Volunteer star: John H

Hi, I’m John, I’m a Spin Buddy with Preston Pedals. I started cycling when I was 17 and used the bicycle to get to college. After I started work I couldn’t afford a car so I commuted by bicycle until I was 30. Once I did have a car my commuting habits changed as I used to transport the children as well as myself. Until my daughter passed her driving test! Then (2004) she took the car and I reverted to my preferred mode of transport: my bicycle. For the next 20 years, until retirement (I’m now officially an OAP) I experienced the joy and freedom of self-propelled transport on two wheels! Amongst other things I used to take a childish delight in watching traffic jams from the space and tranquility of cycle lanes.

Of course the principal benefits of commuting by bicycle were improvements to my fitness, my finances and my well-being. I reckon that I saved around £1000 a year on commuting costs and I am actually slightly lighter now, 45 years on, than I was when I started work after leaving university. The biggest factor for me, however, is my well-being. When I’m spinning the pedals I find life’s stresses tend to drift away. It’s as if the mountains of problems become mole-hills. The exhilaration of riding home from a stressful day at work left me rejuvenated by the time I got home an hour later.

In my immediate family there are two other guys who have also retired in the last year. We now try to get out once a week together for exercise and conversation. We call ourselves the ‘pedalling pensioners’. I also look forward to spending time on two wheels with my grandchildren in the summer months. On one family outing 18 months ago we had a posse of 12 of us riding together.

That’s another way cycling has changed for me. I was racing time trials until 4 years ago. My focus tended to be on getting to where I wanted to be as quickly as possible. I used to train alone. Now I have been converted to a social cyclist and I really enjoy group riding where we can chat as we ride.