The growing popularity of cycling – Quiz

1. Read the text and answer the questions. 

1. What health benefits are mentioned in relation to cycling?
It can help you to burn excess fat, improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen leg muscles, and lose weight. It can also help to improve your mental health.

2. What can strengthen your leg muscles through cycling lead to?
Improved torque and cadence.

3. What can cycling help you to save money on?
You can save on petrol costs and train fares.

4. What issues related to train travel are mentioned?
Noisy commuters and platform changes.

5. Why is cycling good for the environment?
Because it helps you to lower your carbon footprint.

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. Come on, strap on your helmet and let’s go for a ride.

2. My commute to work is really peaceful as not many people travel at the same time as me.

3. When cycling, always try to stay in the cycle lanes . It’s safer.

4. The train fare is so expensive that I can’t afford it this weekend.

5. I want to buy a bike to help me get about town more easily. 

The growing popularity of cycling

They say once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. Most of us learnt when we were kids, and many still strap on our helmets, put our feet on the pedals, and shoot off for a ride around the streets. In recent times, cycling has seen a boost in popularity, so the question is, what makes it so appealing to people to straddle their bikes once again?

First, let’s look at the health benefits. Cycling can improve your cardiovascular health and burn excess body fat. Strengthening your leg muscles in your calves and thighs helps to increase your potential torque and cadence. And cycling’s benefits aren’t just physical, but mental as well. A long ride in the countryside could help you to clear your mind, or de-stress. But it’s not only about your body and mind – there are also some plus sides for your wallet’s health.

Cycling can be a great way to commute or get about town. By cycling, you save money on fuel or train fares. If you do drive into work, sometimes finding somewhere to park can be a nightmare, whereas finding somewhere to chain your bike up can be much simpler. Then, on the train, there are changes at stations and other commuters speaking loudly on their phones to deal with. Cyclists face neither of these issues. And if you’re worried about safety, there are designated cycle lanes in many major cities. Wearing high-visibility clothing, sometimes referred to as ‘hi-vis’, is another way to improve your safety when cycling on the roads.

Finally, cycling can also be good for the environment. It can help you to reduce your carbon footprint. Not pumping out fumes into the atmosphere is better for the planet and your own environment.

So, whether people want to cycle for their health, getting about town, their wallet, the environment, or a combination of all of them – the popularity of cycling is on the rise.