My shiny, zippy little car became a big part of my life the first moment I met it.  I’d always overlooked it’s expensive taste in petrol because I was enamoured with the idea that, should the urge take me, I could break free of the confines of this city and let loose on the wide open road.  So when I realised that I no longer had this liberty I was somewhat upset.  It didn’t help that I had never really figured out why the buses in my area never seemed to show up, and so I had come to rely on my trusty little hatchback.

It was somewhere between looking up bus timetables and used car ads on Gumtree.com.au that I remembered an old bike that was gathering cobwebs at mum's.  When I finally came to inspecting it a little bit more closely I discovered that it was not only providing a home to several species of creepy-crawlies, but the shiny, green bicycle of my memories had also developed quite an interesting pattern of rust around the edges.  Still, with the semester getting closer and closer (and campus seeming further and further away) I decided that I really didn't have much choice given my budget.

So with some level of anxiety (and after a trip to the wonderful guys at Wooly's Wheels on Oxford Street) I decided to take my life into my own hands in the interest of transportation.

My first trip was a bit wobbly and definitely far from graceful but on finally making it out of my quiet street I found that I was doing okay. That is, until the lady in the parked car opened her door on me.  But I persevered, and within a little while I had made it to Centennial Park and was cruising around with the rest of the (decidedly more lycra-clad) cyclists.

Somewhere around the loop it occurred to me, this is really easy.  I got to thinking about why the hell wouldn't you ride a bike?  It's better for the environment, not to mention better for your health (goodbye gym membership), there's no more driving around and around Newtown or Glebe trying to find a park and, particularly with fuel prices as they are, cycling is so much cheaper!

These days, as I fly down Oxford street, past all the people locked in their cars, sitting in bumper to bumper peak hour traffic, I can't imagine why I ever wanted to drive in the first place.  Sure, I occasionally get stuck behind a bus that farts exhaust fumes all over me but generally it's all worth that feeling you get when you reach the top of a hill and get to coast down the other side.

I still haven't quite worked out what to do when it's bucketing down, and bike paths in Sydney have a long way to come, but there's something about riding down Bourke street in a pretty summer dress and cowboy boots that gives me the feeling that I might just be falling in love all over again.

Tips for wannabe cyclists:

-    Borrow a friend's bike for the day (or hire one) and get down to one of the good bike paths (Centennial Park, Iron Cove, Sydney Olympic Park) and give it a go – you'll be able to practice without cars and see what all the fuss is about
-    Steer clear of the busy streets (particularly Cleveland, Broadway and Parramatta road) and try to stick to the back streets
-    Always be aware of your surroundings;  drivers aren't always paying attention so you have to all the time
-    Your bike travels free on trains outside of peak hour
-    Big hills mean sexy legs, so just peddle hard (and change to a lower gear)

Image by Pip Wheaton