London Cyclist Magazine April-May 2007

www.lcc.org.uk April/May 2007 £2/free to members

Making the most of London’s canals

■ NEWS ■ ZOE WILLIAMS ■ LETTERS ■ FITTING PANNIERS ■

Rites of passage

Upgrade your wheels

Maintenance workshops

Discounts for members

PLUS!

Tour de FranceHow to get involved


Health kickWhy cycling’s good for you


Money matters

Money matters

Riding for charity

BBC London’s Robert Elms

My bike & I

Ken Worpole The wonderful world of maps

BBC London’s Robert Elms

My bike & I

Ken Worpole The wonderful world of maps

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Contents

Features14 Waterways come alive Barry Mason explores London's

historic canal system

16 The Tour de FranceJoin an LCC ride to the greatest bicycle show on Earth

18 Riding for charityWe look at the boom in cyclists taking part in fundraising events

Regulars4 News

Four pages dedicated to news related to riding in the capital

7 Letters plus Zoe Williams

13 OpinionLynn Sloman argues that we need to make cycling 'normal'

LONDON CYCLIST April/May 2007 3

london Cyclist

30 LCC members’ pageMaking the most of your membership with bike shop discounts and other perks

32 Local group newsWhat’s happening in your bit of town

36 Diary Events and rides for all cyclists

40 Books ’n’ thingsBooks, films and exhibitions

41 Backpedalling with Ken Worpole

43 My WayMuswell Hill to the Ritz

44 Outward BoundMaking tracks to Flanders

49 DispatchesOn the road in Cape Town

50 My Bike & IBBC London's Robert Elms

Technical20 Bike stands

Tom Bogdanowicz looks at the different parking options available on our streets

22 Fitting panniers Let your bike take the load

24 Your health Why cycling's good for you

25 WorkshopsMaintenance courses across the capital

Product reviews26 Upgrading your bike? We've got the newest wheels on

London's streets

28 Put a little colour in your pannier

One for the girls

29 Energy bars Are they really any good?

Editor Lynette Eyb Product reviews Erin Gill, Mel Allwood Design Anita Razak Marketing Sophie Cutter Advertising Mongoose Media, Dan Rich Tel: 020 7306 0300 ext 116 Fax: 020 7306 0301 [email protected] ■ London Cyclist welcomes voluntary contributions, including photographs. All workis accepted in good faith. Content may be edited and reproduced online – see www.lcc.org.uk/londoncyclist You can contact LC at 2 Newhams Row, London, SE1 3UZ. T: 020 7234 9310 [email protected] All views expressed in London Cyclist are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the editors, nor do they necessarily reflect LCC policy. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the editors. London Cyclist is printed by Wyndeham Grange on paper made from 100% de-inked post consumer waste.See page 30 for more on the London Cycling Campaign.

On the cover: Cycling London's

canals, courtesy of Mike Wells

(see page 14)

April/May 2007As I crossed Chelsea Bridge on the day the congestion charge zone expanded, I was struck by how quiet the streets were. Aside from a bit of extra bus activity (and many of the buses were full), the streets were relatively traffic-free. Except for the cyclists. At junctions or traffic lights where

I would normally pull up alongside a few people, I was a lined up next to half a dozen. In green boxes usually home to half a dozen of us, there was a dozen. It's too early for official stats, but on February 19 (the first day of the new set-up), LCC's website was inundated with hits from people wanting information on cycling in London – further evidence that LCC is increasingly the first port of call for anyone looking to take to two wheels.

But it isn't just on the streets and online that cycling is reaching new highs: in the mainstream daily press – often criticised by campaigners for being too pro-car – cycling is winning friends and column inches (see page 4). As I write this on a rainy Saturday afternoon, The Guardian's 100-page cycling supplement and The Independent's focus on cycling kit both sit by my side. This sort of high-profile coverage is a huge victory in the campaign for the general acceptance of cycling by the average Londoner. Imagine a day when cycling was perceived as a 'normal' everyday activity, something Lynn Sloman (page 13) argues needs to happen before London finally makes it into Europe's elite league of cycle-friendly cities. Lynette Eyb

Issue 104

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WIN!a supply of smoothies

WIN!A selection of cereal bars

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For more than a thousand years, travel in London was easiest by water. London’s canals provided that network and became the life-blood of industrialisation. More recently, they fell into disuse and disrepair. That was until a few years ago. As Barry Mason’s fascinating article in this issue (page 14) explains, London’s canal towpaths are experiencing a revival of interest and investment, bringing back to life what were once the arteries of London’s economic success. And thanks to the determined work of LCC’s Parks and Canals Working Group, cyclists are a driving force behind this renaissance. London’s waterways are attracting new generations of users, with both cyclists and walkers finding the towpaths offer elegant and efficient commuting and leisure routes.

