After the collision, I was too scared to cycle for about a year and was also nervous about taking any form of motorised transport. Eventually, I decided I needed to start cycling again – largely because walking everywhere took ages and exacerbated my nerve pain. I originally tried an upright city bike with wide handlebars I could rest my left arm on. However, I found it difficult to balance, especially if I was carrying my dog Frida in the basket, plus getting up and down at traffic lights was difficult and increased my pain.
PHOTOS BY HARRIE LARRINGTON-SPENCER / BIKE IS BEST
UNITED KINGDOM
In 2020, after a lot of research, I purchased a Babboe Flow Mountain cargo trike. I went for a trike as I wanted to have a cycle that I didn’t have to put effort into balancing and that I didn’t have to get up and down at traffic lights. I chose a cargo trike over a more traditional trike as I wanted to be able to carry Frida in front of me, as well as other things like shopping or work equipment. The Babboe Flow is different to many cargo trikes in that when you turn the handlebars you only turn the wheels, rather than the box and the wheels. This means that it steers more like a two-wheel bike, but most importantly it means it is light enough for me to steer one-armed.
WORDS BY HARRIE LARRINGTON-SPENCER
Refinding my balance - on three wheels
FEATURE 26
After being in a road traffic collision when I was cycling in 2017, I was left with a brachial plexus injury in my left arm resulting in minimal range of movements, substantial weakness, and chronic nerve pain.