Perhaps I’m about to embarrass myself fantastically, by revealing my own approach to cycling that is entirely unique and shared by no one. But perhaps not.
I cycle for fitness, for training, to be better at racing. In my student days, I owned a second hand mountain bike and a pair of waterproof trousers. I got everywhere by bike because I didn’t have an alternative. Those days are gone. Or were.
Being a digital journalist, I work from home – so I’ll generally get my riding in some time around lunch time – cycling from my house, around the area, and back to my house. I don’t own a bike that I consider to be disposable. If any of my bikes were to be stolen, there would be tears and angry Facebook appeals.
All of these factors add up to what I’m calling a new phenomenon: lazy fit.
I’m fit enough to ride 50 miles, or maybe even 150 if someone could give a genuine justification for doing so (and a lot of food). In days before my work-from-home life I was more than happy to commute 15 miles to work, too. But ask me to ride 5 miles to pick up the some milk? Well, that’s just a bit of a hassle.
It’s entirely possible that I’m the only cyclist in the whole world who knows she doesn’t use her bike to get around as much as she should, or could. But if I’m not, I’ve put together a few tips and tricks to help us all use our bikes more regularly for those short journeys round and about town.
