A new bridge and it's NOT for cars!

This weekend and next weekend a rare - and consequently exciting - event is taking place. A new bridge is being installed. But it's not for motorised vehicles. It isn't even connecting a road. It is a bridge connecting a bridleway by Kingston in Kent that was cut in two when the Canterbury bypass was built some twenty odd years ago. So it's a bridge for walkers and riders of horses and bikes.

It's quite a pretty bride too.

To install the bridge the Highways Agency will be shutting the A2 from 8pm on Saturday evening until 6am on Sunday morning this weekend and next.

There's more detailed information here - http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/24211.aspx

If it's not going to be officially opened, I think we should all get together and do a grand ribbon cutting event ourselves! Do you think the Queen will come?

New Track Bike In The Snow

My new track bike arrived in the post last night. The box was open and the bike built within minutes, not that I was excited at all!

It's cheap and simple, as these things should be - steel frame, 700c wheels, brakes, chain, freewheel and fixed gear.

This morning we awoke to snow. Lots of snow. Was I really going to take my new bike out in the snow? Absolutely! It was brilliant slicing the skinny wheels through 4 inches of virgin snow. Eventually got it out on to clear, if a but slushy, roads and it rides really smoothly and it's nippy. Great new year treat!

A lesson kneeded

Well this bad blogger now has a bad knee. Right leg very painful yesterday and my physio tells me I've damaged a meniscus (?) in my right knee.

How have I done this damage?

By not looking after my pedal clips. They're too tight and I haven't oiled them recently, so their a bit stiff to get in and out of and so the extra twisting motion has damaged my knee.

Fortunately I'm on the mend already with hot and cold presses and daily ultrasound treatments.

So, when I regularly service my bike I'm now going to include the clips!

Bad Blogger's back and in a bad mood

Probably like many of you, I subscribe to a forum. This one is specifically for cycling instructors.

I subscribe in the hope that forum contributors will share their experiences and nuggets of wisdom and best practice.

I am clearly way too naive.

The forum seems to be populated by extremists, bigots and self-satisfied prigs barking at the moon.

If these contributors are truly representative of the cycling instructor community I am gravely concerned for the future of cycling.

Bad Blogger

I'm sorry.

It's very poor form to start a blog, do some entries and then stop. I'm a Bad Blogger and I am sorry. In my defence, it has been a very busy summer, with a Summer School for Kids in Willesborough, some community days in Stanhope, private lessons and three Age Concern Summer CTC Cycling Clubs exclusively for the over 50s. Autumn looks set to be as busy with bookings all the way through to November.

The Age Concern CTC Summer Cycling Clubs project has been very special. We did all the recruitment work which included talking to the press, radio interview, emails, listings and posters. We had a great response and we got people coming along with very different levels of cycling from the very experienced through to complete beginners. Most people though were returning to cycling, some of whom had not been on a bicycle since childhood. It has been so rewarding to work with these cyclists, getting them back on their bikes and riding with confidence. Here's a video of the club in Maidstone.

There's lots happening over the next few weeks and I will endeavour to be a Good Blogger!

Telegraph promotes cycling

As Bike Week gets underway here in the UK, The Daily Telegraph, one of the most popular broadsheet newspapers, is promoting cycling.

Whilst I'm not aligned with the paper's political views, at least they are doing something positive to help get more people cycling. They kicked off their campaign yesterday with a wonderfully positive article about cycling including this paean to cycling from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”

Dave Smith's Road Positioning Advice

Had a great day cycling from Canterbury to Reculver and back providing mobile Dr Bike and First Aid support to the ride in aid of the Christchurch University St Gregory Development Project. I noticed that on the few occasions when we were on the road, most of the cyclists positioned themselves firmly against the far left side of the lane right up against the curb. Years of cycling proficiency has resulted in many experienced cyclists thinking this is a safe position. 

When we got back to Canterbury I popped into Waterstones to buy a book and have tea and cake. Whilst sipping my tea I noticed a book on the display shelves by Dave Smith called Cycling for Fitness. Flicking through it I found a section on safe road cycling which kicked off with a quote from the Highway Code along the lines of "always cycle as far left as possible". I've checked my new copy of the Code and thankfully it does not give the same advice. 

Dave Smith's book was originally published in 2001, which was a while ago, but Cyclecraft was first published by TSO in 1997. 

Dave Smith then goes on to advise cyclists to position themselves on the left of Giveway lines at T Junctions to turn left and on the right of Giveway lines to turn right. Now in my book, that's downright dangerous and if this book is popular a new edition should be published correcting this dreadful advice. 

Just to clarify this, when you are approaching a T junction on a minor road, you should take control of the lane, that means moving to the centre of your lane, then when you get to the Giveway lines you should be in the middle of the Giveway lines whether you are turning left or right. To do this safely and effectively you should be looking all around you throughout the manoeuvre and signalling if there is a driver there to tell. If it is a wide lane or junction then you should move slightly to the left or right of the middle of the Giveway lines depending on which direction you intend to go.

Given Dave Smith's credentials as an Olympic sports coach I'm sure the rest of the book is spot on.