To celebrate National Cycle To Work Day, which is today (do try and keep up), I took to the streets of London to show you just how scary, sweaty, exhausting, unpleasant and intimidating cycling in London is. Which it’s not at all. Like, at all.
I genuinely couldn’t live in London if I didn’t cycle. Firstly, I couldn’t afford it – I’ve probably spent a grand total of £30 on transport in the last year. The entire year. Cycling to work and back every day has saved me, literally, thousands of pound.
Also, if the two weeks where I didn’t have a bike (it was getting a new front fork for those of you taking notes) are anything to go by, I’d also have been a weeping, frustrated, insomniac mess if I didn’t cycle. Crushing onto pit-smelling trains, nauseatingly winding through the city on brake-happy buses or, god forbid, having to take the tube. It made me miserable, I slept badly, I didn’t get enough exercise, I spent a huge amount of money and invariably turned up everywhere either late or furious or both.
As a female cyclist, your city is your oyster. You can go anywhere, at any time. You never have to worry about the scary walk to the bus stop or having enough money to get home. You can leave parties when you want and will always get back from work before the rest of your colleagues, however far they’re going. You can overtake men (oh my god, I love overtaking men – especially ones in those padded cycling shorts that make them look like they’re wearing a massive sanitary towel), whizz past the huge, unmoving queues of traffic and can judge your journey time so accurately that you’ll always get everywhere three minutes early.
It keeps you fit, gives you great legs and makes you much more independent. Which is all I want from life. Of course, we all need to take road safety seriously – as cyclists, drivers and pedestrians. People do get injured and killed on the roads and we can all do our bit to stay safe:
Oh and if you’re worried about cycling to work because of helmet hair or having to get changed then, really, we need to have a deeper conversation about your life choices.
Like this? Then you might be interested in:
Here’s How To Take Up Cycling If You’re A Massive Newbie To The Whole Thing
How To Ward Off The Knicker-Flash And A Few Other Girl-Friendly Cycle Hacks
Cycling As A Woman Is Just About The Most Empowering Thing You Can Do
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.