ELC = English Lady Cyclists?

ELC are proud to announce that we have made a step into a slightly greener world thanks to the cycle paths now dotting the lovely city of Marseille.

With our brand-new bicycles, we are throwing caution to the wind, putting on our best cycling pants, and treating our clients to the sight of our slightly reddened, slightly sweaty faces as we puff and pant up to their offices to impart our knowledge.

Granted, there are times when we are bumper to bumper with a Range Rover on a steep hill and battling for territory at the traffic lights. Granted we have not yet been on our bicycles in the middle of a tornado, we have not been attacked by a giant gabian, nor have we been caught on the Vieux Port as the Marseille rain sweeps us into the murky waters with all the detritus of the day, but we stand firm, we LOVE cycling and will continue to do so until the whole of Marseille is cycling with us!

And what, you might ask, do we like the most? Well, you may ask of course. What we really appreciate is:

• The wind in our helmets as we whizz down the Corniche past cars stuck in traffic;
• The fact that, since we started cycling, we haven’t received a single parking fine;
• The fact that we can now stop for a chat when we see someone we like, or to help a tourist lost in the grittier parts of the city;
• Our powerful new leg muscles;
• The Lycra. (Yes, we admit it)

So, if this starts a biking phenomenon, so be it. We are ready for the cycle paths to be filled with fellow ‘cycologists’!