People can’t get enough of Sigrid, the UK cat riding on a fixie around London

We know all about biking with dogs, but what we didn’t know was that a few friendly felines are down with the two-wheeled set as well, and one named Sigrid is garnering quite the following on social media as she gets pedalled along the streets of London, England.

Travis Nelson, an American living in the UK capital, had a lot of free time on his hands due to a wonky visa situation early on in the pandemic. He ended up spending a lot of time on his bicycle exploring his newly adopted city and decided to take his four-year-old cat Sigrid along for a ride.

“Since Sigrid was already accustomed to going for walks on a lead, I thought it might be fun to try some bike rides, and she took to it right away,” Nelson says.Sigr

To transport Sigrid, Nelson uses the Doggy Shopper bag by KLICKfix Rixen & Kaul.

“They sent it to us as a gift early on, to replace a cheaper non-pet bag I had been using,” Nelson says. “We’ve been happy with it as it has some clever features to keep Sigi safe and happy.”

It’s hard to figure out what is more surprising, seeing a cat transported by bicycle or the realization that the bicycle in question doesn’t have any brakes.

Nelson says his bike is a bit unusual.

“I ride an aero track bike. One gear, no coasting, and while I have a front brake mounted for legal liability, I don’t use it normally,” he says. “The fixed gear community is really friendly and fun, we’ve got a lot of friends among them. I’ve been riding fixed for about 16 years now… it keeps things simple so I can focus on the road, and helps me get a bit more of a workout in a slow-moving city constantly grid-locked by traffic.”

His rig includes an Aventon Mataro frame, Rotor track crankset (52×20), carbon tri-spoke in the front and 80mm carbon in the back, Cinelli Lola handlebars, Brooks c17 saddle.

Nelson, though, says Sigrid is utterly fearless.

“Traffic doesn’t bother her in the slightest,” he says. “I’m sure it helps that she is deaf — as most blue-eyed white cats are — but her fearlessness goes beyond that. I probably spoil her a bit, I think she knows I’m there to keep her safe even when she’s trying to start fights with dogs 10 times her size.”

Nelson and Sigrid are usually out and about two or three times per week. And according to the feline’s own Strava account she had 101 active days in 2021. One of their favorite routes is to head down through Regent’s Park and onto Regent Street and pass through Trafalgar Square past Buckingham Palace then along Serpentine Road.

The reactions Sigrid gets on the route are almost entirely positive, says Nelson.

“I can’t really go anywhere without people trying to flag us down for photos,” he explains. “I do think it’s really interesting how many comments I get from people saying they don’t like cyclists, but they like us. It’s a good way to get people to think about cycling a bit differently.”

Nelson says he spent most of his career working for gaming companies. He met his work when they were both working at SEGA. So, he’s always had a bit of a playful streak when it comes to hobbies.

“Trying to make people happy comes naturally I think,” he adds. “It’s great to be able to spread a little good cheer to cycling, where we can often get too caught up with the car vs cyclist mentality and forget to have fun!”

For those looking for ways to transport dogs by bicycle, read this article.