It took a pandemic to get me into cycling, but you should get on your bike now

This article has been produced as part of our 'New to Riding' week, running from March 10 to March 17, with a special focus on tips, tricks and inspiration for new riders.

This March marks the five-year anniversary of a world-changing event, an epoch-shaping time, something that we still haven’t really recovered from. That’s right, I’m talking about my time in cycling journalism, which began at Procycling almost five years ago, to the day. Groundbreaking stuff.

March 2020 wasn’t just that, obviously, it was a time of great upheavals as the Covid pandemic became reality, and the world shutdown. It changed many people’s lives, but aside from the endless negatives, the ensuing lockdown had one positive for me - I got into cycling. Statistics from that time suggest I wasn’t alone.

Adam Becket

News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com - should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.

I had always cycled as a means of transport, whether that was getting to school in Southampton, or getting to work in London, but had only slightly forayed into cycling as exercise, or a way of life. While in London, I’d done bits and bobs of longer riding, whether to Oxford or along Essex lanes in southern England, but nothing, well, serious. It took the halt of all normal life to get me exploring, and to properly embrace cycling.

My first ride proper came two days after the British Prime Minister announced the lockdown, and was clearly me doing something - anything - to get out of my house, having just moved back in with my parents due the end-of-the-world mood. I cycled 30km, but from then on, I was hooked. The quiet roads and stunning weather probably helped, but I ended up falling in love with life on two wheels, and the freedom it gave me. From slow beginnings, I ended up riding over 6,000km that year, becoming fitter than ever, and just living for cycling. Running happened too, but it was cycling which I really became addicted to.

I’d cycle before work, after work, on my lunch break - it obviously helped a lot that there was nothing else to do - but the lockdown provided the perfect platform for me to launch my obsession from. The adventure, the thrill of climbing and descending, of just getting out - cycling provided all of these things.

Then, when I moved to Bristol later in 2020 and the pandemic and lockdown changed, cycling provided an escape and a way to explore my new home. As things eased, it was a way for me to socialise outside, to meet people, to start to make friends, and to become even more of a cyclist. 2021 saw me cycle 8,000km, my peak, but also solidify my love affair with cycling that has lasted ever since.

I was not alone, with thousands also picking up the sport during the pandemic. Five years on though, not all of those people are still out on two wheels. Whether that’s because of a return to normality, the roads becoming busy again - busier than ever, in fact - or just life getting in the way, but the boom has not sustained.

Perhaps lockdown was the perfect time to get into cycling, but that should not stop you now. All the benefits that come with riding bikes - health, fitness, socialising, money saved on other transport, adventure, fresh air, convenience, and more - are still there, ready to be claimed.

Cycling can seem scary and a big investment, but it really doesn’t have to be. I still love cycling, and riding with my mates provides some of the best fun I ever have - especially if it ends at a pub. Roads might feel dangerous, but cycling is a statistically safe activity (more so than walking), the benefits outweigh the negatives, and it is easy to build up confidence to tackle those busy spots which might put you off. All it takes is a bike, a route however big or small, and you’re away. You can think about the rest of the equipment later.

There was a time before I was into cycling, not that long ago. And now I’m the kind of person who goes on holiday just to ride my bike somewhere different, or thinks the idea of a good Saturday is a few hours spent in the saddle. It wouldn’t take that much for you to follow the same route, to challenge yourself, to meet new people, and have the best time on two wheels, just like I did. It all starts with one revolution of the pedals.

This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.

If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com, or comment below.