London Cycling Diary

Unexpected sights -- or the strange things cyclists do while riding their bikes

When you cycle you sometimes see odd or unexpected sights.

It might be completely contrary to the health benefits of cycling, but I often see cyclists trundling along with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths!  I once saw a cyclist smoking a pipe! (Admittedly, he was an older chap.)

I often see a female cyclist "walking" her two greyhounds through Hyde Park. She cycles while holding their leads, and the dogs trot in front of her, almost like horses pulling a cart.

I once saw a cyclist with a full set of golf clubs strapped to his back. How he managed to negotiate traffic with such a dead weight on him I do not know.

But on Monday morning I saw something especially strange: a cyclist inching her way along the road while slowly eating stonefruit. Basically, she had the fruit in a supermarket bag hanging off the handlebars. She'd dive her hand in, extract a piece of fruit (I think they may have been yellow plums), eat it, then put the stone in her wicker basket. I guess she'd run out of time to have her breakfast before she left the house!

What's the strangest thing you've ever seen a cyclist do?

Today's ride stats -- Total distance: 12.39 miles | Ride time: 1hr, 12min and 52sec | Average speed: 10.84mph | Top speed: 19.4mph

Freewheeling in New York City

New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham's slide show reveals what Park Avenue looks like when the street is taken over by bikes and other non-motorised wheeled traffic. Having gone on a bike tour of Manhattan myself last year, this looks like a lot of fun!

How dangerous is cycling?

The number of people visiting this blog seems to be on the increase, despite the fact I haven't updated it for quite some time and I haven't cycled to work for more than a month (owing to a chest infection and then a temporary move out of home while half my flat is refurbished). I'm hoping to be back on the bike in a week's time when I finally get to move back home and take my bike out of storage.

In the meantime, if you're a new visitor -- and there seems to be plenty of you judging by my site stats these past few weeks -- do feel free to introduce yourself in the comments. I'm always happy to hear from new readers, especially if you're a newbie cyclist or considering taking it up.

Finally, there was a great article in the June 27 edition of The Independent about the state of cycling in the UK. This bit piqued by interest:

So how dangerous is cycling?

Statistically becoming much less so as more people take to two wheels. Strength in numbers is a principal that cycling enshrines. In 2007 the number of cyclists killed or injured on London's roads was 19 per cent down on 1994 – when the number of journeys by bike was half what it is today. The signs are that motorists are adjusting their behaviour in response to the increase in cycling activity around them, and cyclists are learning the art of survival.

Deaths while cycling always attract publicity, but remain extremely rare when put in the context of the millions of cycle journeys made each year. There were 19 cyclists killed on London's roads in 2006, 15 last year. Most cyclist deaths occur when vehicles – particularly lorries – turn left without the driver realising that there is a cyclist on their inside, with a disproportionate number of women cyclists falling victim. Publicity campaigns have targeted the danger and the fact that the London fatality figure is dropping suggests that the message is getting through.

As cycle campaigners regularly point out, the benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks, and now, it seems, the Government is joining the chorus.

You can read the full article here. [Thanks to Tlatet for the heads up.]

Rant of the century

One particular Bristol resident doesn't think much of cyclists. In a letter to the Bristol Evening Post, he writes:

And make no mistake, cyclists are criminals.

Let me remind you, it's still illegal to cycle on pavements, run red lights, ride the wrong way down a one way street, whizz through pedestrian crossings (when pedestrians are actually crossing them) and hop from road to pavement with reckless abandon and the attention span of an amoeba.

And yet they're not treated as criminals - rather, they're elevated as warriors fighting against an irresponsible and polluted world, two-wheeled titans of a healthy and eco-conscious crusade and martyrs of an ethical and planet- saving battle that will one day have us all reading The Guardian and recycling our potato peelings.

Rubbish. They're law-breaking lunatics masking their own inconsiderate egos under the pretence of doing something right-on and commendable.

You can read the full rant letter here. The comments (164 when I visited the site) are definitely worth a look.

[Via the CTC newsletter]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions

I started off this week with a new goal in mind: to cycle at least four times a week for the rest of the year. I was also going to try my hardest to cycle every single week day in June.

Alas, these plans have already fallen by the wayside. Didn't take long, did it?

Turns out I have another chest infection -- and there's also the possibility that I have asthma. My doctor has prescribed some antibiotics and an inhaler. I'm to go back in 8 weeks for a proper asthma test, as he's not sure whether it's simply linked to the infection or whether it's a separate, ongoing problem I need to deal with.

Whatever the case, I'm feeling bummed by it all. But I'm determined to get back on the bike early next week. I must, however, invest in a face mask. Anyone got any tips for the best brand to try?

A problem with my back

After eight months or more of intermittent flank pain, I went to the doctor who advised me to stop riding the bike for a month to see if that might alleviate it, because he suspects it might be muscular. Alas, I stop riding and the pain gets worse. After almost a week of constant niggling pain, I decided to ride the bike this morning because maybe the exercise would help. And you know what? It did. There was no pain while riding and, furthermore, I sat comfortably in my office chair all day and did not feel the usual discomfort. I've arrived home and can only just feel a dull ache, but nowhere near as bad as it has been over the past 10 or so days. I will see how I feel tomorrow and make my own judgement call as to whether riding the bike is the cause of my backache or my salvation.

Total distance: 12.16 miles | Ride time: 1hr, 11min and 46sec | Average speed: 10.79mph | Top speed: 19.8mph

April Fool's Day

I love this spoof story.

General Motors buys Specialized.

Service

I got my bike serviced at Evans Cycles today. I know I could have probably done the job myself -- or convinced my Other Half to do it for me -- but I simply don't have the time (or inclination) to get my hands dirty. Sheesh, I can't even find the energy to do the housework these days.

Riding home on a freshly cleaned and oiled and properly aligned bike felt terrific. I practically glided all the way and felt so confident I took the outside lane down Kensington High Street, passing motorised traffic limping along in the lane on my left. Suckers, I thought!

Hopefully, an easy-to-ride stead coupled with daylight savings (which kicks off this weekend) may just encourage me to ride more than I have been doing these past 10 or so months. Let's face it, I could do with the exercise.

Please note: no ride statistics today, because I forgot to reset my bike computer.

Look out for cyclists

Martin Uttley from the advertising agency Engine Group sent me the above video today. It's part of a new Transport for London campaign designed to test people's visual awareness on the road. It makes a vital point about "change blindness" in quite a clever way.

I "did the test", so to speak, and I'm afraid I failed dismally -- and I normally regard myself as a very observant person!

How did you do?

A visit to the British Cycling Museum

It was too damn stormy to cycle to work this morning, so instead of regaling you with tales of my normal Monday commute, let me tell you about my recent visit to the British Cycling Museum.

The museum is in north Cornwall -- one mile north of Camelford on the B3266 Boscastle Road, to be precise. It's basically an old railway station that's been covered over and converted into one rather large building. From the outside it doesn't look like much...

But step inside and it's like a magical Aladdin's Cave!