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PEGASUS POST Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
15<br />
News<br />
Tuesday <strong>October</strong> 9 <strong>2018</strong><br />
Local<br />
News<br />
Now<br />
Age is no barrier to city cycling<br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
EACH DAY in Christchurch<br />
thousands of people use bicycles<br />
for their commute, for fitness,<br />
or just for fun. An increasing<br />
number of those people are of<br />
advancing years.<br />
St Albans retiree Jean Bell<br />
returned to cycling last year after<br />
a long period without a bike. “I<br />
was encouraged to try an e-bike,<br />
and I was soon hooked on it,”<br />
she said.<br />
“It’s just so handy,” Jean explained.<br />
“I’m surprised by how far I can<br />
cycle when in the car the same<br />
distance feels like a long way.’’<br />
Visiting friends, attending<br />
meetings, hairdresser and doctor<br />
appointments – Jean travels to<br />
them all by bike.<br />
“It’s much easier to park my<br />
bike than park the car,” she said.<br />
“Now, driving with just one<br />
person in my car feels decadent;<br />
a bit naughty.”<br />
The city’s geography<br />
lends itself to getting around by<br />
bike.<br />
“Unlike Wellington or Auckland,<br />
in Christchurch you have<br />
a choice – cycle on the flat or<br />
test yourself on the Port Hills,”<br />
explains Julie Milne, who recently<br />
cycled the length of New<br />
Zealand to raise awareness of<br />
stroke sufferers.<br />
Julie rides to work year-round<br />
on her modified bicycle; two<br />
childhood strokes left her with<br />
restricted arm movement.<br />
“Cycling is my physical upkeep,”<br />
she said.<br />
“It improves my quality of getting<br />
older. If I don’t bike, I seize<br />
up, which then means I can’t<br />
bike. So, I keep biking.”<br />
Julie will be sharing her experiences<br />
at the NZ Bike Expo<br />
(Saturday and Sunday).<br />
This cornerstone event of<br />
the Biketober festival is where<br />
cyclists of all ages can gather to<br />
celebrate the cycle.<br />
“The expo brings the cycling<br />
industry and the Christchurch<br />
community together,” said event<br />
organiser Krissy O’Connor.<br />
“It places cycling events, test<br />
rides, and community groups<br />
alongside commercial exhibitors.<br />
It’s a very hands-on weekend of<br />
everything bike-related.”<br />
For Christchurch residents<br />
who perhaps haven’t explored<br />
much of the new-look central<br />
city, Saturday’s Pedal into Spring<br />
extravaganza of Biketober offers<br />
twelve themed, self-guided rides<br />
to choose from. Cafés, shops,<br />
playgrounds, art, a family treasure<br />
hunt – there’s a route for all ages.<br />
“If you haven’t been on a bike<br />
for a while,” says Julie Milne,<br />
“start on a cycleway and go from<br />
there. You’re safe. Cycling is<br />
lovely.”<br />
•The programme of events<br />
can be found at www.<br />
biketober.nz<br />
•The NZ Bike Expo<br />
programme www.<br />
nzbikeexpo.nz<br />
QUALITY: The NZ Bike Expo<br />
is the cornerstone event of<br />
the Biketober festival where<br />
cyclists of all ages can gather<br />
to celebrate the cycle.<br />
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