Growing up
I’ve been riding a bike ever since I can remember, in fact one of my earliest memories is proudly riding round a bit of grass in front of our house with my stabilisers on. Me and my sister used to ride around the block a lot, and in summer our dad would take us on evening rides along the sea front with our friends and their dad. As a teenager I walked pretty much everywhere, but did sometimes ride to the nicer swimming baths two towns away. Bikes tended to only have three gears then so although I lived in a flat place, the one hill was a killer!
Later in my teenage years me and my best friend would do an epic ride through local towns and villages and up onto the moors – 2 miles up then 2 miles down, and back!
A move up North
When I came to University in Leeds my bike didn’t initially come with me as there was nowhere to put it, but the next year I brought it along and would cycle to and from work. I was nervous of city riding so mostly cycled through the park and campus. That particular bike was stolen due to a cheap lock poorly applied (sorry dad!), but soon replaced by a cheap mountain bike that my sister’s boyfriend did up for me. I got a bit more adventurous and started riding more on the roads and around the city – no cycle lanes in Leeds back in the 90s! I also got used to the West Yorkshire hills and started to develop good thigh muscles.
Around 2006, on a low income and with yet another broken bike, an acquaintance gave me her bike as she was upgrading. It was a solid workhorse of a bike and stood me in good stead as I was increasingly cycling to and from work now, in fact most days. This was when I became what I call a ‘hardened road cyclist’ as my different jobs involved various city commutes as well as riding around to different areas.
I moved to Saltaire in 2019 and enjoyed using my bike – still the same one! – to explore and get my bearings around the areas.
Set back and recovery
But then in 2022 I was very ill and housebound for six months, with a long recovery period after that. I didn’t ride my bike for a whole year, but when I did (gingerly) it felt just as it always had – like freedom! Whilst working at the local election count in May that year I happened to sit next to a nice lady (Anna Green) who was a member of the Bingley Belles and told me all about it. Hmm I thought, group cycling had never appealed but I was on a bit of a mission to try new things and meet new people. Later that summer I joined a ‘Meet and Greet ride’ up the canal on a beautiful sunny day and I was hooked.
Riding with the Bingley Belles is such a nice way to do one of my favourite things with lovely women, and explore routes I have never cycled before. I’ve done everything from 1 cake rides to winter café rides to challenging 3 cake rides and absolutely love it!
Oh, and I’m still on that same bike I was given 18 years ago….
Catherine Tonge's favourite ride
- In search of Peregrine Falcons at Lister's and Dalton Mills
- Distance: 21 miles
- Terrain: A mix of cycle lanes and towpath
- Type of ride: Three cake