Scottish Cycling article - 'how cycling has changed our lives'

Continuing our celebration for International Women's Day, of women whose lives have been changed by cycling, today we share the experience of cycling business owner, Breeze Champion, Scottish Cycling Women’s Development Group member and British Cycling tutor, Leanne Farmer, from Edinburgh.

I have always ridden a bike for fun; as a kid to get to school and muck about in the playground, building ramps with my friends. Everyone I knew rode their bikes for fun. I took my other sports seriously.

I went backpacking as a 20-year-old in China in 1995 and the first thing we did when we arrived in each city was hire a bike. A ‘Shanghai Phoenix post-office style bike’ was about 50p a day. We joined the then millions of cycling commuters riding in unison in the huge cycle lanes, purpose built to help the millions get to work every day. I loved it!

Later back in UK, the fun was to cycle to pubs, hilarious misadventures on canal tow paths. I returned to Asia when I got married and two shiny red bikes were the first thing we bought.

When our son arrived, we moved to Hong Kong. On weekends everyone seemed to be cycling; young kids on balance bikes, adults with giant stabilisers, speedy MAMILS in pelotons, side-by side four seater ‘holiday-style’ music-blaring bikes! It felt fully inclusive; everyone enjoying the sun and living in the moment, whatever their choice of bike. Jack learned to cycle aged three and loved it, wanting to ride everywhere and quickly outgrowing his first bike.

Holidays became ‘cycle-holidays’ and we spent the next three years exploring different countries in Asia. Cycle tour companies took us on fully supported tours. Travelling with our bike-obsessed son was such a wonderful way for us to see other parts of Asia, staying with local families. We watched Jack compete in some cycle races and duathlons and loved watching his face beam with pleasure.

Then, when Jack was seven, our world fell apart. He was diagnosed with Perthes, a rare childhood bone condition when the hip bone crumbles away due to a lack of blood supply. Twenty days after diagnosis, he was having surgery in the form of a femoral osteotomy and facing two years in a wheelchair. I don’t think there are any words to describe how I took the news. Everything we loved doing as a family had to stop overnight and we had no clue if, or when, it might return.

Our surgeon, appreciating and understanding that we were an active family, flippantly mentioned ‘handcycle’ and I became fixated on acquiring one. Jack was using crutches and a wheelchair to get around when I managed to source a child’s sports handcycle from Germany. It was the best thing! It meant Jack had some freedom back and we could cycle again as a family.

We set up a charity, ‘Pedal Through Perthes’, and arranged a cycle event for 250+ people to raise funds for Perthes Association. We were determined to try to turn this into a positive experience for Jack and focus on what he could still do. We also decided to leave Hong Kong and return to the UK, going the ‘long way home’.

After travelling in South America, we went to Mongolia and journeyed on the Trans-Siberian Railway before cycling across Austria, following the Danube over 12 days. We got lost going up the wrong side of the river, stayed in quirky farmhouses, checked into the wrong place, accidentally joined a ‘Sunday fun-day’ cycle event and learned that not all paths following the Danube are flat!! We had a ball. If ever I needed reminding of determination, I only needed to look at this little nine-year-old pumping his arms round and round to make his handcycle move. We eventually reached Vienna and we just cried and cried with a sense of achievement, relief, exhaustion and, most of all, total teamwork and knowing that life was going to be okay. The hand cycle has saved us, and cycling had brought our family back together.

Arriving in Edinburgh, I knew that I had to explore cycling related opportunities. I found organisations to volunteer with, including ‘All Ability Cycling’; helping people use adaptive bikes to find enjoyment, exercise and experience some freedom. I became a Breeze Champion and loved meeting new people and leading rides for women. I was pushed way outside my comfort zone completing the level two Mountain Bike Leadership Award, which permits me to lead Breeze mountain bike rides. I also trained in bike mechanics, passing the Velotech Gold award.

Since the days of our family cycle holidays, I had always thought I’d love to explore cycle touring and I needed a new challenge. I now had all the necessary qualifications and knew what made an interesting cycle tour. I gave up teaching and in April 2019 ‘A wee pedal’ was launched as a cycle touring company. Summer 2019 was surprisingly busy and 2020 bookings where healthy. Then we all know what happened in March 2020! Determined not to lose what I had built, I had to pivot to keep going. This turn of events has made A wee pedal branch out and I am now doing what I have always loved - teaching.

I taught over 350 lessons in 2021; from children with Down’s Syndrome to adults who have never been on a bike. I am currently fully booked with a three month lead in time. I also teach bike maintenance classes and lead confidence rides, as well as the original tours which have been expanded.

Three years on, A wee pedal has won three national awards. I have been named as one of the 100 Inspirational Female Entrepreneurs by ‘Small Business Britain’ and just been shortlisted by The Federation of Small Businesses for Micro Business of the Year 2022. We have successfully collaborated with Decathlon, who supply our fleet of bikes. We work closely with Bridgend Farmhouse social enterprise, where we offer a range of services. To keep up with the demand in summer, I employ five freelance guides.

I am a member of the Scottish Cycling Women’s Development group, where we all have a common goal of helping and encouraging women and girls to enjoy cycling at all levels. I’m also training to be a British Cycling tutor to deliver ride leader courses. My life has changed completely since returning to Edinburgh and it is all down to cycling. I am outside every day, delivering cycle tours, teaching people to ride or helping people learn how to take care of their own bikes.

Empowering others and passing on skills gives me the satisfaction of teaching whilst doing something that I love - riding my bike! Jack is now cleared of Perthes and has no restrictions. In 2019 our family completed both the Tour de Forth and Pedal for Scotland challenge events. At 30 miles on Pedal for Scotland, Jack raced ahead. Happy tears were cried when we met up with him at the finish line, standing nonchalantly chatting to one of the organisers. We have signed up to do Tour de Forth again in 202 and planning Land’s End to John O’Groats for 2023 to celebrate my 50th. Cycling is a fantastic family activity, as well as my business. Most importantly for me, it is about helping people to simply enjoy their bikes – whatever their reasons or motivations.