Beth Cooke

Early years

I grew up in the 1970s in a suburb of Birmingham which, although it sounds very unpromising, was actually great and had several parks which were easily and safely accessible on a bike through snickets (“gullies” if you’re a Brummie!) between the 1960s housing blocks. I remember my first proper bike was a beautiful orange and had a folding mechanism on the crossbar to allow it to fit into our shed. It looked very similar to this. I was very proud of it! I spent a lot of time with my bestie Jane, heading outdoors on our bikes to hang out with friends at the local parks. It really opened up our world and I still remember that sense of freedom that most 70’s kids seemed to have.

The busy years

Since outgrowing the orange bike and falling in love with driving, I didn’t really cycle for a good few years. However, when we moved to Yorkshire in 2002 with two very young daughters, my husband fell in love with cycling in Yorkshire. As a family we played around with the cycling accessories; child seats & a tag-along attachment. Although it was easier once the girls could both ride their own bikes, walking usually seemed much less of a logistical challenge if I’m honest!

The Rosie effect!

Any of you who have met Rosie will know what a force of nature she is and since meeting her at work when I was a trainee radiographer many years ago she has inspired me many times. I kind of knew that when she began to talk about joining Bingley Belles I would somehow become involved too!

Within months I was out on my beginners 1 cake ride on a borrowed bike, meeting a great group of women who have made me feel so welcome.

Although I’ve not been available to join as many rides as I would like this year, I’ve learned how to maintain & clean my bike properly (Thanks Nicola) and been on two road cycling training sessions (thanks Liz & Nicola) which were brilliant for increasing knowledge & confidence. My aim in joining was to push boundaries & say YES to trying new things & I’m so glad I did!