If you want to make friends with 4x4 drivers, then don't do what I did last week.......
I arrived home from work and spotted the Porsche Cayenne that's regularly sited in the car park at the end of the street, and wandered over to take a look at it. These cars are probably the most insane of all 4x4s, as they're less likely than others to be driven off road (too shiny), and are therefore almost entirely pointless. They also emit a vast amount of CO2 (they're in the worst band rating in the European Emmissions test) and are capable of a top speed of 141 mph, which, given that they weigh almost 3 tonnes makes them pretty bloody dangerous too, especially if you're a cyclist. Anyway, noticing that it had a fine layer of dust on, I wrote the words "Fat Car Fat Head" in the dust.
Click the read more link to read the rest of the story....
The Olympics are coming to the UK, and obviously they're going to stage the MTB event at one of our world class facilities - they have plenty to choose from: Coed-y-Brenin, Glentress, Afan Forest, Dalby - the list goes on.
So which is the preferred venue, chosen by the London Organising Committee?
That's right - it's Swinley Forest in Berkshire.
Well, that was what they had chosen until someone pointed out that there aren't actually any hills there. So where is their second choice? Somewhere with a mountain perhaps?
Yes! Weald Country Park in Essex! Erm...no...hold on....there aren't any hills there either!?!
Well then...how about High Woods Country Park in Colchester?
Is anyone sensing a recurring theme here?
Thank god Penshurst Off-Road Cycling are demanding that the events be held there - they've got a whopping 6km of off-road trail!
A London 2012 spokesman told the Kent and Sussex Courier: "Weald Country Park in Essex was rejected and since then we have been working with Essex County Council in finding an alternative venue. We are currently carrying out a detailed feasibility study, focusing on Essex, given they were due to host it in the first place.
"We have not put a time limit on when we will make the decision."
Am I the only one who thinks that mountain biking should actually involve a mountain?
That's right. Make a massive 20% cut in your fuel bill in one day!
How?
Get your bike out and cycle to work!
You only have to do it one day a week and you've managed to offset the recent petrol price hikes.
Plus, it'll get you fitter, healthier and happier, and you'll be helping to reduce your carbon emissions too. A win-win situation I'm sure you'll agree.
If you're not sure about cycle commuting (how to start, what you'll need, which way to ride etc) then check out my 'How To Commute' section!
I've just been down to Cardiff for my Level 2 Assessment and have passed successfully (well, I still have a little paperwork to hand in, but it's all but completed).
So I'm now qualified to lead skills coaching sessions for up to 20 people!
On Saturdays I've been up at Llandegla helping out with John Harland's Go-Ride sessions, so will continue to take sessions here, as well as at Chester as part of Chester Road Club's Go-Ride sessions with Paul Evans.
Big thanks to Paul and Chester Road Club for sponsoring my training!
A 25 year-old cyclist from Scotland pedalled into the record books on Friday after completing a round-the-world cycle trip in just 195 days.
Knocked off 3 times, but suffering only 7 punctures during the 18,400 mile trip, Mark Beaumont, who is originally from Bridge of Cally in Perthshire, praised the marvel of technology that is his bike.
Generally I try to avoid profanity on the site as I think it lowers the tone, but with the title of this story I had to struggle to get past my own censorship rules just to include some. Click the link below to see why:
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced this week that the city will be implementing a $1 billion cycling plan, including a bicycle rental scheme similar to that already in place in Paris, in which Londoners will be able to hire 6,000 bikes from racks placed every 300 meters.
London plans to cut the city’s carbon emissions 60% by 2025, and Livingstone said in a statement that 20% of these cuts the city plans to make in transport could come from changing the way Londoners travel.
It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Sheldon Brown, one of cycling's greatest characters, its most famous mechanic and an inspiration to me over the past years.
His pages on the web have been a constant source of great information, as well as some most excellent humour.
I'll miss you Sheldon, as I'm sure will many more cycling enthusiasts the world over.
