Former Cosmopolitan editor and MasterChef host, Sarah Wilson, who’s been riding a bike to work for years, wants to inspire your inner cyclist.

“It’s faster and more efficient than any other way of travelling,” she said.

“You know exactly how long it’s going to take you to get somewhere, door-to-door, without worrying about parking or traffic, so you can plan your day more efficiently. And of course, it’s excellent exercise.”

But for Ms Wilson, who writes a weekly column for Sunday Life magazine about how to have a better life and features on the Lifestyle YOU channel, bike riding is about more than just efficiency.

“It keeps you engaged with the world,” she said. “When you’re riding a bike you’re alive to what’s going on, you notice things you wouldn’t otherwise - new plays showing, buildings changing".

“In a car you’re shut off from the world.”

Ms Wilson said her wardrobe has evolved around bike riding and she cycles in the same clothes she wears to work - including high heels.

She is a big supporter of the city’s controversial cycleways and believes cycling is the future of our cities.

“Everyone will just get used to cycleways, it’s a shift that has to be made,” she said. “They’re introducing them into Manhattan and London; we’re behind the rest of the world.

“Sydney has higgledy piggledy roads so it’s to be expected that our bikes paths are the same and can be confusing.

“The people that whinge about bike lanes are the same people that whinge about traffic, but every cyclist equals one less car on the road.”

Ms Wilson, who has ridden bikes all around the world and never had a serious accident, said bike riders have a responsibility to ensure they make it easy for drivers to share the road with them.

“You need to ride in a way where you proactively own your space, be confident, don’t hesitate and stall, and let people know what you’re doing,” she said.

She’s passionate about bike culture, even building her orange one-speed herself with the help of a friend, and is using her blog (www.sarahwilson.com.au) to promote it.

“My bike is very pretty and people are drawn to it,” she said. “I’m finding that people want to be part of bike culture, so I’m trying to appeal to that by showcasing people looking cool on beautiful bikes and telling people how they can build bikes themselves.”

While Ms Wilson thinks compulsory helmet wearing might put some people off cycling, she said it doesn’t have to be that way.

“I lived in Melbourne for seven years, and all the cool kids wear helmets there,” she said. “I’ve see the top designers in the country wearing helmets, it’s just a way of life.”

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Ride to Work Day

Sydney Council is offering free cycling confidence courses before National Ride to Work Day on October 13.
Bike riding, even in Sydney traffic, is easier than many people might think, the Sydney City Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said. For trips less than 10 km, riding a bike will often get you to work cheaper and faster, and will keep you healthy. Better still its a zero-emission transport option.
The courses are run every Saturday and Sunday at Sydney Park to teach safe and responsible cycling to an ever-increasing number of enthusiasts.
Book into the free cycling courses at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cycling

Source: sydney-central.whereilive.com

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