Publish date: 7 April 2023
Meet Elizabeth Rantzen, interim Trust chair. As part of the West London get fit campaign Elizabeth shares how cycling is an integral part of her daily routine, helps her stay active and travel sustainably.
How long have you been cycling for?
I didn’t own a bike until I was 16, because we lived too close to dangerous roads when I was a child, but I have been making up for it ever since. I started a daily cycling commute when 5 months pregnant with my first child because there were transport strikes and I didn’t fancy standing around in queues or on crowded trains and buses. It’s saved me a fortune in fares over the years, and it’s been amazing to see the improvements in provision for cyclists over that period.
What are the physical and mental benefits of cycling for you?
Cycling is my way of waking up in the morning -even after a short bike ride and not enough sleep, I start the working day much more alert if I cycle. Going home, I find cycling is an excellent way of having the mental space to process what I’ve seen and heard, and destress from any aggravating situations. I generally arrive home in a much better frame of mind than I would after a tube journey and it means I stay reasonably fit without ever having had a gym membership.
Tell us about one of your most memorable cycling experiences
In 2019, my husband and I cycled independently from the English Channel through France to the Mediterranean - about 800 miles. Although we had to navigate occasional steep climbs, most of the trip was along rivers and canals and completely idyllic. We met fantastic people, saw incredible bird and animal life and discovered parts of France we had never heard of. We are planning a similar trip later this year.
