cycling
Letter to Boris: Electric taxis in London
09/10/11 19:02
Silly commuter racing: I'm not the only one
01/05/11 21:13
I openly admit here and now that I try and overtake
people when I'm cycling from one place to another. I
can't help it. I see them in front of me. I size up
their cycling impressiveness and if they are 'done
up' (carbon fibre frame, pro-team lycra outfit), the
urge to quietly up my speed and accelerate past them
with a look of serene unconcern on my face comes over
me like a heat rash. It's sad, embarrassing but it
won't go away.
This desire to overtake other cyclists does depend on who they are. If they're all done up in lycra with fancy carbon racing bikes, I'll bust a gut to go past them and stay past them. Guys on flash single speed bikes are also a temptation. If I, in turn, get overtaken by cyclists from those two categories, I invariably try to get back in front of them. I must point out that I've never jumped lights or mounted the pavement to get past these people. If they do charge off through a red light, I stop and shake my head, thinking 'the sad fools, trying to break the law to stay in front of me. They knew their number was up...'
Up to now, I've thought I was pretty much alone with this behaviour. I thought that other cyclists were far more mature and sensible. I was wrong! It seems that there's an active crowd of silly commuter racers who do exactly what I've been doing. Read More...
This desire to overtake other cyclists does depend on who they are. If they're all done up in lycra with fancy carbon racing bikes, I'll bust a gut to go past them and stay past them. Guys on flash single speed bikes are also a temptation. If I, in turn, get overtaken by cyclists from those two categories, I invariably try to get back in front of them. I must point out that I've never jumped lights or mounted the pavement to get past these people. If they do charge off through a red light, I stop and shake my head, thinking 'the sad fools, trying to break the law to stay in front of me. They knew their number was up...'
Up to now, I've thought I was pretty much alone with this behaviour. I thought that other cyclists were far more mature and sensible. I was wrong! It seems that there's an active crowd of silly commuter racers who do exactly what I've been doing. Read More...
Cyclists or teddy bears; who's the most dangerous?
17/04/11 09:52
Although the number of people killed in the UK by cyclists is around one every other year, she still feels it's important to send a message to these two-wheeled potential killers. The example she has given of a cyclist killing someone is a case where a cyclist hit a pedestrian who'd strayed into the road. To make things worse, he'd reportedly shouted at her 'I'm not going to stop!' before he hit her. Read More...
The joys of towpaths and parks
05/12/10 17:12
Normally, when it comes to going on a long cycle
ride, I always think of getting the road bike out.
It's light, fast and I can zip along the roads
emulating the stars of the Tour de France. The only
problem is, I don't really emulate the stars of the
Tour de France at all. Firstly, they're a lot fitter
than me. Secondly, when we see them riding, they're
on traffic free roads. They don't have to dodge 4x4's
or huge lorries or people turning left without
indicating. Thirdly, their rides seem to start at ski
stations or medieval walled towns, rather than
Tolworth.
This discrepancy nagged me one day. Why was I trawling through dull suburbia for twenty miles just to get to the start of a scenic route? Was there an easier way to enjoy cycling - the trees, the twisting lanes, the challenging hills, the exhilarating descents - without all that hassle? I thought back on what I'd done when I was younger. How had I enjoyed cycling then? I remember that I'd really enjoyed cycling on the tracks on the park and common near my house. Not as dramatic but just as fun. I therefore decided to find a route on my doorstep that had those elements. Here it is: Read More...
This discrepancy nagged me one day. Why was I trawling through dull suburbia for twenty miles just to get to the start of a scenic route? Was there an easier way to enjoy cycling - the trees, the twisting lanes, the challenging hills, the exhilarating descents - without all that hassle? I thought back on what I'd done when I was younger. How had I enjoyed cycling then? I remember that I'd really enjoyed cycling on the tracks on the park and common near my house. Not as dramatic but just as fun. I therefore decided to find a route on my doorstep that had those elements. Here it is: Read More...
