Transcript of
Cycling training
I decided to take up cycling lessons
because I've got a 15-year-old son who's autistic
who now can't ride very safely on the road by himself,
so I'd like to get fit and healthy and actually go out with him.
This is just to get you a feeling of actually sitting on a bike,
and also just steering round the corners.
- Don't worry about the pedals yet. - That's enough.
And off we go.
I've never ridden a bike before so it's going to be a totally new experience.
Good. And to the right.
Training to learn to ride a bike in the first place, you need that,
somebody to tell you how.
A lot of people think they can jump on a bike and go and maybe some do,
but the older you are, perhaps that becomes more difficult,
so that training is a good thing to get
so that when you go on the road you can concentrate on the road
and not worry about the skills of riding and so on.
Many people remember the old Cycle Proficiency Test.
That's back and it's called Bikeability.
That's being delivered to schoolchildren,
but there's cycle training available for adults too.
There's a Bikeability website that tells you
where you can go to get cycle training
to get you out and about and safe on the road.
Being seen is very important,
so wearing a bright jacket, a high-visibility jacket
or a strap if you want to.
And wear a helmet to reduce the risk of head injury.
Well done. Put your foot on the platform. You kept it on all the way.
OK, Louise, we're going to take you off the platform.
You just need to get on the bike as you've been doing, so hold the brake.
Release any brakes and then off you go.
Down, raise and pedal.
The Chief Medical Officer's recommendation for physical activity
is to do 30 minutes of activity on five or more days of the week.
Just keep it going. Don't worry about it.
Cycling is a key part of that
because you can easily be active as part of daily life
by cycling to get to places rather than as a sport or exercise.
Check the brakes for me.
Please no more than two fingers on each lever.
No more because these are slightly sharper brakes.
A key part of maintaining a healthy weight
is being physically active, expending some energy.
Cycling, activities like cycling can really help with that.
There's very strong evidence from expert studies
that physical activity can reduce the risk
of coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes,
help with mental health problems, reduce the risk of depression and so on.
So it really is an essential part of living an overall healthy lifestyle.
Now practise the stop, nice and gently.
I'm quite excited now I actually managed to get some cycling in.
I didn't fall off or anything.
Now I'm just excited
and looking forward to progressing and doing some more.
I'm on my fourth lesson now and it's been going really well.
After about the second lesson it all started to come together
and it just all seemed a lot easier, a lot more natural
and it's going really well.
Today's going to be the first time I actually cycle on the road.
I've been doing all my other training off road.
I don't need to change gear but just look behind.
I'm OK.
You might feel a bit wobbly at first
but after a few trips you get much more confident
and find then that you can go on any roads
and really enjoy the freedom that cycling brings.
