Among the many people helping to make Christchurch a great place for cycling are those who put a lot of time and effort into making submissions to improve the cycling environment. Three of those people – often fronting up to …
Author: Angela Cassidy
In the spotlight: Dave Johnson, sharing his skills and awesomeness
Cycling in Christchurch is all about regular people riding bicycles. But some of the many people who help make Christchurch a great place for cycling are anything but ordinary cyclists. Dave Johnson, RAD Bikes’ mechanics teacher and workshop manager, …
In the spotlight: Jess Smale and RAD Bikes
Community bike workshop RAD Bikes has been operating in the central city for over ten years. During that time, the team has helped over 21,300 people, recycled more than 60,500 bikes and bike parts, provided 4,300 hours of education, and …
Winter on the Little River Rail Trail
Once upon a time, before the Major Cycleways programme and before the creation of Te Ara Ōtākaro Avon River Trail, there were few off-road options for recreational cyclists in Christchurch (other than the mountain bike tracks). But there was the …
In the spotlight: Lois Hill and Bike Bridge
Many of us take riding a bicycle for granted. Often, it’s a skill we learn as children and provides our first real taste of freedom to get ourselves around – wherever and whenever we like. And even if we later …
In the Spotlight: Steven Muir, showing us the way
In the Spotlight: Don Babe, advocating for Canterbury cyclists
Don Babe is a busy man. He works as an accountant, helps his wife run their Prebbleton blueberry farm, is long-time chair of Spokes Canterbury, and takes every opportunity to contribute to planning processes to create a better environment …
In the Spotlight: Robert Fleming and the Wednesday Wheelies
Robert Fleming has been involved in cycle advocacy for well over a decade, having first gone along to a Spokes Canterbury meeting in early 2013 after being knocked off his bike. He says he sat quietly for the first year …
A loop ride to Tai Tapu
Tai Tapu has long been a popular destination for road cyclists. It’s close enough to Christchurch to be easily reached, yet distant enough to provide an opportunity for smooth uninterrupted cycling away from the city traffic. And, of course, there …
In the spotlight: Meg Christie, getting communities cycling
Meg Christie is an active transport health promoter for Canterbury’s community public health service. Her job is about finding ways to make it easier for people to walk and cycle places. This involves influencing public policy (for example, by making …
In the spotlight: Glen Koorey, championing safer roads for cyclists
In the coming months, I’d like to post a series of short pieces on people who are actively involved in making greater Christchurch a great place to cycle and encouraging everyday cycling. I’ve got a few ideas about who I …
Taking the bike on the train: completing the Hurunui Heartland Ride
I’ve written before about cycling the Hurunui Heartland Trail between Waikari and Christchurch. If you can get someone to drop you along the way, it’s a good day out. There’s hills, gravel, sealed roads and off-road cycleway. There’s rolling countryside, …
Sun, surf and cycling
There are lots of great places to cycle around Christchurch. But at this time of year, with beautiful sunny days and warm temperatures, I am particularly drawn to rides that take me to the beaches and rivers. There’s something special …
What cycling means to me
A recent accident has meant a few months off cycling for me. As you might expect, it has been enormously frustrating, and dented both my confidence and my mood. It also got me thinking about how important cycling is to …
Hurunui Heartland: From Waikari to Christchurch
It’s a bit of a stretch to consider the Hurunui Heartland Trail cycling in Christchurch. However, because it’s so accessible to the city, cycling part of it makes for a good day out.
The trail runs from Kaikōura to Christchurch …
A Great Ride for Christchurch?
I am a big fan of Ngā Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trails, which form a network of recreational cycle routes in some of the most scenic parts of the country.
The concept originated in a 2009 jobs summit, …
A day out in the Waimakariri district: cycling the eastern cycle trails
For a leisurely day’s cycling in Greater Christchurch, you can’t beat the eastern side of the Waimakariri district. It’s easily accessible via the shared pathway along the Christchurch Northern Corridor and is well-served by a growing network of cycle tracks…
Along the river to the sea
Most weeks, one of my rides will take me along the Ōtākaro Avon River to the sea. I think it’s one of the best recreational rides in Christchurch (the Summit Road probably being my favourite).
It’s a peaceful ride away …
A shout-out to dog owners
Many of my recreational rides involve some cycling on shared paths around the city. Depending on the time of day (and day of week), there are usually at least some other cyclists, walkers or runners around.
Shared paths have been …
Joy on the Port Hills
Despite living and cycling in Christchurch for many years, my first ride up the Port Hills was only nine months ago. Until then, I’d mainly cycled on the flat and only ever ventured up the hills for the odd walk, …