Helen + Kym

What got you into cycling?

There was a point almost twenty years ago that we concluded we spent too much time on the sofa in front of TV. When we first started we could barely cycle to the end of our street (it is one of Unley’s long streets). So it started out as a get fit campaign. Now it is our regular form of transport in and around the city and when we travel.

What does cycling mean to you?

Our get fit campaign had a couple of milestones. The first was to do a multi-day ride in Provence, France on hired bikes and the second was to do the Bike SA Annual Tour in the Riverland. It turned out that this would just be the start. Sharing the ride with others in so many different places has rewarded us richly with new friendships and experiences which would not have occurred without cycling.

There is no doubt that the speed at which you travel on a bike is the best way to see the world. We feel lucky to seen so much of it at that speed!

Tell us about your bikes; What do you like most about it/them?

We continued to included bikes in our travel plans. So much so that in 2015 we bought Brompton Folding bikes. They fold up into luggage that can be easily checked for overseas travel. Little did we know, Brompton bikes have a cult following (including serious races dressed in formal wear) in Japan and in other places around the world. It was a fortunate combination as we liked travelling to Japan. In 2016, our second trip to Japan with the Brompton bikes, we participated in the Japanese leg of the Brompton World Championships. Helen was strong enough, by this time, to win the endurance race for women. This race also introduced us to a group of new friends who will always ride with us in Tokyo and have even visited Adelaide with their Brompton’s for the Tour Down Under.

Any advice to people wanting to get into cycling?

Come to the Unley Bicycle Users Group and ask for help. There will always be someone amongst the group that will have the time to help you out. In our view what matters most is taking a bit of time build up the knowledge of the good places to ride - and there are so many of those in Unley and greater Adelaide.