John (L) and Edouard (R) on one of Warmley Wheeler’s tandem cyclesWarmley Wheelers gives people with health conditions and supported needs the chance to get into cycling. They offer specialist equipment and a safe, friendly environment to support people who would normally find it difficult to ride a bike.

Now in its 13^th year, Warmley Wheelers is the brainchild of Liz Grey and Chris Hill. Liz’s son was being supported by Milestones Trust, and she was keen for him to experience cycling. Alongside Chris (a project coordinator at the Trust) they worked with South Gloucestershire Council, Sustrans (as it was known then), and the area’s disability support group, to secure funding from the Government to pay for a container and a fleet of cycles. South Gloucestershire Council provided the land to establish a base of operations and a small trail in the Warmley Forest, with the Bristol and Bath Railway Path providing the perfect track for cyclists to venture out on.

Initially dedicated to supporting adults with learning disabilities supported by the Trust, Warmley Wheelers has gone from strength to strength, opening its doors to riders from across the region and increasing the size and breadth of its fleet, with the aim of ensuring that all abilities are supported. We want everyone to experience the joy of cycling in the fresh air – and then enjoy some cake at the Warmley Waiting Room Cafe!

Warmley Wheelers benefits from its location on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, a glorious 13 miles of tarmac between the two cities, free of motor vehicles and cutting through diverse urban, suburban and rural landscapes. The development of the Railway Path was led by local volunteers who wanted to make use of the track that had fallen into disrepair following the closure of the railway line. Now managed by a collaboration between the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust and the various local authorities it crosses, it’s one of the most used cycle routes in the whole country.

Warmley Wheelers is currently led by the joint coordination team of John Simmons and Edouard Guidon, who joined in October 2024. We sat down with both to find out more about their experience of cycling and their time with Milestones Trust.

How did you get into cycling?

Edouard: I can still remember early experiences of cycling – learning to pedal for the first time when I was four or five, exploring the neighbourhood with a friend in my early teens – but the pivotal moment was when I was in my mid-twenties and started a new job that was on the other side of London to where I was living. A colleague suggested that I could make the journey by bike and I very quickly came to realise that it was not only a viable alternative to having to get on a packed Central line train, but that it was best way to discover, navigate and enjoy London. The rest is history!

John: I have been cycling since I was a small child, I remember getting up on Christmas to find a beautiful shiny red bike (my father had spent some winter evenings painting it for me), leaping on it and cycling straight into the sideboard and trouble as I scratched it.

Bikes meant freedom and as we did not own a car and we lived in rural Scotland when I was young, it was a key form of transport as a teenager when I worked through paperboy and delivery jobs. Later in my middle years I returned to cycling, and started to look at competing, initially cyclocross, then road racing and time trials. For a bet, when I was 50, I entered a UCI Master Series Road race and to my great surprise I qualified as a GB representative for my age group! I was lucky to attend the UCI World championships in Australia (2016) and Italy (2018) for road racing and twice organised and managed the GB sprint race team. I go a bit slower these days, not racing but I still do time trials on occasions.

What led you to join Warmley Wheelers?

John: I had accepted redundancy from my engineering career and was looking for a part-time role where I could work with people. I already had experience of inclusive cycling as a volunteer at the Gloucester Goals Beyond Grass facility and my wife spotted the job advert for Warmley wheelers and I thought that is a great way of taking my past experiences and use my love of cycling in what I think is a brilliant project.

Edouard: I was previously balancing an office-based job with freelance cycling instruction in Bristol and was looking for a way to expand on what I love most – helping people to discover the joy of cycling. I had come across Warmley Wheelers before, through cycling along the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, so when the opportunity came up to get involved, I leapt at the chance.

What do you enjoy the most about Warmley Wheelers?

Edouard: There are so many things to love about Warmley Wheelers, but I think what I enjoy most is the sense of community. It’s about getting to know everyone that’s involved: it’s the riders and their carers or support workers, but also our amazing volunteers; our friends at the cafe; and our supporters in the local area, whether it’s businesses that support us financially or local residents that donate cycles. There’s a sense of being in the middle of the best of what society has to offer, and it’s a real privilege to be a part of it.

John: Edouard has captured it brilliantly. The caring helpful contribution of the volunteers, the feeling that you helped someone have a good day, the feeling of being in a great community.

What has been your most memorable experience?

John: The important moments for me, are the ones that I can’t talk about as they involve stories that are deeply personal to our users, times when we help people achieve things that they did not expect. I have lots of memories of people coming back laughing, having a good time, and watching Warmley Wheelers grow to involve more of the community, especially our increased involvement with children who have special education needs – children’s laughter is very contagious.  And there were the big items, Miles for Milestones was great, and while I was very worried about getting things right for ITV, I looked at the video and thought, yes that captures Warmley Wheelers.

Edouard: The four-day Miles for Milestones challenge lives long in the memory, but more recently I had the slightly surreal experience of piloting one of our tandems on the Railway Path while an ITV News cameraman, sat in the passenger seat, shot footage of John and the ITV News journalist having a chat on their own cycles ahead of us. It led to a fantastic short film about Warmley Wheelers and whilst I appreciated being in front of the camera for a short section, I think I more enjoyed knowing that I played a part behind it as well!