Daddy and daughter bike rides provide cherished moments for stretched doctor

David Finn, a 34-year-old children’s intensive care and cardiology doctor from Cottingham near Hull, was looking forward to some quality time out cycling with his six-year-old daughter as the May bank holiday approached.

Following a draining 54-hour week at the hospital where he works - plus nights on-call - he feared he would be relegated to simply watching young Iris pedalling due to his bike needing of a whole host of repairs.

However, a visit to R-evolution in Hull enabled David to get a free service on his bike through the Big Bike Revival for Key Workers scheme and get back on two wheels.

Iris learnt to ride her bike without stabilisers during the lockdown period and it was this, that first inspired David to get his bike out of the garage and have it repaired so they could cycle together.

David said "It’s been a few years since I’ve ridden my bike. It was sat in the garage and needed some repairs to get it road worthy again. I have a demanding job and a young family so having my bike repaired at R-evolution has enabled us to do something active together as a family in the fresh air.

“I had an extremely busy week at work and the staff at R-evolution kindly prioritised repairing my bike so that I could get back out there with my family on the only day I had off that week. The whole family go on rides now, as there is a bike seat on the back of my wife's bike, which we also got serviced at R-evolution, for my other daughter Violet, who is three.”.

I had an extremely busy week at work and the staff prioritised repair of my bike so I could get back out there with my family on the only day I had off. 

David Finn

He added: “We will definitely continue to get out on our bikes as a family now that we are up and running.” The Finns enjoy a ride from home, accessing nearby bridleways or sometimes go out into the Yorkshire Wolds which is a short distance by car.

“It has been special to see how quickly Iris gained her confidence and now she can cycle for miles and loves it,” David added. “She really enjoys jumping on and off the pavement -when no-one is walking down it- and seeing animals in the fields.”

R-evolution is one of more than 75 delivery centres around England that is taken part in the Big Bike Revival for Key Workers scheme, some are offering free bike safety checks and maintenance work or bike loans to help people travel in a safe and socially-distanced way. The project has received funding from the Department of Transport and is running until the end of July. 

John Marshall, CEO of R-evolution, said "The Big Bike Revival for Key Workers scheme has given us the opportunity to support key workers by keeping them on the road for commuting and leisure rides. We’ve found it has additional benefits in getting key workers' friends and family out on bike rides more often, too."