{"id":9404,"date":"2016-02-26T17:39:18","date_gmt":"2016-02-26T17:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/?p=9404"},"modified":"2016-02-26T17:39:18","modified_gmt":"2016-02-26T17:39:18","slug":"car-free-day-no-problem-we-send-emma-out-to-learn-how-to-cycle-at-the-age-of-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2016\/02\/26\/car-free-day-no-problem-we-send-emma-out-to-learn-how-to-cycle-at-the-age-of-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Car-Free Day? No problem. We send Emma out to learn how to cycle &#8212; at the age of 21"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Cardiff Council plans to reduce the city\u2019s environmental issues by holding a Car-Free Day in September. To do our bit we gave <\/strong><strong>reporter Emma James the task of learning to ride a bike &#8212; at the age of 21.<\/strong><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9376\" style=\"width: 785px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/emma-bike.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-9376 \" src=\"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/emma-bike-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Reporter Emma James learns to ride a bike for September's &quot;car free day&quot;\" width=\"785\" height=\"589\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9376 \" src=\"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/emma-bike-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Reporter Emma James learns to ride a bike for September's &quot;car free day&quot;\" width=\"785\" height=\"589\" \/><\/noscript><\/a> <strong>Reporter Emma James who is learning to ride a bike ahead of September&#8217;s car-free day.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When I heard Cardiff Council wanted to encourage more cycling in the city, my initial reaction was a sense of inadequacy, as I had never learned to ride a bike as a child.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The fact I can\u2019t ride a bike has perplexed many friends and colleagues over the years. Yes, I am a 21-year-old adult who can\u2019t ride a bike, but learning was of no interest to my three-year-old self.<br \/>\nBut as one of my friends pointed out, riding a bike is usually seen as something everyone does as part of growing up, like learning to walk or speak.<br \/>\nSo now is as good a time as any to get some practice in.<br \/>\nInitially, I was concerned because I am quite possibly the clumsiest person in the world. Anyone who knows me will tell you I have all the balance and grace of a baby elephant ice skating.<br \/>\nSurprisingly the most difficult part of riding a bike is actually trying to get on. It may look easy but trying to balance while searching frantically for the pedals is a hard task. I don\u2019t know how three-year-olds manage it.<br \/>\nOnce I was lifted on to the bike, I didn\u2019t know what to do. My friend kept shouting for me to pedal faster and move the handlebars to make sure I kept my balance. While I frantically writhed along the road, I felt like a floppy fish that had never learned to swim.<br \/>\nWhat I actually felt when I tried to follow his advice was fear. Fear of the unknown. How was I meant to stop? What did I do once I was set free to ride by myself?<br \/>\nPeople say riding a bike makes you feel free and relaxed but all I could think was \u201cI am going to die.&#8221;<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9456\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9456\" style=\"width: 179px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zvcua-1.gif\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-9456 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zvcua-1.gif\" alt=\"zvcua\" width=\"179\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9456\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9456 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/cardiffian.jomec.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zvcua-1.gif\" alt=\"zvcua\" width=\"179\" height=\"300\" \/><\/noscript><\/a> <strong>Emma about to fall off her bike<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nWhy did I chose not to wear a helmet? I still don\u2019t know. I threw\u00a0the bike down the minute I started to fall &#8211; it was the only way I thought I would survive.<br \/>\nUnfortunately for the bike, it didn&#8217;t. It was broken by the end of the day.<br \/>\nWhen you are able to move by yourself, with hardly any help, it is exhilarating. Once my friend let go, I finally understood how a child felt when their stabilisers are taken away.<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m doing it! I\u2019m doing it!\u201d I shouted, but the\u00a0moment soon wore off and I fell yet again.<br \/>\nI may only have lasted a few yards by myself, but I guess I can now say I can ride a bike.<br \/>\nWhile all this was going on a man smoking in a nearby doorway was laughing at my lack of ability. To make conversation I asked him whether he knew how to ride a bike. &#8220;Yes&#8221; he said, with a quizzical look as if I had asked him whether he had knees.<br \/>\nThe best way to learn was to go for it &#8211; even though I fell off the bike more times than I could count. I may be covered in bruises but the whole experience was enjoyable.<br \/>\nSo now, although I may not be the most competent cyclist in the world, I\u2019m not quite ready to hang up my helmet.<br \/>\nIf you are in Cardiff on Car-Free Day in September, I warn you in advance, that I will be there on my bike, and I will not be held accountable for any danger I may cause.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cardiff Council plans to reduce the city\u2019s environmental issues by holding a Car-Free Day in September. To do our bit we gave reporter Emma James the task of learning to ride a bike &#8212; at the age of 21. When I heard Cardiff Council wanted to encourage more cycling in the city, my initial reaction was a sense of inadequacy, as I had never learned to ride a bike as a child. The fact I can\u2019t ride a bike has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2246,361,2,72],"tags":[69,3447,692,73],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-9404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canton-where-you-live","category-days-out","category-featured","category-riverside-where-you-live","tag-canton","tag-car-free-day","tag-cycling","tag-riverside"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Car-Free Day? No problem. 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