Hi there, my name is Samantha and I’m writing this blog about the exciting cycle journeys with the Lake Foundation.

 I joined the Lake Foundation cycling club after deciding to up my fitness levels and try out my new bike that I had brought. I found out about the club through my local leisure centre.  It had been years since I rode a bike and at first I lacked motivation getting back onto a bike but finding a group of like-minded people inspired me

By riding with the Lake Foundation twice a month my confidence has boosted, It’s the best way to progress your cycling. You learn how to ride safely and efficiently in a group with trained instructors and it’s far easier to head out for a training ride knowing you’ll be with a group of mates rather than on your own. Cycling really helps you feel physically stronger, it is a great stress buster and I always feel refreshed and relaxed after a ride even if my legs ache a bit.

The best part is that when I first started, I barely could cycle very far but after a few months of cycling with the club I was able to cycle 20-23 miles. Now I can cycle around 11-13 mph.  In May 16, My friend asked me to join her team to cycle London to Brighton 54 miles. I knew that it would be a big challenge for me but with all of the cycling with the group I felt confident that I could achieve my goal.

I made it to Brighton in 8 hours. It was hard and gruelling work. At some points I wanted to give up but I kept going! I’m still feeling the pain now. The first time you see Brighton in front you of is shortly after Ditchling Common it is an amazing sight. I used my GPS to track my journey as I went along and the steepest section was a 30.6% gradient. I prepared in advance for the Beacon by training in the gym alongside the cycling. I’d say that at least 80% of the people I saw on the incline had resorted to walking. Although it was hard work I just kept pushing on, and as I got closer to the top I was rewarded with the most amazing views. Then before I knew it the gradient reduced and I had conquered the Beacon! The best feeling ever! and knowing that it was downhill from there. I had an amazing day of cycling and I loved doing it as part of a team. I would definitely ride it again in the future.

I would most defiantly recommend taking up cycling and joining the Lake Foundation cycling club as  it is an amazing way to get to places and when it’s a challenge ride it feels like a real  good achievement. You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness but you definitely don’t need to be a super fit racer.  It is much more fun riding as a group and there’s sometimes a café stop on the journeys.

The Lake Foundation Cycling Club sprung forward this season with a cycle through South Norwood Country Club and Beckenham Palace Park.  Cycling Instructors Jo and Selena navigated the group along some surprising quiet Croydon back routes.

The level paths of South Norwood Country Park was a stark contrast to the hilly terrain of Beckenham Palace Park. Muscles got a good workout and riders were thankful for the snack and water breaks after climbs.

 The cycling group is made up of people at different cycling proficiency and fitness levels. It was good to see members practice tips they learnt on how to cycle up hills. By way of a reminder you can check watch the British Cycling Federation video on climbing technique.

Meanwhile we were pleased to learn that one of our regular riders booked a free one-to-one session with Cycle Instructor Selena before the session. “Doing the class made me more confident riding in the roads with traffic, especially coming up to Junctions”.

Cycle Instructor is a great resource for the community of Croydon and beyond. They provide one-to-one and group training sessions where you will learn practical skills and gain an understanding of how to cycle on today’s roads. To book a session go to the Cycling Instructor website, http://www.cyclinginstructor.com

Our next ride is on Saturday 28 May 2016. Email events@thelakefoundation.com to join.

 

On a sunny but chilly Saturday morning in March, the Lake Foundation Cycling Club ventured out onto the streets of Croydon. This time we headed towards Crystal Palace with trusty instructors Brian and Selina.

We asked a couple of our regular attendees what motivated them to rise fairly early on a Saturday morning to cycle.

D: “It’s good exercise. I’m a diabetic and the first time I [came to the cycling club], I checked my blood sugar afterwards and it had gone down. I’m not sure if the cycling helped but I will be monitoring it in future to see”.

M: “We like to come every week because we meet people and it’s inspiring. I feel like I’ve accomplished and achieved something. I’m not a regular cyclist but it gives me confidence, particularly, on the roads”.

M added that she felt it’s important to do other activities, to keep fit, in between cycling sessions. We agree!

The Lake Foundation Cycling Club meets every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month between 10am-12pm. See the attached flyer for more information.

Last Saturday, eleven of us braved the cold, windy and rainy weather for the first session of our new cycling club. Despite the weather we had a really nice time exploring the back roads of Beckenham. Our route took us on a circular route starting at Elmer’s End and riding alongside Eden Park, Kelsey Park, Beckenham Junction, Cator Park, Clock House and back to Elmer’s End.

Our cycling club is a project that aims to get our community fit and active through cycling. It also aims to improve people’s confidence cycling and provide people with a fun, practical way to get active.

This project is being funded by Sport England, an organisation committed to helping people and their communities create sporting habits for life.

We are very grateful to Sport England for supporting us and believing in our project and look forward to our club members not only getting some great exercise but discovering the beauty of South London as we cycle through the lovely green spaces of Croydon and the surrounding area.

A big thank you to everyone who made it on Saturday and we look forward to our next session. For more information please visit our events page.

