Bike riding as a way to connect.
As a child growing up in Australia in the 70’s and 80’s, I was lucky enough to ride a bike. Through the teenage years, I continued to ride during summer around the flat holiday beachside suburb on a cruiser style bike, no gears needed here!
Over the years, the routine continued. My kids didn’t ride during the year, as our suburb was too hilly to manage and we only used bicycles when on holidays.
One day, during school pick up, one of the mum’s mentioned that she rides a bike. “Why don’t you join my friends and I?”
My first thought was that I haven’t really ridden since I was a child! The excuses started forming: I don’t have a bike, I don’t have a bike rack, I don’t know where to ride...
That was in 2009. Ten years on, our little group of mums have graduated from the protected shared paths of Sydney Olympic Park to exploring our beautiful city. At first, we stayed on the south bank of the Parramatta River avoiding any possible hills. We wore pink T-shirts and joked that it was Pink for PMS - physical and mental stability!
Silverwater – Rhodes Loop
Now we do a regular 17km ride around Silverwater – Rhodes loop, no longer avoiding hills and sometimes extending to Parramatta Park!
This year we challenged ourselves by doing the 40km Gear Up Girl ride, and are looking forward to the 50km Spring Cycle. Last week on our adventure ride, we crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Anzac Bridge discovering the city’s shared paths.
The group grows or diminishes due to work and family commitments. Ultimately, we all share an interest in staying active by riding our bikes. We are all mums with kids either at school, at uni, working or even married. “Our Friday rides have become more than keeping fit, but about good mental health. And that is a great way to connect!”
Join Kirra and her friends for Spring Cycle 2019 on Sunday, October 13. Register Here.
