Fitter, healthier and better off! Three cast iron reasons why Steve Godfrey from Peterborough loves to commute by bike.
Name: Steve Godfrey
Workplace: Police, Peterborough
Tell us about your commuting rig: Masi Alu-C, set up with a C&BSeen 1700 lumen commuting light combo and SKS Raceblade Longs and a Chilli Tech mini-cam for recording my rides for posterity! Hoping to get my Kona Paddy Waggon rebuilt for commuting purposes soon.
What’s your commute like? 17 miles each way, first four miles on the A15, then rural, until I hit the outskirts of Peterborough. It’s Fenland flat for most of the ride, just a few undulations in the last third of the ride. I have several other routes I can take, depending on the weather and how much time I have. The furthest is a lovely rural undulating route that takes me through the villages east of Stamford
How many days a week do you commute by bike? Normally four days a week depending on the shift I am doing. Some shifts I have to take the car so I do a long ride before going to work. I aim to get in 100 miles a week.
What do you enjoy the most about bike commuting? Freedom! Fresh air. The look on colleagues faces when I roll in with Icicles hanging off my beard and steam pouring off my body.
What’s your least favourite thing about commuting by bike? The wind that is in your face all the way into work and then swings 180deg to be a pain again on the way home. Those days when you are really late home and because you ate your last meal seven hours earlier you have nothing in the tank for the ride home!
What are your main reasons to commute by bike? I was initially forced into cycle commuting after a slight mishap took my car off the road. By the time I replaced the car I realised I was really enjoying my cycling, my weight had dropped and I felt fitter and healthier than I had since leaving the Army. I then realised how much money I was saving as well. So all round it was a no brainer. Fitter, healthier and better off! I was also using a bike at work for patrol duties, so my raised fitness levels made me more effective at my job. I was able to cover more ground and react quicker to jobs, often arriving before my car-based colleagues. With luck I should be back patrolling on the bike this year. Anyone got a cyclocross/urban commuter bike they want testing?
Have you got any funny or interesting bike commuting stories or experiences to share? Falling off my bike on wet leaves in front of a less experienced colleague just after someone (not me) had told them how good I was on a bike..pretty embarrassing!
Let’s just say that being a cop and having a helmet camera means I can make sure that justice is done more often than not when it comes to idiots thinking it’s fun to target cyclists on the road!
Outside of commuting but still bike related, I chased down a little urchin on his Mini-Moto that had been causing issues on my patch. It stopped the other little urchins using theirs when I was on duty after that. Would not have been able to do that at my pre commuting level of fitness!
What’s your killer commuting tip? Ride defensively. Expect the unexpected and don’t be bullied into the gutter. Self-preservation is the key. Be bright, be seen and be able to hear what is going on around you.
Send us your Commuter Profiles!
We want to know about your commuting experiences; how far you go, why you choose to ride, your killer tips and your commuter grumbles. Download, complete and email back your commuter profile to editor@britishcycling.org.uk and tell your story. Feel free to include a photograph/photographs of you and your trusty commuting bike!
Download Commuter Profile Form (Word Document)