Well, here we are in the depths of the winter, there's snow on the road, flooding everywhere and the wind is like the ferocious breath of some icy devil. It's not exactly great cycling weather then.
But, according to the Department for Transport's latest
report on attitudes towards climate change and transport, our attitudes to transport and climate change are becoming more enlightened, so perhaps this year we'll see more cyclists braving the cold.
Then again, after reading the report, perhaps we won't. Perhaps we'll just hear people talking about getting on their bikes, but never actually doing it.
One of the most telling paragraphs from the report is this one:
Three-quarters of adults said that they themselves were likely to undertake
some form of activity to reduce car journeys due to concerns about climate
change, most often cutting down on non-essential journeys. However, only
around 5% of car users said that they had reduced their car use in the
preceding year due to environmental concerns.
All mouth and no lycra-leggings then.
I'm just hoping that this year will prove more conducive to cycling for more car drivers. Perhaps the wind will be fairer, the rain less damp, and the motorised traffic more stationary.
I love my bike(s) as much as any other cyclist. At least that's what I thought. To prove me wrong, here's a tale of a man who loved his bike just a little bit too much......
A man caught trying to have sex with his bicycle has been sentenced to three years on probation.
Robert Stewart, 51, admitted a sexually aggravated breach of the peace by conducting himself in a disorderly manner and simulating sex.
Sheriff Colin Miller also placed Stewart on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
Mr Stewart was caught in the act with his bicycle by cleaners in his bedroom at the Aberley House Hostel in Ayr.
Gail Davidson, prosecuting, told Ayr Sheriff Court: "They knocked on the door several times and there was no reply.
"They used a master key to unlock the door and they then observed the accused wearing only a white t-shirt, naked from the waist down.
"The accused was holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex."
Both cleaners, who were "extremely shocked", told the hostel manager who called police.
Sheriff Colin Miller told Stewart: "In almost four decades in the law I thought I had come across every perversion known to mankind, but this is a new one on me. I have never heard of a 'cycle-sexualist'."
Stewart had denied the offence, claiming it was caused by a misunderstanding after he had too much to drink.
As part of the International Day of Climate Protest during the UN climate talks in Bali, Indonesia, join the bike ride from Lincoln’s Inn Fields to Parliament Square. Our arrival there will be the signal for the main march to set out for the US embassy. Time is running out, yet George Bush is still undermining attempts for co-ordinated international action.
There were 600 cyclists on the last climate bike ride. Let’s double that to say to the government that global warming really is the issue of greatest concern facing us today.
10am: Assemble south side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields to ride via the Department for Transport (to call for curbs in aviation and petrol use, and greater support for cycling and public transport); and via a Biofuelwatch protest (calling on the government to introduce safeguards against importing unsustainably sourced bioenergy, eg palm oil grown at the cost of deforestation).
1pm: Arrive at Parliament Square to join the National Climate March from Millbank to the US embassy in Grosvenor Square
Please bring whistles and decorate your bikes to let
the public know why we are riding.
As if to prove that our roads are dangerous, hundreds of police officers in Greater Manchester have been banned from patrolling on their bicycles on health and safety grounds.
The move follows the death of a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) who was on duty when his bicycle was hit by a lorry in Hindley Green, Wigan.
Christopher Maclure, 21, suffered head injuries and died at the scene.
All officers with less than a year's experience on a bike have now been stopped while a review is carried out.
Greater Manchester Police said officers with more than a year's experience could continue to use mountain bikes, but they would be given extra safety advice.
A spokesman said: "This decision has been taken following the tragic death of PCSO Chris Maclure in Wigan.
"The safety of officers and staff is our first priority and, while there is no suggestion the assessment process Chris underwent had anything to do with the collision, we have decided to review the nature of assessing officers who patrol on bikes.
"Following consultation with our health and safety training unit and Unison, we feel confident that officers who have patrolled on bikes for more than 12 months have sufficient experience and road awareness to continue to ride.
