The thrilling victory of Floyd Landis in the 2006 Tour de France may be under a cloud at present, but it seems like the right moment to consider the awesome amount of good that cycling can do for us both in terms of our personal health, and the health of the community through use of environment-friendly transport.
Cycling is, undoubtedly, one of those skills that it behoves one to learn at some point in life. I learnt it at the ripe age of 27, after my daughter was two years old. As I wobbled ahead, absolutely petrified that I might fall off any second, she followed me resolutely on her tricycle, shouting 'Wait for me!'. 
The reason I had left it so late to learn cycling is because my childhood and adolescence was spent in tightly packed big city streets. Children who grow up in smaller towns and for whom cycling is a natural activity from age five upwards, are lucky indeed. But living in the big city need not be a deterrent for learning to ride a bike. In fact, office commuters are being urged to bike to work by city governments across Britain.
So what does cycling really do for our health?
Cycling halves our risk of getting coronary disease and protects us against strokes, reduces weight, cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Besides, it helps to increase self esteem and well-being - the sheer pleasure of cycling in the open air reinforces a sense of personal freedom. Maintaining fitness levels comes easily with cycling. If you are looking to getting half an hour of moderate exercise 5 days a week, then cycling and walking are effective forms of aerobic exercise. In fact cycling 4 miles daily reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases by 50%. And if your target is weight loss, cycling for half an hour burns around 150 calories.
There's plenty of reasons to ride your bike to work or school or other commitments. And don't let the fear of risks associated with biking put you off. There are ways around everything. And if you become an accomplished cyclist, you might just learn to dive and swoop and swerve around things the way some really graceful riders do. 
Look again at that wonder machine with two wheels.
Isn't is just perfect for your own ride to fresh vistas?
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