Bikes, Booze and Bitter Winds

As some of you may know, I’ve recently made the move up from the sunny South Coast to the hilly and altogether different Sheffield University. University is a very unique experience for most students, never before have we been given so much freedom, offered so many opportunities or been presented with so many temptations. Going to University in Sheffield wasn’t a tricky decision for me and, at the risk of sounding somewhat like a travel brochure; the cycling opportunities in the Peak District are as varied as they are plentiful.

The climbs of the Peaks are steep, with some longer drags providing a breeding ground for some of the UK’s most celebrated cyclists: Ben Swift, Russ Downing, and Adam Blythe all grew up in these parts. Climbing in this part of the world doesn’t quite compare to the alpine peaks of the Alps or Pyrenees or Dolomites, but there sure are some leg-sappers within easy reach of uni.

The stereotyped image of students as hard drinking and lazy hardly seems to hold ground at Sheffield; yes there’s plenty of opportunities to socialise; the cycling club’s impending ‘Lycra Social’ is the stuff of legends and made even the more enjoyable by my 1 o’clock start the next day, it would obviously be rude to decline! But I digress: University is obviously about much more than just going out, cycling also gets a look in as do the inevitable piles of impending essays, deadlines and the inexorable reading lists!

As the year moves from autumn further and further towards winter, it’s undeniable that the motivation to get out on the bike begins to wane. The blustery and chilling weather in Sheffield still hasn’t managed to drag me away from the bike, and throwing a run or two in every so often seems to have worked wonders for my enjoyment of the bike. Getting back in the saddle after a few days of slogging up and down the pavements of the ‘Steel City’ is a great feeling!

My first assessed essay deadline is looming, and not having been home since the start of uni means that it’s competing for attention with the ever increasing mountain of washing that needs attending to – the joys of student life! The cycling club has a ride organised with Team Sky’s Russell Downing this weekend, so hopefully I should be able to update with a report on the ride, providing all goes to plan with this essay!

picture featured in the Daily Cycle Flickr Group – added by Rzeszu