"They will be given supplementary advice regarding the Highway Code and safe riding and we will support anybody who has concerns about continuing to patrol on their bikes.
"We hope the officers affected by this review will be back patrolling on bikes in a couple of months."
My hatred for 4x4s is pretty well known locally, and is referenced throughout the site if you're prepared to look closely enough. It's not explicit as there are a number of 4x4 drivers in North Wales (that's where we're at) who do actually need an off-road vehicle for practical purposes (farmers, mountain rescue etc) and I'm not keen to upset these good folk.
My personal opinion with regard to these vehicles is that if you're not working in inaccessible places (muddy fields, sides of mountains etc.) and you're just driving them along the road to work, or to the supermarket then you're an idiot.
Obviously though, not all people are either farmers or idiots. There is another band of 4x4 drivers who actually like to use their vehicles for off-road recreational sport (though how it can really be called a sport, when you never actually get off your ass to put any effort in, bewilders me more than a little). These are the people who are using their 'vehicles' in conditions for which they were probably designed (no-one mention the Porsche Cayenne) even though they're spewing fumes directly into the countryside.
This a republish of an earlier story for the benefit of the nice lady who asked how to get her little girl off stabilisers.....
A new kind of bicycle aims to ease the burden of learning to ride. The Shift Bike (aimed at 4-6 year olds) is essentially a 3-wheeled trike at low speed, but becomes a 2-wheeled bike as speed increases.
The bike, called SHIFT, was created by an industrial design professor and two students. Their designed topped 853 entrants from 56 countries to win the $15,000 first prize in the 9th International Bicycle Design Competition in Taiwan.
"Most children learn how to ride a bike on training wheels, but these simply keep the bike from tipping," said Scott S. Shim, an assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts. "Our bike allows children to learn how to balance themselves as they ride instead of looking back to see if their parent is still holding the bike.
Okay...so you can't actually get hold of one (I'm waiting for a reply from the designer about when these will go into production), so how else can you achieve the desired effect: a child cycling without stabilisers?
Well...there's the
Puky Bike - essentially a bicycle without pedals.
Your kid learns to balance without the hassle of pedalling. Then, once they've got the hang of it they progress to a pedal cycle. It's not much use on uphills though!
Alternatively, if you're sticking with stabilisers there are a couple of ways to progress:
Raise the stabilisers little by little - there's usually some room for adjustment where they attach to the bike. If not, then they can be persuaded with a little force. Eventually your child won't even notice when you remove them.
Take off one stabiliser, leaving a single one on - this'll increase confidence and still assure the child that they aren't going to come a cropper. They might, but you don't need to tell them that. ;o)
Whatever you do, remember - teaching a kid to ride a bike is one of the best things you'll ever do!
I finally managed to source some stickers for my frame!
This might sound like a petty triumph, and you're probably wondering why such a spurious achievement should warrant its own story.
Well, the reason is that it's now 10 months since I finished building my frame, and in the intervening period I've contacted so many printers, graphic designers, sign makers, frame painters etc. that I've lost count.
The problem? Well, I'm not really sure - I put it down to having a complicated design (I made it myself - similar to the logo at the top of the site) and a lack of knowledge about the printing process.
The
Frame Builder's Forum suggests a number of sites such as Victory Circle Grafix and SSSink but only AJ from Victory Graphics bothered to respond to my email and then only once!
In the end a local guy tried to help (made some decals which were nice but too thick) and then suggested a sign writer (the multi-talented John Les) who spent a while working on the design to produce a workable finished product.
The Manchester Velodrome reopened on 30 July after its resurfacing which, along with the development of a national BMX centre and athlete accommodation, will spark a new era for the world’s most heavily used indoor cycling track.
The £250,000 refurbishment has been financed by a partnership made up of Manchester City Council, Sport England and the British Cycling Federation.
