Bingley Belles entered into a partnership with the Capital of Cycling in Bradford to offer some learn to ride sessions for women in Bingley.
We invited women to sign up to join Ann Marie, our fabulous cycling instructor, to learn to ride in Myrtle park in Bingley. The sessions took place on Sunday mornings for a couple of hours and women could come along and borrow a bike and helmet to take part.
The sessions quickly booked up!
The first two sessions were for women who could not ride at all. We started by just walking alongside a bike and learning how to stop using the brakes. Once sat on the bikes we progressed to walking along getting the sensation of sitting on a bike, steering and braking.
The next learning stage involved scooting along and trying to glide with feet off the ground to develop a sense of balance. We practiced this over and over again before introducing the idea of putting feet on the pedals and turning them!
It was amazing to see the group’s confidence grow and everyone eventually getting going and being able to cycle if only briefly.
The next two weeks were sessions for those who had learn to ride and wanted to practice and develop those skills. Ann Marie introduced cones to improve steering; stop boxes to develop braking safely skills; and letting go with one hand to start signalling.
By the end of the fourth session the group set off on a short guided ride in the park! So many smiles and laughter. What an achievement.