Anne Thompson

Hi everyone.  I’m Anne and I am a co-ride leader in Bingley Belles.

I decided to try cycling as a leisure activity after becoming a keen armchair and roadside fan thanks to the Grand Depart in Yorkshire in 2014. 

It took a while for me to pluck up the courage and motivation to buy a bike but once I did I was hooked.

I started with rides along the Rochdale Canal towpath, enjoying the sense of achievement as I gradually increased the distances that I was able to cover and enjoying the wonderful views which always seemed to be around each bend in the canal.

Eventually, I ventured onto quiet roads in my local area and then towards the end of 2019, I discovered Breeze rides and went on a few rides led by Judy (also a Belle) and started to really enjoy riding a bit further afield.

Lockdowns, of course, put an end to group rides for quite some time but once group activities could resume I started riding again with Judy and that is when I heard about Bingley Belles and promptly signed up early in 2021.

Although I enjoy riding on my own I also love the camaraderie of Belles’ rides (as well as the fantastic tour de Yorkshire cake stops of course!) and the encouragement (direct and indirect) which we all give to each other and being a co ride leader enables me to learn even more new cycling skills whilst also supporting others to develop theirs. 

Last year  I particularly enjoyed the Road Training Course I completed which gave me much more confidence to ride safely on the road, whilst the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Challenge was a great motivator to ride over 100 miles in a month AND raise some money for a very worthwhile charity at the same time.

In 2022 my personal aim is to learn to ride using the new pedals and shoes with cleats that I have recently bought and I hope this will help me to take on new challenges over the next few months, including a sportive ride in Scotland in September!