Penny Mitchell
Penny's 100 mile bike ride
Fundraising for London Cycling Campaign
Story
'Iona's come off her bike'. My husband looked shocked as I explained how she had made a bad decision whilst passing a bus, and finished up being hit by a car. This is the conversation I never want to have..... a cycling accident, involving one of my children.
Hundreds of people have been killed cycling in London since we moved here as a 2-car young professional couple in the '90s.
4 children and 10 bikes later, we've long since ditched the cars and become proper townies, committed to a lifestyle that depends heavily on cycling for work, sporting activities, and just to do the shopping.
I'm proud that all my children now cycle everywhere confidently,
but Iona's experience reminded me how vulnerable we all are on 2 wheels in an often aggressive, traffic-intense capital city.
Suicidally dangerous London intersections like the Falcon at Clapham Junction just down the road from us scare parents like me from allowing their children to take what should be a comfortable school commute by bike.
The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) has toiled for years to bring about cycling improvements across the city. Their progress is visible to all, but we're still miles away from a safe cycle network of any standing relative to cities like Amsterdam. Thousands of black spots like the one that nearly claimed my daughter face our families every day.
Happily, Iona's accident resulted in a relatively minor injury that kept her off her bike for only a few weeks, and she has now fully recovered. But it could have been so much worse, and for all too many others, similar accidents have been fatal.
So - safe cycling is a cause I'm passionate about, and I'm gearing up now to cycle 100 miles on a hot summer Sunday around central London and up Surrey hills I'd normally prefer to ascend at more leisurely walking - boots pace.
Please support me, LCC, and future generations of children who we could enable to have a better chance of cycling, and staying alive, in our amazing city.
I have been asked to raise £500 for LCC; I'd be so happy to receive any donation you're able to make towards this, no matter how small. It will all go straight towards the excellent work of LCC. See the team page here:
https://www.justgiving.com/teams/LCC
And cheer me on if you're in town or around Surrey on the 2nd of August!
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