.citycycling talks to Ana Pereira, Portuguese 'bikepreneur' and 'cenas a pedal' co-founder

I was always a very active kid (you know, the kind that freaks parents out because it's always climbing some tree, stairs, furniture, whatever). I remember my first tricycle, it seemed very big at the time. It was yellow. I also remember my very first bike, it was yellow too. It's funny, because I don't remember having a word in choosing those first wheels, but yellow is my favourite color in everything that moves.

That first bike came with stabilisers and I hated them. I begged my parents to take them off right away. They did shortly after. I fell at the first kerb but it was the last fall. My street felt as big as the whole world and being able to bike away through it gave me a very exciting sense of freedom and independence.

Later on I moved to another bike, a 'BMX Super Turbo', a red sporty bike with nice suspension; but that had some very loud and annoying brakes. In a descent it always embarassed me. But I kept riding it everywhere. After that I had another bike, which my dad bought for himself but never used. I didn't choose it, but I ended up using it a lot (it's now in my grandparents' house in the country side, all dusty in this picture).

At that time I used it to go to school or to the gym and the pool. I took my stuff in a backpack or a gym bag hanging on my back. When I went to a store to buy groceries or to the pharmacy or something, I would ride home with a shopping bag hanging from each handlebar (not very safe, I know better now, but at the time I managed just fine, really). I did not know there were utility bikes, panniers, trailers, and so on. It was hard enough to find another person using a bike, let alone using some fancier gear. At that time I used my bike for fun, for pleasure, I enjoyed riding it, and I loved the independence it provided me. I was the only “alien” who rode a bike for transport, definitely the only girl who did, and I was ok with it. I wasn't worried about biking as an alternative mode of transport, the key for better cities and communities, the solution to pollution, mainly because I wasn't using it instead of a car, I used it instead of walking or depending on mass transit. I always had a strong environmental conscience (my mother instilled it in us kids from a very early age) but at that time I just cycled because it felt good and it suited my needs.