Inspirational stories: Anne
ANNE
I first met Anne age 67 on a Breeze ride I led in September 2020. She was riding a converted E-bike and what struck me about Anne was her clear sense of adventure and the curiosity to learn new routes. Anne then contacted me that evening to book a 1:1 bike maintenance session and she was just brilliant! I was inspired to write about her! She only took up cycling last year, age 66! She is a true inspiration - it really is never too late for anything! I asked Anne a few questions:
When did you start riding a bike?
1. I rode a bike as a child but only intermittently (one bike between 5 of us). I was lucky enough, along with my sister, to take part in a course run jointly by Edinburgh Council and the NHS from March-June 2019, encouraging older people to return to cycling in order to improve their health. I have cycled regularly ever since then (five of us from this training group still meet up to ride every now and again).
Who do you usually cycle with and where?
2. I cycle 3 times during the week with my sister (we cycle once a week to Roslin 8 miles in total - that’s our easy ride to have a coffee; the other 2 days are longer; we cycle on the Dalkeith-Pennicuik cycle path; Dalkeith Country Park; Ormiston; Tranent; Little France Park; Hermitage of the Braid; Portobello; Musselburgh; Leith; Granton) I also do any group ride I can get myself on (U3A, Belles on Bikes, Meetup 60+, Breeze). If I don’t have a group ride I get out on the weekend to search for new routes, that’s how I ended up in Haddington, getting lost on the way back and doing 46 miles in total that day. That journey kind of focused my mind on the fact that I needed training in repairing a puncture (you can’t phone a taxi large enough to also take a bike if you’re on a cycle path in the middle of the countryside and don’t know where you are). The idea wanting to be able to do simple maintenance is down to saving money - seniors like to keep costs down. I booked a private session with Leanne, from ‘A wee pedal’ and I now have the confidence to know I can fix a puncture and get home safely by myself.
How does cycling make you feel?
3. I’ve always loved walking and then I took up jogging at 59; this ruined my feet. Fortunately, while on my bike I don’t need to worry about my feet. Cycling is mentally relaxing, it’s exciting (I could never have imagined that I would cycle over the Fourth Road Bridge at the age of 66, particularly as it’s on the wrong side of town), it keeps me healthy (as an ‘older’ woman I can still appreciate the fact that it has also toned-up my body). I enjoy being outdoors, meeting new people, going to new areas, being close to nature - on my way to Polton one day a deer jumped over a fence right beside me, I was so excited. More than anything else as an older person now living on my own, it has given me back a social life.