"Bike! Bike! Bike!"
I know I don't look like the kinda chick who cycles, but as it happens, I do. I first bought the bike when I was living in Acton, about 2 miles from where I worked at the time. My flatmate had a bike and also used to go jogging and one evening, although she knew she wouldn't get me out jogging, she suggested that I use her bike to keep up with her while she jogged. I'd not been on a bike for several years (more than I cared to remember!) but I gave it a go.Although I suffered the expected wobbliness at first, I also remembered how much I'd loved cycling when I was a kid. So I did a bit of research on the web and shortly afterwards I went to Action Bikes in Chiswick (almost equidistant between my home and work) and I forked out about £300 for the bike, a helmet, a good sturdy bike lock (an essential piece of kit in London, of course!), lights and a couple of extra bits and pieces.
I rode it the mile or so to work, had to get off to walk the bike up the extremely slight incline by Gunnersbury Tube station (so slight I hadn't previously realised it was a hill at all, in fact!) and it nearly killed me! But within a few weeks, I was able to cycle to work with no trouble, cycling all the way up the hill and barely noticing it.
When I got together with Sarah, shortly afterwards, I suggested to her that she should get a bike, and we could go out cycling together. So she did and we do!
When I lived in Acton, there was a long route home from the gym, which took me along the south bank of the Thames. The first bit of the journey (getting from the gym, in Ealing down to Kew Bridge) wasn't particularly scenic, but from there on in, it was a very pleasant journey and a fantastic way to cool down from the gym and chill out.
Now that I've moved to Surrey, there are several routes we can take very locally which provide us with an opportunity to get cycling.
I haven't yet got around to scanning in the routes of our cycling escapades, but check back soon.
