I fall in love with cycling – Pamela’s story

Pamela, 59, was born & bred in Sheffield but has lived in Derbyshire, Eastbourne & Surrey before returning to & settling in Sheffield again.  

She is a Bible-believing Christian which makes a big impact on her life and interests. She is very involved in her local church and enjoys reading, writing, walking , and visiting historical places of interest.  

Growing up as the youngest in a large family, Pamela was always labeled as ‘the clumsy child’, she would have accidents virtually every day. It was not until she went to university as a mature student, that she was diagnosed with Dyspraxia & Dyslexia, and she realised why she had never felt confident or enjoyed sports or physical activity, including cycling!  

Pamela first heard about Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) on the local radio, she contacted SC4A via email and ended up borrowing the Di Blasi folding trike for several weeks, which allowed her to discover that it wasn’t the right Trike for her. She also borrowed a Pashley Tri 1 trike for several months. 

Pam says, 

‘Borrowing both trikes opened up a whole new world to me that I thought I would never be able to be a part of! I still get a little anxious when I have to cycle on the road, but overall it’s boosted my confidence no end. I really enjoy the feeling of freedom cycling gives me. I know it’s doing me good as exercise, but I also feel like I’ve achieved something useful at the end of a trail ride. I’m also starting to feel arthritis in my knees & hips, so I’m hoping that by cycling I’ll keep moving longer and slow down the progress of my arthritis, in fact, I don’t feel any knee or hip pain whilst cycling.’ 

Pam has now bought herself a very robust adult trike, a Vanraam midi with electric assist. She says, 

‘It has a brilliant electric motor that makes going up Sheffield hills a breeze! We’ve even changed our car so that it’s easier to take our trike out on various trails and my husband has also bought a new bike, [it’s] 40 years since he last rode one! It’s given us both a new lease of life, we go for a ride most weekends, sometimes local as I can now ride from home without being afraid I’ll be too tired to cycle up the hill back home. But mostly we go on trails, like Monsal and Tissington & we’ve even been around the Ladybower & Howden Damns, in the winter! When my husband retires, I’m sure that we’ll use our cycles even more! Most of our Christmas presents this year were cycling-related! 

I can honestly say that I would not have started cycling and enjoy it as much as I do, without the help and support that I got from SC4A. In fact, if I’d bought the initial trike I was interested in, I’d have probably tried it a few times, then simply left it in the garage collecting dust! 

I can’t thank SC4A enough for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with cycling, something I thought could never happen!’ 

For more information about borrowing one of our e-cycles for free, follow this link – https://www.sheffieldcycling4all.org/trike-loan/