The cheapest way to upgrade? - fool yourself
05/12/10 15:52
Weren't the potholes impressive this spring? They
weren't so much small cavities in the road surface
but more like geological faults. It wasn't ‘oh,
better avoid that, that could give me a nasty bump’.
It was more like ‘hey, how about I gather some
friends/family around the edge of that abyss and we
can stare out across the great vista of space to the
other side, while contemplating setting up an
adventure safari into its bowels, or possibly a
bungee jumping platform?’ The potholes had become so
big by March, there was a good chance that some
cyclists would crash completely into them and never
make it out. Their bodies would end up floating, half
submerged in the dark water, with their reflective
trim glowing ghostly in the dappled sunlight.
Read
More...
An adult on a bicycle
21/11/10 16:54
A great quote from H.G.Wells:
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."
Lycra louts and trouser suits
06/11/10 10:51
Here's a personal favourite, resurrected from the
pre WordPress crash days. Enjoy!
One phrase that has puzzled me in recent years is ‘lycra louts’. It is used regularly and with a fair amount of emotion but I really don't know why. I can understand ‘lager louts’ since drinking lots of lager can make the best of us into anti-social idiots. But why do people demonise cyclists wearing clothing that reduces chafing? If anything, you’d think it would be the opposite way around. The cyclists without the lycra would be the menace. If I cycled for four hours in damp underwear that had been rubbing itself against my sensitive areas with all the delicate softness of a cheese grater, I would scream and shout if someone got in my way. But it’s the opposite. Read More...
One phrase that has puzzled me in recent years is ‘lycra louts’. It is used regularly and with a fair amount of emotion but I really don't know why. I can understand ‘lager louts’ since drinking lots of lager can make the best of us into anti-social idiots. But why do people demonise cyclists wearing clothing that reduces chafing? If anything, you’d think it would be the opposite way around. The cyclists without the lycra would be the menace. If I cycled for four hours in damp underwear that had been rubbing itself against my sensitive areas with all the delicate softness of a cheese grater, I would scream and shout if someone got in my way. But it’s the opposite. Read More...
My favourite cycling books and films
26/10/10 17:00
A friend asked me recently to recommend some cycling
books and films. Instead of just telling him, I
thought I'd stick them on my blog so everyone can
check them out.
First off, an absolute gem of a French animated movie called 'Belleville Rendezvous'. There's not much dialogue but there doesn't have to be. The expressions and actions tell you everything you need to know. A young french lad is given a bicycle and it transforms his life. With the help of his grandmother, he becomes a professional racer (incredibly skinny apart from HUGE thighs). He takes part in the Tour de France but ends up in the broom wagon. From there, he is kidnapped, taken to New York and made to take part in a 'simulation' Tour De France ran by gambling gangsters. Strange, magical, often hysterically funny. The only criticism I would have is that the middle section about the three old ladies - the Belleville triplets - drags on a little too long. Apart from that, brilliant.
Read More...
First off, an absolute gem of a French animated movie called 'Belleville Rendezvous'. There's not much dialogue but there doesn't have to be. The expressions and actions tell you everything you need to know. A young french lad is given a bicycle and it transforms his life. With the help of his grandmother, he becomes a professional racer (incredibly skinny apart from HUGE thighs). He takes part in the Tour de France but ends up in the broom wagon. From there, he is kidnapped, taken to New York and made to take part in a 'simulation' Tour De France ran by gambling gangsters. Strange, magical, often hysterically funny. The only criticism I would have is that the middle section about the three old ladies - the Belleville triplets - drags on a little too long. Apart from that, brilliant.
Read More...
My journey to work
26/10/10 16:56
I might not have my own flat nowadays, or be able to
go on a fancy holiday, or buy the latest kit (have
you seen the new 11" Apple MacBook Air? It's very
nice...) but on the plus side, I don't have to
commute into London every weekday. Hooray! Instead, I
cycle the following route...
First off, it's into Bushy Park through Hampton gate. Read More...
First off, it's into Bushy Park through Hampton gate. Read More...