what’s YOUR excuse?

cycling is dangerous!

   Do it wrong, and it can be. 

    For sure, cycling in traffic can be scary but there are tactics you can employ that will see you though:

1. •Remember that you are operating a road vehicle; you’re not a fast pedestrian
   

2. •Claim your road space.
   

3. •Don’t be a gutter bunny.
   

4. •Ride predictably.
   

5. •Be ultra-aware of your surroundings
   

6. •Anticipate driver behaviour
   

7. •Ride covering your brakes with your hands
   

8. •Watch for car doors opening in your face
   

9. •Don’t be a red light hopper
   

10. •Always make eye-contact with car drivers
    

    If all this seems a little daunting, book a lesson with Cycle Divas!  Cycling IS safe!

i dont have the time

   Cycling is truly door to door!

1. •No searching for an empty space.
   

2. •No traffic jams.
   

    In fact, motorists under-estimate the time it takes for an actual journey and

    not surprisingly, over-estimate the time it would take by bicycle.

    In heavy rush hour congestion, a 5 mile journey to work can take around 40 to 60 minutes.  

    The bike rules at 30!

i dont want to arrive sweaty

   Cycling from A to B doesn’t mean you have to arrive disheveled.

    It takes an average person between 10 and 15 minutes of hard cycling to break a sweat.

   

1. •So don’t pedal so hard!
   

2. • Keep below 10mph
   

3. •Cycle in slow style
   

4. •Freewheel to catch a cooling breeze.
   

5. •Use a Dutch-style bike which is built for going slow
   

Rain, I hate it!

   Make foul weather your no cycling day!  

   OK, it may have been fine when you set out, but be honest, how often have you been caught out as a pedestrian or a    

   motorist running to get in the car as the clouds burst?

   

1. •Riding in the rain is quiet a pleasant experience.
   

2. •Show off in your uber-chic trench coat
   

3. •Dig out your Isle Jacobsen wellies for splashing through the puddles 
   

4. •Go dutch, rig up an umbrella system for your bike. 
   

   Over time, your definition of wet or foul weather will change.

   It’s well known that wet weather causes greater traffic congestion, so you’ll be riding

   high as you beat the traffic jams caused by gloomy weather!

my co-workers will laugh at me!

   Are you really sure?  Are they not secretly envying you as you arrive energized, glowing and ready to take on

   the world?

    They definitely will be green with envy as you become more trimmer, leaner and fitter than they are! 

    And when that promotion comes along because cycling to work has made you receptive to new ideas, who’ll be 

    laughing last?

I dont want helmet hair

  The great helmet debate rages on...to wear or not to wear? 

 

  It’s your choice. You can wear one it if make you feel more confident, but there’s certainly no law currently that

  dictates that you should.  

   Plenty of cyclists ride without one.   In terms of being responsible for our own safety, there are many things cyclists   

   need more than a helmet, starting with a well maintained bike and good road sense.

   CTC (a national organisation that has been campaigning for cycling and cyclists rights for over 150 years) states;

    

        “Cycle helmets are only designed to withstand impact speeds of around 13mph (equivalent to falling from a

        stationary riding position), and not for collisions with moving traffic. 93% of the serious and fatal injuries which

        cyclists suffer on our roads are due to collisions with motor vehicles, and 22% of cyclist fatalities result from

        collisions with HGVs.” 

   But if you want to turn your head into an aerodynamic shape,

   you must make sure that your helmet fits properly. 

   For a more feminine choice, opt for the BERN MUSE    

  

i’ll smell, i’ll need a shower

  Perspiration doesn’t smell!

   Short distances (5 miles) ridden slowly will not turn you into a foul smelling ogre. If you arrive at work hot, it’s more 

   likely to be the heat of the day or a hard ride and you definitely won’t have instant body odour!

   BO takes hours to develop and if you’ve showered before you set out, you won’t need a shower upon arriving at  

   work.  If you’ve carried a ruck sack and your back feels wet, this perspiration will dry odour free. 

   A simple splash of water under your arms and on your face will be sufficient to keep you smelling sweet. The other   

   alternative is to keep some anti-bacterial wipes at work for a quick ‘once over’.

  I don’t like the thought of riding in the dark

  Light up your life!

   There’s load of cool lighting systems on the market. 

   From LEDS to dynamos, cat eyes to Hokey Spokes, you can pimp

   your bike to create stunning high-visibility light shows that guarantee

   to get you noticed.

   Make sure you’re legal!  Check out the minimum legal lighting requirements

   as stipulated in the Highway Code.

  I can’t i have to wear a business suit

  Yes you can!

  There’s no rule saying that you have to wear spandex or day-glow colours to cycle in.

  The continental mindset of wearing everyday work or leisurewear (and heels!)

  is yet to pervade the UK.  

  Holland, Germany, France, Denmark are all fashionably chic cycle

  countries where riding in a business suit to work is the norm.

 

  Unless you are contemplating the Tour de France or a marathon cycle,

  you don’t need any specialist clothing to cycle in!

  Open up your wardrobe; it’s already there!

Got an excuse that’s not listed here? Challenge us!

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