WHILE recuperating in hospital, Lucy Lynn-Evans decided to be productive.

Instead of spending three months flicking through magazines and munching grapes, she decided to investigate just what she would need to do to set up her own business.

Having spent the previous summer cycling across Europe to and from music festivals, she realised there could be a way to turn that idea into a profitable venture.

By the time she got back on her feet she had the numbers crunched and the blueprints laid for cycle tour company Bike2Basics, which was officially launched in January.

This moment held significance, not just because of her lack of business experience, but because three years earlier she was in a critical condition with a crushed pelvis and knee, having been run over by a 15-tonne truck while riding a scooter.

At the time there were serious doubts over her survival, let alone her mobility.

However, last year’s knee operation gave her a chance to think about how far she had come and what she wanted to do with her future.

Using cycling as a form of rehabilitative exercise, she started to think about turning her dream of launching a bike business into a reality.

The 25-year-old said: “I’d just finished my first year of university, in fact it was the day after my 21st birthday when I was hit by the truck so I spent the whole summer in hospital. It was touch and go whether I would survive so it put my life on hold for a bit.

“When I went back to uni I was happy to be able to walk but after the first year I reached a plateau and walking became really painful.

“It was a shock as I thought I would just get better so it was incredibly frustrating. I couldn’t even walk 100ft so I needed to do more physiotherapy and exercise.

“It wasn’t long before I realised that cycling wasn’t as painful as walking and that after a while I could cycle further and further distances.”

Since the accident, Lucy has embraced her new life as a cyclist and after speaking to festival-goers in Spain last year she realised there was a market for a tour company which cycled to the numerous music events held every summer.

Prior to the festival, customers meet in London and drop off their luggage, which is driven down in an accompanying van.

As a group they then cycle to the festival where they will be reunited with their bags, and can use the van to store their bikes for the duration of the festival.

Customers then make their own way home and pick up their bikes in London.

Initially all customers will use their own bikes, but in the long term Lucy intends to offer a rental service.

She said: “Last summer I went around France and Italy with my brother, going to lots of festivals.

“It was when we were cycling between each one that people started joining us or wanted to know more about what we were doing.

“When I got back we started looking at other bike companies and it seemed like quite a good idea.

“When I had that operation in September, I was out for three or four months, so I worked out all the numbers and what I needed to do to start the company.

“At the moment the small capital that we have is going into the van, but then it will go on buying the bikes.

“In terms of cost, the outgoings aren’t very much. I’ve got the cost of the van and I pay my team but that’s about it.”

In the run up to festival season Lucy has been organising tours to cities such as Brighton, Oxford and Cambridge, which have gained positive reviews from customers, who have enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the accompanying music – which comes from speakers on the back of her bike.

The cost of a Bike2Basics tour starts at £20 for a day trip, with an additional £5 for the use of the van.

Having gained official sponsorships from three British festivals – the Secret Garden Party, Wilderness and Cambridge Folk Festival – Lucy is hopeful for a busy summer ahead.

However, the budding businesswoman is fully aware that the work is seasonal so she will need to branch out somewhere down the line.

The Askew Road resident said: “I’d like to move into giving lessons and workshops and renting out the equipment. There will be ways to run the business without just relying on the tours, and in terms of staff I won’t need anyone full-time.”

With a prosperous business entirely based on cycling, and taking into account her past, does she ever get scared on the road?

“I don’t get scared, the only time I get that feeling in my stomach is when I stop next to a huge truck with the wheels that are as tall as you are because I remember being under the truck.

“Even if I was scared I’d try to make an effort to rationalise that fear because there’s no time to limit your life.”

l For more information, visit www.bike2basics.com