Regional director of Sport England, Stewart Kellett, said: “I am sure the Velodrome, its community facilities and the presence of GB elite cyclists will continue to inspire the next generation of champions.”
The 13-year-old Veldrome has hosted many records, including Chris Boardman’s breaking of the world-hour record, two World Championships and several World Cups. The first major event for the new track is the Track Cycling World Championships next March.
If you've never ridden on a track before, I can highly recommend it - Why not book yourself in for a taster session? They provide the bike and a coach - all you need to bring is your helmet (though they'll provide this too if you don't have one) and you can spend an hour getting the feel for it. And best of all it's a very reasonable £9 per session!
Well...it's been a while since I posted any news from the world of the bicycle as I've been rather busy in the shed, what with sorting out new racking, another whole load of bikes to recycle and building my own spray booth (more on that later). And it's not as if there's nothing happening in the cycling world. The TDF has been and gone, Bike Week has happened, and the whole issue of the Highway Code seems to have finally been settled. Here's my take on what happened and what it means for cyclists....
The CTC's campaign about the proposed changes to the Highway Code issued in February caused a furore, and over 4000 people offered over 27,000 comments to the Department of Transport, many of these regarding the impact on cyclists. Over 40 changes were made to the proposals but two of the 2 of the rules (61 and 63) concerning cycle lanes caused further debate.
The main concern was the wording of these two rules which would effectively force cyclists to use cycle lanes where provided, irrespective of their safety or suitability. Such a law could have led to cyclists being prosecuted in the event of being knocked off their bikes, if they weren't using the provided facilities.
I wrote to my MP (Labour's Chris Ruane) to highlight the issue, and recieved an excellent response from him from The Vulnerable Road Users Group of the DoT pointing out new wording proposed for these two rules:
61. Cycle Facilities
Use cycle routes, advanced stop lines, cycle boxes and toucan crossings unless at the time it is unsafe to do so. Use of these facilities is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your journey safer.
63. Cycle Lanes
These are marked by a white line (which may be broken) along the carriageway (see Rule 140). When using a cycle lane, keep within the lane when practicable. When leaving a cycle lane check before pulling outh that it is safe to do so and signal your intention clearly to other road users. Use of these facilities is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your journey safer.
Well, it seems that the wording has now been accepted by all parties, which means that the position is now clear for cyclists: You can ride on the road if you want to. Even if there's a cycle lane provided
Britain's leading transport commentator, Christian Wolmar, raises some interesting points about the use of red lights by cyclists and the surrounding debate
in his new blog.
The Metropolitan Police have won a court battle giving them control over London's Critical Mass cycle ride.
Two Appeal Court judges overturned a High Court ruling that the event was lawful and organisers must now notify police giving a date, time and route.
Every month cyclists gather on the South Bank and ride through the city in the evening to celebrate safe cycling.
Now police will have the power to make arrests under the Public Order Act if they are not warned about the route.
The legal battle began in September 2005 when, before the start of that month's ride, police handed out a letter to participants stating the Critical Mass rides were not lawful.
Police said "organisers of public processions" were required by law to give at least six days' notice of the date, time and proposed route, as well as their names and addresses.
This resulted in one of the regular Critical Mass riders asking Lord Justice Sedley and Mr Justice Gray to rule in the High Court that the police were misinterpreting the law.
The court heard the rides had no organiser and no fixed route and ruled that, as "customarily" held events, prior notice was not required under the Act.
At Monday's appeal hearing, Lord Justice Wall, the judge who found in favour of the cyclists, said to rule that Critical Mass fell under the auspices of the Public Order Act was "potentially oppressive".
"The police, in my judgment, know what the cyclists are going to do. They are going to ride around the Greater London area," he said.
"That is a perfectly lawful activity, and if, for any reason, it ceases to be so, the police have ample powers to intervene."
London mayor Ken Livingstone's road safety ambassador Jenny Jones had earlier urged the police to allow the rallies to go ahead as planned, the judge said.
