We love cycles and we love people’s cycle stories. Our Staff and Trustees share our passion, and we wanted to share it with you too! Our Cycle Stories is a new blog series devoted to introducing you to our wonderful team, and the diverse and varied ways that cycling has become an enriching part of their lives.

What is your name, and what do you do at Wheels for Wellbeing?

My name is Beata and I’m a cycle instructor and session manager at Ladywell, but I also help my colleagues at Herne Hill Velodrome and Croydon sessions too from time to time.

What has been your career trajectory; how did you come to end up working at WfW?

I’m a mother of 4 and most of my life I spent looking after them! When they grew up I had more free time and I decided to do some volunteering. I started searching for opportunities and I found Wheels for Wellbeing. I volunteered to help and really enjoyed being at the sessions, looking at our participants and their happiness and freedom cycling gives them. It inspired me and I started to cycle myself.

So I just kept observing what they’re doing in sessions, how everything works, who’s coming, who has more needs, and things like that. After a while I started helping with adjusting bikes, cleaning them. Then I started to learn more about the bikes, the needs for the people who have when cycling. And then one of my colleagues asked me if I would like to join the team as a cycling instructor. Then yeah, I just started wondering, became an Instructor, everything moved on nicely over time, and then became session manager.

What sort of cycle do you use? How do you use it? How do you use it? Do you do the cycling of your own?

At the moment I have a road bike and use it mostly to get to work, commuting, but sometimes I join Led Rides too. I do not really have opportunities to do bigger adventures on a bike currently with my youngest one at home. But from time to time, I join Charlie my colleague to just check the routes out for our Led Rides.

The first school my youngest went to, we did cycle a lot every day, actually, because the best connection to school was via bike. It was really good, a very protected route, through side roads and then parks But then he moved to a different school, and the route is much more difficult. So we don’t ride as much

What does cycling mean to you and your overall wellbeing?

It’s great for my wellbeing overall. I’m quite an active person; I like walking as well. But cycling means, like, you can access places faster and more easily. I prefer cycling to driving because it’s more accessible. You know, you can just get into places you could not take your car with so it’s great. It’s a great exercise as well. Keeps you going.

Do you have a favourite session or adventure that you like to do on your bicycle adventure?

I think Santa Ride was so far my favourite one – joining such a big group of cyclists wearing Christmas-related costumes and playing music was amazing experience.

But our sessions, all of them are actually great because, you know, it’s great to see those people really enjoy them. And our Led Rides, they were great too not only for the people who joined them but also people who saw us for the first time, and saw what we were doing together.  It just showed them that, you know, everyone can cycle. They didn’t even know that you can have that kind of different bikes, so everyone can actually jump in and cycling. So that was, I think a great experience to show people that, you know, everyone actually can cycle.

One day. I would like to have a go from London to Paris. But I don’t know if it’s possible for me, because I find out for a couple of people, it’s quite extreme. You have to be really fit for that. Be awesome to do that, or maybe just go somewhere along the coast, you know, just like along the coast and see the sea.

Is there anything that you think wheels for well being does better than anyone else?

Well, that ‘s quite a tricky question, because I don’t really know anyone else in this area. That’s the thing. I think Wheels do a special job because not only do they do the sessions but also doing all those campaigns to allow people to be, or the places to be accessible for them. I think it’s a great place of great people who really think about others. They fight for everyone, which is absolutely amazing. They deserve to be famous for what they do. I’m really proud to be part of the team, and then just, you know, helping to go make the things accessible for others.

if you had a magic wand, what one thing would you choose in active travel or inclusive cycling to benefit disabled people?

This is also a tricky question, because, you know, the best way would be just to make all people happy. But this is impossible. I think maybe it would be worth putting a spell on people who stop trying to do things for different people. Sometimes when you try to try to do something for people who have no access, others actually stop you from doing it. Less about creating something and more about stopping people from stopping other people creating things which would help many people. So probably that would be the best – just make people kind and open and then happy to help other people, yeah? So that would be easier for everyone to work together.

Thank you for sharing your Cycle Story with us, Beata!