Bella Stewart

Name

Bella Stewart

Job title

Cycle Derby Project Coordinator

Please explain your role within the team

As the name suggests I manage the demonstration town project overall, provide direction for programmes and keep things progressing on time and in budget. I was involved in developing the bid from the outset and feel a huge commitment to see the project succeed for the benefit it will bring to Derby.

Don’t let me give you the impression that the job isn’t hands on, it is. Pop along to any cycle tryout event you’ll find me carrying barriers, directing traffic and handing out leaflets.

Specialist subject in cycling is...

I am primarily a convenience cyclist. I have commuted to work on my bike for 11 years and use it mainly to get around on a day-to-day basis. My greatest frustration has been breaking both my wrists and not being able to cycle for months and months.

I love riding along quiet roads and have spent many holidays on Sustrans cross country routes, such as the C2C. I am also lucky to cycle regularly in Switzerland where my sister has lived for the past 6 years; this usually involves a lot more hills than I’m used to.

Biggest reason to get on my bike is...

Cycling is a most civilising experience, it brings a place into focus at close quarters, you see things you cannot otherwise see and you feel an interaction that is impossible except under your own steam.  Daily, it’s the ability to know, to the nearest minute, how long it will take you to get somewhere. Most importantly it is the simple liberating joy of rolling along past queues of traffic or down a long winding hill, wind in your hair and endorphins flooding your body.

My favourite piece of cycling kit is...

My bike, quite naturally. Its rather old and battered, but in its utilitarian way is super-chic (or perhaps that’s solely in my minds eye), but well-serviced it serves me very well.

Derby is a great to cycle in because...

Its amazingly low rise and compact. We are a city surrounded by countryside and have wild places within our city. I can guarantee, you’ll meet the unexpected when you cycle in Derby.

Describe your cycling style in 3 words...

Utility, reflective, joyful