Kate: Why I Cycle

Posted on June 22, 2013February 10, 2018 by nigreenways

Kate is from Holywood, County Down and is a staff worker for the Alliance Party. She was a regular cyclist when living in London, but since moving back to work in Belfast she finds the road environment here too dangerous, and will rarely cycle the city..

I first learned to ride when I was 5 🙂 but I’ve been cycling properly since about 2008. I own a fixed-gear road bike which my sister and her boyfriend built for me. Cycling is popular within the family, my brother does the occasional lycra-hill thing, but I don’t know how regular that is! My sister is the real cyclist in the family, she even had her own bike building company in East London at one point.

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John: Why I Cycle

Posted on June 21, 2013February 10, 2018 by nigreenways

John Kyle is a 61 year old GP and has been a Belfast City Councillor for just over 6 years. John talks about his love of cycling which gets him out for leisure and between his places of work..

I’ve cycled all my life, but more so the past 10 years since my knees decided they had had enough of jogging. I cycle partly for health reasons but I love the freedom cycling gives you, the sense of speed, the proximity to nature – you see so much more than when in a car. I really love the buzz I get from physical activity, and definitely love being able to bypass traffic jams.

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Diarmuid: Why I Cycle

Posted on June 19, 2013February 10, 2018 by nigreenways

Diarmuid is a teacher at Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast, a father of 3 and a wheelchair user for nearly 30 years. He talks about how handcycling has revolutionised his daily routine to the point where he’s sold his own car. His unique experience of travelling around Belfast challenges many myths about cycling as a viable form of transport, for people of all abilities..

While in university in 1984 I suffered a spinal injury in a hill walking accident. I was at university preparing to go into teaching, so I was lucky that after taking a year out the adjustments I had to make in life didn’t throw me off my career path. I’ve been teaching in Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast for about 20 years now. It’s really encouraging to see Grosvenor trying to get a cycle to work scheme organised for the staff.

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Tony: Why I Cycle

Posted on June 17, 2013February 10, 2018 by nigreenways

As part of Bike Week, local people who cycle our streets share their stories, fears and hopes. Tony, originally for Omagh but a long-time resident in Glengormley, is one of the Pro Vice-Chancellors at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), looking after planning, staffing and external affairs for the University. He explains his passion for cycling for transport and leisure..

I’ve been cycling for about a decade, and own a touring bike, a mountain bike and a road bike. I use the road bike most of the time, but occasionally take the mountain bike for a spin around Cavehill. I have 4 daughters, 2 of whom cycle fairly regularly, though one has been curtailed since her bike was stolen. Apart from the bicycle I use a motorbike – I’ve never driven a car and have no plans to start.

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