However, Lord Justice Leveson said cyclists came together at a fixed point, but the lead riders chose the course and where the rally finished.
"A procession cannot, in my judgment, become common or customary if no route or end point is ever the same," he said.
Sir Mark Potter, the President of the High Court Family Division, also found for the police.
Jenny Jones, a Green Party member of the London Assembly, said in a statement: "This decision is bad news for everyone, as it will end up with the police wasting time arresting innocent cyclists like me, rather than arresting real criminals.
"Critical Mass is a lively, but peaceful get-together of cyclists which has been going on for over a decade without any major incidents.
"Arresting cyclists at Critical Mass will be like arresting a group of passengers for gathering at Westminster tube station during the rush hour."
The London ride is part of a worldwide phenomenon and has taken place on the last Friday of the month, every month, for the past 13 years.
England's most extensive network of mountain bike trails has been opened in North Yorkshire's 8,600-acre Dalby Forest.
The Forestry Commission and local riders' organisation SingletrAction has unveiled 34 miles of purpose-built and sustainable routes in the county's biggest wood, near Pickering.
The £405,000 scheme has been backed by £141,000 from the European Union's Objective 2 programme and has taken two years to complete.
Hopes are also high that the all-weather network could become part of the training facilities for mountain biking events at the 2012 London Olympics.
Alan Eves, forest district manager, said: "Scotland and Wales have created major off-road trails in recent years, reaping rich rewards in terms of luring visitors and stimulating the economy.
"Here in Dalby we have gone a step further and created a truly distinctive experience for riders of varying abilities."
Iran is to start manufacturing "Islamic bicycles" for women that conceals their figure, the government newspaper Iran reported on Thursday.
"This bike has a cabin which conceals half of the cyclist's body," the newspaper said. Elaheh Sofali, an architect of the project, told Iran it would encourage women's sports in the Islamic republic.
Faezeh Hashemi, a daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was instrumental in encouraging women to take to the saddle in the 1990s when she was in charge of women's participation in the Olympics.
SAWSTON charity Opportunities Without Limits has launched a new recycling and refuse project that also provides vocational training and paid work for disabled and disadvantaged people.
The launch of OWL Bikes mean that bicycles originally destined for the rubbish tip can instead be donated to the charity so that they can be restored and re-used.
They will be sold cheaply to the unemployed, people low on income and higher education students. The general public can also buy them and it is hoped that the project will become self-sufficient in three years.
Gill Riley, OWL's manager, said: "With the ever-increasing difficulty in getting donations from charitable foundations and funding for training from governmental sources it has become essential for us to adopt a more commercial attitude in the type of projects we plan for our clients."
Anyone who wants to donate or buy a bike, or would like to join the project as an employee, trainee or volunteer should contact the project manager Mick Ayres on 01223 839580.
Contrary to my earlier story indicating that Daniel Cadden's legal victory in a Telford court could help prevent a re-wording of the
Highway Code, and despite a major campaign by the
CTC, the Government has now submitted its final version of the new Highway Code to Parliament without fully taking the CTC's concerns into account.
The wording of Rule 61 now tells cyclists to use cycle facilities “wherever possible”. Rule 63 still tells cyclists to "keep within the [cycle] lane wherever possible".
What this means is that cyclists are likely to be held liable if they get knocked off their bikes whilst cycling on the road, if a cycle lane exists and they're not on it.
Quite how this will affect cycling clubs, time trials and the like I'm not sure, but it's a generally frightening prospect.
It'll also help to encourage the feeling amongst drivers that cyclists don't belong on the road - something I witnessed a couple of weeks ago when the driver of a Landrover gestured angrily at me as I wasn't on the ridiculous cycle lane that meanders through the local business park.
So. What can you as a cyclist do about it?
Well, you can write to your MP, urging him/her to oppose the draft Highway Code, and to urge his/her party colleagues in the Lords also to oppose it.
