Volunteer star: John B

Hi I’m John Blankson, 43 years old, I’m from South Wales and now live in Preston and I’m a Preston Pedals Spin Buddy. I’ve been riding a bike most of my life.  I used to ride Bike Park Wales before it was Bike Park Wales, you learn a lot about cycling round there. Right now, I mostly use my bike commuting to and from work, to the shops and back (although I don’t do that as much with a little one year old now) and every now and again a pleasure ride with Preston Pedals! We don’t ride as a family yet, my wife prefers running and the little one is too young to ride, but its something I’d like to do with her one day.

How does using my bike for commuting help me?: I commute to work so I ride between Preston and the Fylde coast – its about 6 miles in total per day. Cycling keeps me fit (I can squeeze some sort of exercise in daily), and I also get to see things from a cyclist’s perspective. I also drive cars so when you ride, you are more aware of things that you may not be aware of as a driver (such as potholes, puddles and things that can puncture your tyres).  You also become aware of how some parts of the road can become natural “pinch points”, so when I come back to the car, I know not to try and overtake a cyclist at those points – it can put both you and the cyclist at risk.

What do I enjoy most about cycling?: There are quite a few things I enjoy – the freedom of riding, the sense of achievement (for my Strava), but I think the best thing is the when there is a traffic jam and you just breeze through it all – it makes a nice change from the cars buzzing past you with ease!  Also, you don’t really have to worry about parking when you’re on a bike – all you need is a good bike lock…

What about Preston’s cycle network?: It’s a start and better than most of the cycle networks I’ve been on (i.e where there was none) and I like what they’ve done with the cycle network in the city centre and around Preston.  I’ve also recently bought a space at the Train Station in town, it’s something I’ve never seen before. Most amazing place to cycle? Copenhagen – honestly, riding around there it’s totally integrated and you see most of the population commute to work.  The road network is completely accommodating of them as well – better than Amsterdam!