An Earlier Broadsheet Ode to the Joy of Cycling

We have The Times' marvellous campaign at the moment - Cities Fit For Cycling. Sadly the campaign is built on tragedy, but this single trigger event is blooming positive change.

Going through my files I re-discovered this joie de vivre piece of prose to cycling written by Tarquin Cooper (a serious adventurer currently relocated to the Austrian mountains - http://tarquincooper.wordpress.com ) that appeared in The Daily Telegraph almost two years ago.

I hope neither will object to me sharing this joyous piece with you.

It is the prescription for happiness, the panacea for illness, the solution to global warming and the greatest invention of all time. Listen to any cycling buff and you can be forgiven for thinking you have stumbled upon the secret elixir of life, like a character from The Da Vinci Code.

Of course you would be right, for the humble bicycle is not only the finest and most enjoyable means of transport on the planet, it has the power, literally, to revolutionise your life. Forget the financial and health benefits, it has the ability to liberate the soul.

 "When the spirits are low," wrote Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "just mount a bicycle and take a spin without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."

Its devotees range from Zen Buddhists to George W Bush. Iris Murdoch called it the most "civilised conveyance known to man" while celebrities from Brad Pitt to Boris Johnson attest to its enduring appeal.

Learning to ride is also a cherished landmark in childhood. Pushing my son down a hill recently, I witnessed that life-changing transition from ungainly wobble to freewheeling flight and recalled my own father's hand on my back some 25 years earlier doing exactly the same. I don't know who was more proud when the cry came back, "I did it, dad!"

Forget football. Cycling should be our national sport. It brought us success in the Beijing Olympics and gave us sporting heroes we can look up to. As the credit crunch bites, more and more of us are rediscovering the simple joys of cycling, whether to burn off the calories or to provide an excuse to consume them.

With National Bike Week under way and the National Cycle Network now clocking more than a million journeys a day, there really is no better time to join the cycling revolution. Remember, it was while cycling that Albert Einstein came up with the theory of relativity.

What will it do for you?

There are many reasons to explain cycling’s new-found popularity; fitness, fashion, affordability and our increasing eco awareness all play their part. But riding a bike is just one of those fundamentally enjoyable life experiences and one that can be shared by everyone from the smallest toddler to the most bandy-legged veteran.

So why not get on your bike and discover the buzz of the chain gang?

And here is joy:

Just What the Doctor ordered

The days are shorter and the temperature cooler and may be there’s a bit more rain about than there was in August (just). But don’t be tempted to moth ball your bike until Spring as it could be the one thing that keeps you well this Winter.

Scientists at Appalachian State University have discovered that regular exercise, such as cycling, can help prevent you from catching a cold. And if you do catch one, if you regularly exercise then the symptoms are unlikely to be so severe.

Therefore, Dr Bike’s prescription this winter is:

• Look after your bike and your bike will look after you, wash it regularly, ensure the tyres are nice and hard, brakes are nice and sharp and there’s a little lubrication on your chain and gears
• Wrap up warm in cold weather with a cap under your helmet and a good winter collar around your neck
• Wear waterproof jackets and trousers
• Pull on a good pair of waterproof gloves and shoes

And get out there and ride! It will not only be fun but healthy too!

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.

Danger! Road Ahead!

I was talking to a very experienced cyclist the other day who said "the roads are dangerous". This struck me as quite alarming. Roads are busy. Some drivers do behave badly. However, good cycling dramatically reduces most dangers. There are a number of things cyclists should be doing:

• Cycling a sensible distance away from the curb (as previously posted)
• Taking control of the lane at critical points such as approaching junctions and road narrowings
• Being aware of everything around you, especially looking behind and getting the attention of the following driver
• Planning early and telling other road users what you're about to do
• Cycling at a sensible speed - not too fast and not too slow
• Ensuring your bicycle is in good nick

This isn't rocket science but few cyclists I see out and about are doing these things. Because bikes are affordable and easy to use, we just get on them and ride. Then we whinge about other road users and complain that roads aren't safe and this leads to pressure to create cycling facilities many of which are really dangerous for cyclists. (more on that later!)

The new initiative from CTC, Safety In Numbers is a great idea. The order of the actions seems to be wrong:

1. Encourage safer driving
   
2. Improve the road environment and make it more welcoming for cyclists
   
3. Fund schemes that promote cycling positively and improve confidence
   

Let's concentrate on improving cyclists' skills first not last! The infrastructure's already in place to do this. There are qualified instructors throughout the UK. We have the National Standards and Bikeability. At the same time, let's crackdown on rubbish cycling! (this includes the boy racers who insist on cycling everywhere at break neck speed whatever the situation)  

The roads are not dangerous if we know how to cycle on them properly. So, get more people on their bikes by giving them the training that will make them more confident and safer.

Cycling Tip - Road Position

As well as ranting, this blog is about sharing some of CyclingAge's knowledge. 

I know that people are often put off cycling when they hear of tragic accidents. The two deaths in London last week are very sad. Eight people die on our roads everyday - thankfully very few cyclists are killed or injured in road accidents. However, bicycles are the smallest and lightest vehicles on our roads so we must do everything we can to stay safe. 

One of the most important ways of staying safe is to cycle in the right road position. When there is other traffic on the road, cyclists should be cycling a good step (as in footstep) away from the curb. This is known as the secondary position. This means we are not cycling over drain covers or in the debris that collects at the side of the road. It also means we can react to hazards from the pavement too. But most importantly of all, it means we can be seen by other road users and we have a better field of vision. Cycling a step away from the curb also makes other faster road users give us more space as they overtake us. 

On quieter roads and at times when it would be unsafe for vehicles to overtake us, such as on narrow roads or at road narrowings at things like traffic islands, cyclists should cycle in the middle of the lane. This is the primary position.