.
She said: "Cycling had never occurred to me as a mode of transport before. But often it can be a lot quicker than the bus.
"Now I've built up my confidence, I don't give it a second thought.
"I go on bike rides with friends and cycle out for lunch.
"I'm very girly, though. I have a lovely wicket basket on the front and I hate wearing all that proper cycling gear.
"I'll wear the high-vis stuff though. You can't be invisible to motorists."
Sam is one of dozens of women expected to descend on East Park tomorrow.
From 10am to 2pm there will be family activities, and cycling circuits.
Events include giant games, spinning bikes from Woodford Leisure Centre, Nordic walking, picnic areas, a pamper zone, bike maintenance demonstrations and cycling confidence training.
Breeze ambassador Reka Pataky, 38, of west Hull, will be attending.
The mother-of-two is battling bowel cancer and is preparing her own monster biking challenge – The Ride – where she will take in the five capital cities of the UK and Ireland in July.
She said: "Events like these are a really lovely opportunity to get out and enjoy the social side of cycling. It is really enjoyable and a form of exercise at the same time.
"Hopefully, this will give women the confidence to take up cycling."
• The Big Breeze Bike Ride runs from 10am-2pm on Sunday in East Park, Holderness Road, east Hull.
Comments
by Me_Best
Saturday, June 23 2012, 10:33AM
“Doing a general activity like this bike ride but only inviting only women or men is sexist.
Cycling is just someone sitting on a cycle and riding, it is NOT a sport. It's only a sport if in competition.
The people who are doing the cycling confidence training:
Are they the same people who go to schools and teach kids to ride safely?
If they are then expect to be shouted at. I have seen them loads of times in the street teaching young kids to ride cycles safely on the road. There is usually 3 of them. There is always, and I mean ALWAYS, 1 who shouts at the kids.
A child being taught to do a right turn. The child becomes nervous, the bike starts to wobble so the child goes to the kerb and stops. Straight away, the shouter shouts loudly at the child and tells them to get in middle of the road. They never go to the child and talk to them about why they stopped. They just shout at them. Will this be happening?”
by NaFili
Saturday, June 23 2012, 10:03AM
“And will they all be riding on the pavement like this antisocial person in the picture?”
by Sezby
Saturday, June 23 2012, 9:31AM
“Women only. Men can get stuffed. It's like 'Race for Life' on wheels.”
by Sezby
Saturday, June 23 2012, 9:31AM
“Women only. Men can get stuffed. It's like 'Race for Life' on wheels.”