Navan Bike Fest: Girl on a Bike Blog Intro
A new blog series aimed at encouraging women to cycle
As part of Navan Bike Fest, we are delighted to bring you ‘Girl on a Bike’, a new series of blog posts from Navan Cycling Initiative member Asia Gurtman which will run throughout Bike Week, which runs from 12-18 September.
Introduction
If there was one way I could encourage you to get on the bike, it would probably be this: It will make you feel amazing! Each time you get back home – and it doesn’t matter whether you did 2km or 20km – you will think to yourself, ‘I am just great!’, because you know you are doing something good for yourself.
It’s not a challenge to take up cycling, but starting off can be a little overwhelming, especially if you don’t have much experience, as in my case. I knew nothing… I wish there was a cycling school, like driving, where you could learn the basics!
If I was to be honest, I wasn’t really considering taking up cycling before. But when the Covid-19 pandemic came along, all my options for exercising and socialising were just simply gone. I was on my own. I tried running and walking, but after a while I realised that this monotony is a little unhealthy and I needed a change.
Well, I have to tell you this: what an amazing feeling it was, to be able to give yourself a chance to explore something that you would have never considered. Some may say ‘ah, not a big deal’, but then you realise very little stops you from achieving whatever you want, and in most situations, what stops you is you. I think it is so important to remember that as I get older, I notice that the list of my fears is getting longer and longer, and I should more often say to myself, ‘give it a try’.
When I think back, one of the main concerns I had that was stopping me from starting cycling was safety. It was a little bit daunting at the start, especially when I was seeing all the heavy traffic, but when I gave it a try, most of my fears were gone. The liberating feeling outweighed all my fears. It’s such a unique moment when you get on a bike, its like someone just clipped wings to your shoulders. I will cover some of the safety
So, let me share my cycling story with you and what I have learned…
We all know cycling is a great way of looking after ourselves: our body, our mind and precious Mother Earth. For us women, the key benefits would be:
- Reduces heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes risks
- Reduces osteoarthritis and obesity
- Alleviates the symptoms of other common female conditions
- Improves mental health and wellbeing
- Improves our social lives
- Builds self-esteem and confidence
But how do you start cycling? Over the next few posts I will try to share my experiences on how I got into cycling. The areas I will cover in my posts will include:
- How to Get a Bike
- Bike Equipment – what is essential and what is good to have
- Cycling Gear – don’t we all like a little shopping 😉
- Cycling Etiquette – Safety on a Cycling Lanes and on a Road
- Cycling routes around Navan area with coffee places that are cycling friendly 😉
Keep an eye out for each of the above blog posts coming over each day of Bike Week, which runs from the 12-18 of September, and see more on our main Navan Bike Fest page.