Is it really "As easy as riding a bike"?
I thought it was, until I started actually doing it.
I'd moved to Guiseley and within the first fortnight thought "there has to be a better way to commute than this" after yet another hour in the car, crawling home from Leeds.
My neglected bike was dragged from the garage, cleaned up, and I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before stuffing my work gear in a rucksack, and heading off.
If you're wondering how I went from "sweaty commuter" to "cycle coach", scroll on down.
What can I help you do?
When I tell friends that I'm a cycle coach, they laugh saying that I'm a bit old, portly and that I can't sprint.
When I tell them that I focus on riding, not speed, they look thoughtful and then tell me that I must be great at that because I care about people and start at the beginning.
So, if you want help to start off smoothly, stop confidently and create your own safety bubble on the road, we can do that.
If it's been a while, your bike could use some TLC along with your confidence, let me show you how to take care of both.
Alternatively, you might be a confident, capable cyclist who has a wishlist that you never quite manage to achieve.
After 27 years (mostly) balancing work, volunteering, family and bonkers rides, I've ticked a lot off my list while gathering knowledge from good, and not so good, experiences, plus learning from others.
You don't need a flash bike...
So long as you're comfortable on it, it goes and stops, it's ideal.
(This is my wife's bike. She loves riding but finds traffic intimidating and struggles with her gears. She needs a coach too - just not me, for reasons any couple will immediately understand)
You don't need fancy kit...
...and you certainly don't need lycra. Just something that doesn't restrict your movement or chafe.
We don't even need the road...
If you don't feel comfortable on the road, we can use a park, the canal, a quiet cul de sac or even the Brownlee track.
We don't even need to be in the same room - depending on the situation being sat with a coffee and notepad close to hand and connecting online could be the best solution.
There's loads of options.
How did I get here?
So that first commute took about an hour, I hated every turn of the pedals, and I was a sweaty mess at each end of the journey.
Still, I wasn't stuck in traffic. I was moving - and that felt like exactly the better way I was looking for.
The next thing I knew, I'm merrily riding my way down the slippery slope to having several bikes in the garage, lots of "bikes leaning against things photos", and a decent knowledge of cafes worthy of a 100 mile round trip through the glorious Yorkshire Dales.
I went from cycling feeling like rocket science, to being as easy as riding a bike.
A friend said I'd be great at coaching, and after laughing, I thought about it. I then realised that I've spent my life helping people break barriers and removing the rocket science that's been holding them back.
So, SiSi Coaching.
It's short for Simon's Simple Coaching, because the full name is too long, I keep things simple, and SiSi also means "yes, yes" around the world.
