Taking up the Cycle September challenge

Am I a cyclist?

I've never considered myself to be a 'cyclist' despite regularly cycling to university and then to several previous workplaces. The term 'cyclist' is surely reserved for people with all the gear, people who cycle much faster and people who know the difference between a cassette and a derailleur, isn't it?

After joining Cycling UK I realised that no, riding a bike means I am a cyclist. There are no rules for who can and should cycle. Cycling is for everyone, even people like me who wear ridiculous waterproof shoes no matter how much others may laugh. 

Considering the challenge

I started working at Cycling UK in February and I had every intention of cycling the seven miles to and from work each day. In reality, that hasn't really happened. 

Like so many others, I've been put off by a variety of factors; waking up late, being too tired to cycle, the weather, flat tyres and having things to do after work to name a few. I have become adept at finding reasons not to cycle. 

So, as Cycle September approached I realised this was my chance to turn a corner. I was going to take on this challenge and see if I could cycle every day.

My journey

There's a few ways for me to get to work and on my trustee hybrid bike I can take advantage of all of them. 

During the first week of Cycle September I have cycled along the road and on the River Wey towpath. I've found both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Map your own cycle route to work using our journey planner.

The first barrier - "Ah, I've woken up too late!"

No matter how good our intentions, many of us struggle to wake up in the morning. 

According to a recent survey (Chemist 4 U, 2018) the average person in the UK gets less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night. It also showed that only 16% of people feel like they get enough sleep every night.

So it seems I am not alone. Unfortunately waking up late for me means that I might not make it to work on time and so in the past I've opted to jump in the car. This month though that's not an option so how can I avoid waking up late? I spoke to The Sleep Council to get some advice.

Sleep hygiene

Lisa Artis, Sleep advisor for The Sleep Council explained to me that “Good sleep hygiene is about practising a variety of healthy lifestyle and sleep habits that can improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Small changes can have a huge impact on your sleep quality and quantity."

The importance of getting a good nights sleep for our health and wellbeing shouldn’t be underestimated

Lisa Artis, The Sleep Council

“The importance of getting a good nights sleep for our health and wellbeing shouldn’t be underestimated. Poor sleep can have detrimental effects on our concentration, motivation and stress levels.

“Increasing exercise levels and time spent outdoors by cycling to work for example, can certainly improve the quality of some people’s sleep but it’s important to put in place a variety of sleep hygiene tools.”

Get tips for getting a healthy nights sleep from The Sleep Council.