It’s never too late to learn a new skill and Cardiff Council is encouraging adults across the city to sign up to its free adult cycling training sessions.
From beginners, to those wanting to brush up on their pedalling skills, to experienced riders, there is something for everyone as the course trainers are qualified to teach all three levels of the National Standard for Cycle Training.
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama student, Nathan Gibson, 22, had never ridden a bike before signing up to the free training sessions.
The Grangetown resident, who is studying for a Masters in Theatre Design -Scenography, said: “My commute to college was a 30 minute walk each morning and night, and I wanted to shorten it. I was never able to learn to ride a bicycle as a child, and when I saw that the city offered free lessons I saw it as an opportunity to overcome that shortcoming.”
Nathan took park in one lesson a week for a number of weeks, receiving one-to-one training from trainer Julian Michael Swan. Starting off slowly in County Hall car park, as soon as Nathan was confident staying on the bike by himself, they progressed to cycling along the Taff trail before the final two lessons were held at the Council’s Road Safety Centre in Maindy.
Nathan continued: “I can now get to college in just 10 minutes, and travel places that would have been too far to walk to. As soon as I learned to ride, I fell in love with cycling, and enjoy going for pleasure rides on weekends when I have time.
“I would absolutely recommend the course, and the instructor, Julian, specifically. He was calm, friendly, and very informative. He was very non-judgemental and patient with me and thoroughly explained all the mechanics of cycling. He is an excellent teacher who allows his students to go at their own pace and quickly gauges their abilities. I think the program overall is brilliant, too. I am now able to ride on the road with some confidence, when it was only just in October that I never thought I’d be able to ride a bike at all.”
Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, Cllr Graham Hinchey, said: “Nathan’s story just goes to show that it’s never too late to ride a bike and his rapid progress is fantastic. For whatever reason people may never have had the opportunity as a child to learn to ride, there is no reason why they can’t sign up to one of our free adult cycling courses now and catch up on lost time. We can even help with providing a bike for lessons for those learners without their own two wheels.
“We are keen to encourage people to make smart travel choices and opt for alternative, more sustainable methods of transport and as Nathans’s experience shows the free cycling courses are a perfect way to achieve that end as well as enjoying the pleasure of cycling.”
The free courses are aimed at beginners (level 1) focusing on teaching balance, control and the the basics of cycling in a traffic free environment, intermediate (level 2) for those who have just begun cycling or started cycling again and experienced (level 3) for riders who could benefit from learning to navigate tricky complex junctions or help with planning a more efficient journey.
Trainers will assess learners’ competency levels and discuss their aspirations before tailoring training to an individual’s specific needs. One hour one-to-one training sessions are completely free of charge.
For more information on the adult cycling training sessions, please visit keepingcardiffmoving.co.uk/cycle/act
