A day in the life of ...a cycle trainer

LONDONERS know all about traffic and the problems it causes. One way to beat it is to get on your bike, but that, in itself, poses problems. "Some people are worried about cycling on London's busy streets," says Simeon Bamford, 27, co-ordinator of Cycle Training.

"But we can teach them how to use the roads safely and confidently. We can teach a riding style which enables people to make lots of space around themselves and communicate assertively with other road users to get to where they are going swiftly."

Bamford, who has a degree in artificial intelligence, first got the idea for providing cycle training in 1998 while working as a software developer.

Having secured a 2,000 grant from the Scarman Trust through the Millennium Commission, he and Vicky Carnegy, one of his instructors and now a codirector, set up the company in July 2000.

He cycles to work each day, taking just 10 minutes to get from his Camberwell flat to his Kennington office on his silver 21-gear mountain bike, specially adapted for road use.

He checks his emails and phones his instructors with bookings. "At the beginning I started it as a project but then it grew into a business. I didn't know what direction it was going to take," he explains, adding that his job is split between running the office and acting as an instructor.

Cycle Training has 35 freelance instructors, male and female. Most are former couriers, students, actors or retired teachers and all are trained to do bike fitting and maintenance checks, covering things such as gears, brakes and wheels.

Bamford has always loved cycling and, although he learned to drive as a teenager, he has never owned a car. "I lived in the New Forest and always cycled to school. I cycled at university and when I went to Poland for a year to teach English, I cycled when I was there. When I got a job in London I cycled from Peckham to the office in Covent Garden."

Cycle Training runs individual and group courses (the latter usually in schools) covering complete beginners to journey accompaniment (helping cyclists plan their best route to and from work). With an estimated 160,000 regular cyclists in London and growing concerns about congestion and pollution, he is increasingly kept busy running courses for local authorities. "Ealing council has provided training funding for young adults, while Tower Hamlets council has provided training for staff. And we run courses at summer universities at Hackney, Newham, Islington and Westminster."

In the afternoons you will often find him pedalling off to supervise training in schools, mainly primary. "Once we've arranged things with the head we'll go into the school to give a talk at the assembly in order to get the children interested. We usually find the kids know the reasons why it's good to cycle.

Most of them are really into it.

But a lot of kids end up not cycling because parents or teachers don't let them. We can turn that around."

Over four weeks, children are taught to cycle safely and the training is made fun. "The kids often cycle for a mile. We will stop at junctions and practise manoeuvres and then ride on to another junction. They really enjoy it because it's different to normal lessons."

But what about the Elephant and Castle or Marble Arch?

"People tend to prefer cycling in side streets," he admits. "But when you learn to cycle confidently you use all the arterial roads."

Surprisingly, he is not a supporter of cycle networks. "A lot of money in London is being spent on creating cycle lanes but it's unnecessary and they sometimes cause more problems than they solve. Cycle lanes marginalise cyclists and give a false impression that they shouldn't be on the road."

And he rejects the use of safety gear. "Some people see cycling as a dangerous sport.

It's not," he claims. "It's a simple, easy way to get around.

All you need is a bike. We say you don't need a helmet or anything else.

If you wear a suit, cycle to work in a suit."

Bamford works a 9am to 5pm day but he will often stay late at the office, catching up on administration. He doesn't mind. "We're not doing it for the money. We are all doing it because we believe in the promotion of cycling.

Having said that, it's a new market with enormous potential."

He says more of us should abandon the car and public transport. "Companies are going to have to produce a green transport plan and there are likely to be disincentives for workplace parking and tax incentives for employees cycling to work.

"Employees who cycle regularly are known to be more punctual and take less time off sick. It is in an employer's interest to promote cycling among staff."

More Londoners, he hopes, will take a lead from the Dutch.

"In Holland everyone cycles.

It's the sheer number of cyclists that make cycling safe and pleasant for everyone. If more people cycled, London would be more pleasant, safer, cleaner and less stressful."

Pros & Cons

Cons

keeps you fit

you work in a variety of settings

no travel expenses

Pros

working outdoors in all weathers

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