Have you always wanted to leave the car behind for your commute but not known where to start? Cycling expert and instructor Dilys Gartside encourages everyone to get on their bikes

Cycling to work ticks so many boxes: a physical workout, a stress buster, a guaranteed arrival time, a fresh air fix, thinking time, a money saver, a bit for the environment, to name but some.

In fact, it tackles most of society’s present day problems: obesity, heart disease, mental health, road congestion, traffic pollution, lack of self-confidence, poverty and risk of isolation.

Lots of us have long discovered this wonder cure and cycle to work all year-round.

Mind you, it wasn’t always as fashionable as now. In the 1980s, I was scorned and ridiculed by my employers for ‘my inappropriate behaviour’ as a female solicitor cycling to work. What would clients think of my professional competence if I turned up on a bike?

Your car reflected your income which reflected your ability.

However a recent motto of sustainable transport charity Sustrans is ‘Be admired for the car you don’t drive’.

With the cost of motor fuel, nowadays many people cannot afford to seek work or get to work due to the added cost of travel.

Then there’s the stress of not knowing if you will be late with traffic at a standstill and engines polluting our air adding to respiratory diseases like asthma. A cyclist takes less days off sick and will arrive mentally alert and ready to focus – no need for the caffeine starter.

And for those who need to lose weight, a daily 20-minute cycle will take you four miles and increase your metabolic rate so that you burn calories faster.

That means you actually feel hunger and know when to eat and when not to, so no more dieting; just healthy eating while you lose excess fat.

After a stressful day, the last thing you need is a stressful drive home but by bike you de-stress and re-energise through pedal power exercise so no need for the ‘alcohol and armchair’.

A skilled cyclist will become a confident person who develops their independence and then there’s the social side of it. Ride to work and notice how many fellow cyclists greet you with a smile or wave!