Volunteer star: Luke

Hi, I’m Luke, I’m a Spin Buddy and consider myself a ‘utility cyclist’.  Some of my earliest memories involve bicycles. Cycling round the roundabout on St Matthew’s Close in Cherry Willingham as the hot sun of 1976 blazed; cycling through the woods of Belfairs Park in Leigh-on-Sea on a Sunday afternoon with my family; cycling to school; cycling to my mate’s house, seven miles across town; cycling while bunking off PE; cycling to Scouts; cycling as part of my Queen’s Scout Award; cycling to Uni and across London; cycling to the shops; cycling to work.

Cycling is as close to flying as a human can get without wings. It is a joy. It’s also too easy to forget how practical it is. I work 12-hour shifts with the emergency services. With my bike, a pannier rack and a Carradice pannier, I can take all I need for work, arriving five miles away in the same time as, or even less than I could if I took the car.  I’m fortunate in a couple of ways: most of my commute from one side of Preston to the other can be off-road should I choose, taking in the river between Brockholes and Penwortham, or using the cycle paths through town (the ones that apparently nobody uses!).  I have safe secure cycle storage at work, as well as access to a locker and showers.

At the end of a long shift, knowing that I can gently pedal up London Road or Fishergate Hill with some assistance from my gravel e-bike if I need it, is reassuring. Also, I rarely need to worry about a headwind. That knowledge also encourages me in the summer to extend my rides home to take in the old tramway, helping me to maintain some level of fitness.