Following our successful short bikeability summer courses with The Cycling Instructor we’re delighted to be launching a new cycling club starting next month.   As part of this project we’re looking for a friendly, outgoing person to take on the role of a part-time cycling club coordinator.

As a cycling coordinator you will be the main point of contact for our cycling club liaising with both the instructors and club members. You’ll be responsible for helping the instructors organise each cycling session and keeping everyone well-informed about the club’s activities. You can also get involved in the creative marketing side by promoting the group on social media and in the local area and you’ll be responsible for evaluating the impact of the project.

To find out more about this role please download the job description below or email info@thelakefoundation.com

 

The Lake Foundation is delighted to announce that we have received a grant from Sport England, an organisation committed to helping people and their communities create sporting habits for life.  

This grant will support the full cost of running our new cycling club for a year which aims to encourage people in our local community to get more active. The club will be open to everyone but will focus on encouraging more African Caribbean people and women to cycle.

We are very grateful to Sport England for supporting us and believing in our project and look forward to our club members not only getting some great exercise but discovering the beauty of South London as we cycle through the lovely green spaces of Croydon and the surrounding area.

Our cycling club begins on Saturday 13^th February  at 10am, for more information please email events@thelakefoundation.com or keep an eye on our website.

Last Sunday, we teamed up with the Cycling Instructor for a 4-hour cycling session with 10 of our cycling group members. This was an extension of our summer cycling sessions and this event was organised to challenge our members and but also to discover the beautiful countryside of north Surrey.

We started off at  9:30am at Croydon Arena and cycled through Addiscombe,  West Wickham and Biggin Hill on our way to Warlingham. This was a tough route with us having to tackle a number of hills, but it was a really scenic and enabled us to appreciate the beauty that is just on the doorstep of Croydon.  Once we got to Warlingham we stopped off at the very lovely Almno Café for a short break and some light refreshments before making our way back to Croydon through Chelsham,  New Addington, Addington and Addiscombe.

This was a really fun day out and in total we cycling for  3 hours and 56 minutes,  covered 41.6km, burned over 500 calories and had an elevation gain of 354m (oh those hills!).

A big thank you to the Cycling Instructor for leading the session, to Croydon Council for funding this event and to everyone who attended.

Our cycling group have had a great time over the past two months building up their confidence to cycle on the road, learning cycling techniques, getting some exercise and discovering new and interesting places in Croydon.

Since our last update where we shared our experience cycling from Croydon to Catford we’ve had quite a few cycling adventures. We started off with a lovely 16.3km ride through South Norwood, Beckenham and Crystal Palace.  This route saw the group take on quite a few hills and busy roads as well as beautiful parks like Crystal Palace Park where we discovered the park’s Darwin and the Dinosaurs trail, a collection of life-size dinosaur models created by leading scientist Richard Owen.

Our second cycling adventure was a 16.4km route from Croydon Arena to Central Croydon and then on to Lloyd Park, Addiscombe and South Norwood Country Park. This was a really lovely route taking us through some beautiful, quiet neighbourhoods and along a number of green spaces.

Our most recent adventure was a 14km ride to West Wickham this was a challenging and sometimes dramatic ride as we battled scary roundabouts , rush hour traffic, and numerous buses.

These last three cycling sessions were great fun. Altogether we cycled 46.7km and burnt about 600 calories and we look forward to next week’s adventure.

Our summer cycling sessions have been running since the beginning of July and we’re now half way through the sessions which will run until the end of August. This year we’ve had a lovely group of people come along to the sessions; all very friendly and eager to build their confidence in cycling and get some exercise.

Friday’s session was excellent. We had ten in the group and were led, once again, by Brian from the Cycling Instructor who was supported by Matthew.

In previous weeks we focused on cycling technique and riding safely on the road and this week it was time to put it all into practice with a ride from Croydon to Catford and back (about 9 miles).

Our journey to Catford took us along Route 21 which is part of the UK’s National Cycle Network  and is a 94 mile route from Greenwich to Crawley and then on to East Bourne via East Grinstead and Heathfield.

We began our journey at the beautiful South Norwood Country Park and joined Route 21 at Elmers End. The cycling path took us through the picturesque green spaces and quiet neighbourhoods of  Beckingham, Sydenham and Lewisham and included riverside cycling along the Waterlink Way.

This session was a lovely experience. The weather was perfect – sunny and mild, and the beauty of route was really impressive.  Many South Londoners, myself included, are certainly missing out on the beauty of our city as the pressures of city life mean we aren’t able to take the time to explore and appreciate the beauty that is right on our doorstep. Cycling really addresses this as it creates endless opportunities to explore the city of London in a fun way.

We encourage everyone to give cycling a try, you’ll be surprised at how fun and relaxing it is and at the journey of discovery you can have; you’ll see your city in a whole new light! And we love it because it provides you with a great way to get some exercise. It’s a win-win.

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Joins us next week Friday at Croydon Arena, all are welcome. For more information visit our events page or email events@thelakefoundation.com