I have had a gaping developmental delay in my cycling ambition. It started off when I taught my brother to cycle. Well, pushing him down slopes was not at all difficult and it was a success. I have no memory of anything else – typical of memories.

Fast forward five years down the line, my uni friends tried to teach me and I jammed my bike into the wall.  Unfortunate then that our professor decided to come between the wall and my bike!  After a good 15 – 20 years, I watched my friend cycle and I dusted off my past memories, thankfully she offered to teach me.  She found a plain, long slope…it had to be a slope to do the trick.  I couldn’t believe it!  I took off with steady hands with my friend running besides me or so I thought untill I turned around and spotted my friend still on the top of the slope cheering me on. I nursed my bruises and decided on a straight road the next day.  She felt I had fairly good balance, so instructed me, “keep your hands steady and don’t hit those breaks hard”.  Not a hard instruction to follow, until the ditch appeared and the instruction lost its meaning! Did it just manage to scratch my ambition too?

My husband realised that even with a slipped disc, a slippery confidence and a disco of cycling memories, I still wanted to cycle. He wrapped me with persuasions (annoyingly) and brought me a gift for my birthday. A bicycle!

2020 has two zeros just like the wheels of the bike. This must be the year then…especially with less traffic…let’s go!

Jubee Matthews
Health advisor