You can make the following points:
Rule 61 says cyclists should use cycle facilities "wherever possible", and Rule 63 tells them to "keep within the [cycle] lane wherever possible".
In many situations this advice is dangerous. Cycle facilities can sometimes be very helpful in encouraging more people to cycle, but some (on-road) cycle lanes and (off-road) cycle tracks are so poorly designed that it is safer not to use them. The advice in the Stationery Office publication Cyclecraft urges cyclists to position themselves where they can see and be seen, and to avoid being overtaken when it this is unsafe. It specifically advises that there are some situations where cycle lanes and other cycle facilities should be avoided. Correct road positioning for cyclists depends on the traffic conditions - and even the best designed cycle facility does not move around depending on the traffic conditions!
The Government's recently published Manual for Streets states that "...cyclists using cycle tracks are particularly vulnerable when the cross the mouths of side roads and that, overall, these routes can be more hazardous to cyclists than the on-road equivalent" (para 6.2.4).
Pressure to use off-road cycle tracks would also undermine the safety of pedestrians, particularly those with sensory or movement disabilities.
Rules 61 and 63 could see damage claims for very serious injuries thwarted or substantially reduced if they court decided that the cyclist shared some blame for not using the cycle facility.
They would also significantly increase the likelihood of cyclists facing aggression and physical assaults from drivers who believe they should be "out of the way" using a nearby cycle facility.
They would create dilemmas for professionals involved in promoting cycling. Local authority cycle officers wanting to provide cycle facilities for young or less confident cyclists could find themselves undermining more confident cyclists. Moreover, the Cyclecraft guidelines form the basis for the Government-backed National Standard for cycle training. Accredited cycle instructors would therefore find themselves teaching cyclists to behave contrary to the Highway Code, and could face liabilities if one of their pupils suffered adversely in law as a result.
I've just spent the weekend mountain biking with a few mates in what can only be described as 'Mountain Bike Heaven'.
We headed down (well they headed up) to the Dyfi Valley in mid-Wales and stayed at Top Minllyn in Dinas Mawddwy - an ultra-bike-friendly self-catering cottage that sleeps six, has the coolest of bike sheds (with a wood burning stove, a sofa and a dartboard) and lies right in the heart of the Dyfi Valley close to a whole stack of trails (from Coed-y-Brenin's Tarw trail, MBR trail, and 'The Beast' to Machynlleth's Mach 1, 2, and 3, and the Cli-Machs trail at Corris, as well as miles and miles of forest track and bridleway)
On day 1 we rode the quarries above Top Minllyn itself. Loads of steep slate descents and loose shaley piles to play on.
On day 2 we rode through the Dyfi Forest to the Cli-Machs trail. An epic ride on firetracks with some classic handbuilt singletrack thrown in.
On day 3 we tackled the MBR trail at Coed-y-Brenin - lots more purpose built trail with a mix of technical and smooth flowing trail.
On day 4 we smoothed things out on the Mach 2 trail out of Machynlleth - proper old skool cross-country MTBing, this one.
I finally got around to digging out my ride diary for one of the best rides I've ever done: North to South Wales off-road!
The journey from Conwy to the Worm's Head on the Gower Peninsula was a spectacular ride, with some amazing scenery, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Last week I went to the local tip to get rid of some old, mangled up frames. Just before I was about to throw them into the container I peered in and glimpsed a 531 sticker on a red frame languishing therein.
A quick borrow of the attendant's hook and I'd rescued a perfectly good frame and forks. (I've checked it all over, and apart from a very slight dent on the seat-tube and a little paint chipping around the bottom bracket, it's near perfect).
So, today I decided to build it up.
I started with the new wheels I'd just bought for my first fixie. These aren't particularly light, but they're flip-flop fixed/free and are particularly cheap, retailing at about £95.
A new pair of Continentals (in blue - also for the first fixie) rounded them off, and I had a frame that could stand upright. The brakes were still attached when I found it - bonus! - so all that was needed was a drive train.
