Themes: Exercise, Fitness, Mobility, Enjoyment, Trial structure, Topography, Infrastructure, Weather
Mike was a retired management consultant who, at the time of the trial, was living alone in a detached house in a suburb in north Abingdon. His sons had left home and his first wife had died in 2009.
Mike grew up in suburban Nottingham. His first, and main, phase of cycling was riding bikes as a child and then as a student in Cambridge. On finishing university he was married, got his first job, moved to Oxfordshire, bought a car and left his bike in Cambridge. His two sons were born in the mid-70s. After moving to Abingdon Mike only cycled occasionally, borrowing his sons’ bikes when they were older. He had one further phase of cycling in the mid-2000s when he had knee problems and borrowed his son’s bike for exercise. Once his knee had improved he continued running and playing squash.
Before taking part in the cycling and wellbeing trial Mike did not own a bike and had not cycled at all for around 10 years. He had been diagnosed with arthritis in his hip 3 years previously and a course of cortisone injections had made physical activity less painful.
In this film Mike explains his motivation for getting involved in the trial in terms of having a bike to try out, maintaining levels of physical exercise after giving up running and replacing local car journeys. He describes Abingdon’s suitability for cycling and how the trial provided a programme to motivate him to get back on a bike. Mike explains how getting married and having a hip operation since the trial have hindered his cycling but that he needs more exercise to lose weight, preferring using a bike to ‘being a gym bunny’.
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