Hortenzia

I learned to cycle when I was a child and had my own bike, but then I outgrew it and life got in the way and I didn't cycle for years. I used to watch people cycling and wished I still could, especially here in Oxford, but I didn't feel safe enough to cycle because it had been so long and the roads here are narrower and I just didn’t have the confidence. I just resigned myself to thinking it wasn’t going to happen and I walked or I bussed everywhere.

Then I found out about JoyRiders. You know, I can’t even remember how, maybe a poster at the community centre in Rose Hill, but I saw them practising one day, and I went and just asked if I could join. It was a game changer for me.

I joined their learn-to-ride sessions. There was a small group of us, some ladies didn’t know how to ride a bike at all and we didn’t have bikes. JoyRiders matched us up with a suitable bike they had and we started out inside the community centre, then went outside onto the basketball court, then the park, and then on a longer ride on quiet roads.

We met once a week. I started the course in February and by May I had ‘graduated’. We went through everything from riding basics to checking your bike before a ride and road safety. I'm cycling to work now and when I changed jobs, JoyRiders even showed me the new route to work. They’re amazing really. They’re so supportive and helpful and the course is free and open to everyone.

It was amazing to see the progress everyone made, especially the people who had never cycled before, and it’s all thanks to these ladies at JoyRiders. And because all of us on the course were in it together we all supported each other too. We were cheering each other on, we even did some obstacle courses, and it was so nice to see how we could overstep our boundaries and our fears.

JoyRiders even gave me the bike I was training on. It’s a very old bike but I’m so happy and grateful to have it. I have two locks on it I’m so scared someone might steal it. Even if I get a puncture now, it’s like, ‘What am I going to do without my bike?’ I’d be lost without it.

Wherever I can, I cycle now. It’s made a huge difference to me. I love being outside in the air. I used to walk a lot before, but obviously with the bike, everything is just faster, and cheaper. I don't have to pay for the bus ticket anymore. Even if it’s raining I have a smile. The rain doesn’t disturb me at all. I can just change my clothes when I get to work or when I get home. And although I’m still a bit nervous on new routes, I’m trying to push myself more and more, especially on any steep hills.

My daughter cycles as well now and we do short cycles together. I'm very happy that I can do that with her, and she's very happy that we can go together. She was very proud of me when she saw me cycling, and now she sees me every day, so that’s good too.

I think the hardest part of it all was just getting past my own insecurity. I’d tell anyone who was thinking about it to just leave your fears behind and be brave. The JoyRiders ladies will walk you through it all, they’re very, very supportive. I’ve been on one of their group rides too and that was fun as well, but the next thing I want to do is to learn to change my own tyre. I’ve had so many punctures in the last 18 months, so I really want to learn how to change an inner tube!

As of 2026, JoyRiders' free cycle training sessions in Rose Hill, Barton and other Oxford locations will be run by New Riders Oxford. Please check out their website or get in touch at newridersoxford@avanticycling.co.uk to find out more