I ripped the bottom bracket (67mm) from the first fixie and stripped down and old Suntour XC Pro chainset I've had lying around for years. By removing the small and middle rings, and refitting the large ring where the middle ring was I managed to get the correct chainline - and a nice light crankset to boot. Okay, so it's 175mm long, but beggars can't be choosers, and it'll give me a little more oomph on the hills. My first fixie had a 70.9" gear so I could probably afford to increase this slightly, given the extra 5 mm on the crank length.
Firking around in the shed also produced 2 sprockets and a locknut. A 14 tooth and an 18. Combined with the 46 toothed chainring from the Suntour chainset the 14 gives a gear of 88.7", the 18 gives 69" - one a little too high, the other a little low, so I've ordered a 17 tooth to give 73.5. I'll put the 18 on the free side so that I can have an easy (well, easier) ride home if my legs blow on a long ride.
So...here it is....Fixie No.2....and a close-up of that gorgeous old XC Pro chainset.
Click on the picture for a better look.
So. My first fixie took just over a year to build. This one took an hour. I suspect it'll be even more fun to ride. Only time will tell. Fortunately, this time I appear to have saved some specifically for this purpose.
In the light of the recent hysteria about road pricing and the general misinformation that was propagated by the pro-car lobby, I thought I'd take a look at the Government's petition website and see if they had any more sensible/worthwhile petitions for me to sign.
A Telford cyclist’s legal victory could help prevent a proposed re-wording of Britain’s Highway Code.
A controversial new draft version of the code would have forced cyclists to get off the roads and onto cycle paths where those are provided.
But leaders of Britain’s largest cycling organisation say the success of Daniel Cadden in overturning his conviction for inconsiderate cycling could now puncture the proposed changes.
A coalition of outdoor organisations, including CTC – the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation, is calling on the Government plans to improve public access to England’s 1,990 miles of coastline.
At present the Government plans to improve access for walkers, but CTC wants coastal access for all countryside users including cyclists.
Richard George, CTC Off-road campaigner: said: “Cycling around England’s coast should be a pleasure, but only 60 miles of coastal bridleway is open to cyclists – and half go underwater at high tide. Open access to the coast will be great news for everyone who would like to enjoy the countryside, but it’s vital that cyclists are not forgotten.”
The coalition of Britain’s leading outdoor organisations is calling on the Government to introduce a permanent, multi-user right of access around England’s entire coastline. It will recommend that within the zone, a code of practice would define the new access and set out rights and responsibilities. Access would be regulated to protect wildlife, and legitimate privacy issues and to take account of coastal developments.
The nights are drawing out and I've just discovered an online repository of
Mint Sauce cartoons.
For those of you that haven't heard of Mint - he's a sheep that loves to ride mountain bikes. He's being doing so for as long as I have and that's a long time. Probably too long.
Mint Sauce is a comic strip drawn by legendary MTB artist Jo Burt, and has been published in MBUK every month since the early days of MTBing in this country.
To get a true understanding of the sport of MTBing, take a look at some of the trends that have shaped it's progression, and for a good laugh, I heartily recommend spending a few hours grazing through some of the comics.
But don't just take my word for it - so good is the illustration that when I met Dave Yates recently, he showed me a picture he'd commissioned from Jo for his wife as an anniversary present (Love Squadron in full force!)
Now, when one of the best framebuilders in the country rates these comics then you know they're good!
I was browsing through the world of bikes on the Internet and came across a blog discussing British custom built bikes, which seemed to infer that frame building was something we used to be good at.
It occurred to me that this impression might be reinforced by the difficulty in finding current frame builders here in the UK, so I've put together a short list of the builders I'm aware of.
Obviously we couldn't have one of these here in the UK - The Health and Safety Rapid Response Squad would be all over it in seconds!
I suppose that on the upside we'll be a lot fitter here.....or we'll just get off and walk. Well, I won't but I imagine that's how other people get up hills..... ;o)