It is crucial to ensure considerate shared use of this network, which is why LCC is contributing to discussions about improvements, signage and a code of conduct to ensure that everyone can make the most of what our majestic canals have to offer.

But it’s not just along our canals that cycling continues to boom. The much-repeated Mayoral target of an 80% increase in cycling by 2010 is now way out of date – that target was exceeded back in 2005. So it’s good to hear the Mayor has adopted a new and more ambitious target of a 400% increase by 2025 (from 2000 levels). What that means is 1.5 million cycle journeys a day compared to today’s 450,000 – still behind Amsterdam (28% of journeys) and Berlin (12%), but a step in the right direction. If the Mayor wants to realise his ambition of making London the greenest capital in the world (as stated in his recent climate change action plan), he needs to back his new cycling target with a high priority and well-funded programme, matching his commitment to the London Bus Priority Network. The first steps have already been taken: Transport for London is investing upwards of £24 million a year in cycling; LCC volunteers have invested thousands of hours of time in rides, workshops and route consultations; and Londoners have voted with their feet, taking to the two wheels in their thousands. What we need now is a determined push from all London authorities to deliver a truly world class cycling city.

For more news, go to www.lcc.org.uk

Director’s columnSimon Brammer

4 April/May 2007 LONDON CYCLIST

Camden Cycling Campaign (CCC) has won a grant from the Cycle London Promotion Partnership to run a pilot ‘bike-bus’ project in the Hampstead area.

With North Hampstead having the highest concentration of primary schools in the country, CCC is set to take positive action to help reduce school run traffic in the area. The bike-bus will see children and parents cycle to school together on a predetermined route and pick up ‘passengers’ along the way. The concept provides safety in numbers: a group of 10-15 parents and children cycling together is highly visible, while at the same time providing children with safe on-road cycling experience.

Hampstead Parochial school will pilot the first CCC bike bus. School keeper Bob Spellar has promoted cycling at this school for several years, with a number

of parents already riding to school with their children.

CCC are now in the process of collecting responses to a letter sent to all parents to identify those interested in joining the scheme; this process will also identify the first route. Parents and children will then be trained to cycle together safely.

The grant is sufficient for the pilot scheme only, with the principal goal being to set up one successful bike-bus and have it operating throughout the 2007 summer term. CCC may enlist the help of the Camden borough cycle training team and the local police community cycle officer to continue the scheme with a view to expanding it.

CCC is keen to share its experiences from this project with other groups interesting in setting up similar schemes. Jean Dollimore and Stefano Casalotti

All aboard the bike busCamden pilots new scheme in Hampstead

Jail for causing deathA Norwich man who killed top UK cyclist Zak Carr when his car ran into the back of Carr’s bike has been jailed for five years for causing death by dangerous driving. Donald Pearce is thought to have fallen asleep at the wheel near Wymondham in October 2005. CTC campaigns and policy manager, Roger Geffen, said the sentence was only a fraction of the one available to the courts.

Survey for womenClare Johnson, a Hackney resident, is doing some research to find out whetherwomen cyclists are satisfied with the choice of cycling equipment and clothingthat’s currently available. The research is an individual effort and not on behalf of any company or organisation. Responses are anonymous and can be offered at www.geocities.com/womencyclingsurvey

Commuter feedbackSouth Bank University student Bern Toomey is researching cycle commuting. He has a 10-question survey available for cyclists to complete by April 16. Email [email protected] for a copy of the survey.

Cycling in the media spotlightCycling is the ideal alternative to paying the congestion charge. That’s the view of the Times and the Evening Standard, which both featured cycling on February 21, two days after the congestion charge was extended westwards.

The leader article in the Times argued that road proceeds should be invested in cycling. “It may seem paradoxical that an intermediate technology is now the future,” it said. “But it would be churlish not to encourage cycling as the cheap, green answer to ... contemporary troubles.”

The article suggested people who endure the grinding “stop-and-start” experience of driving in London would save time and money by cycling. It described cycling as an “elegant and intelligent response to pollution and traffic congestion”, and finished “may those who cycle be blessed with clean consciences, stronger arteries and safer journeys”.

The online version of the article generated comments such as “I wouldn’t commute by any other means than my bike” and “Great to see some encouragement for cycling”.

The Evening Standard ran a double page centre spread on cycling, entitled “Revolution on wheels: First tube fares went up, now the C-Charge zone has doubled, making 2007 the perfect year to start cycling”.

Columnist Will Self described cycling as “a joy in the city”. Self calculated that he saves “at least £500 a year cycling”.

And then there’s the sheer convenience: “I always – I repeat always – know how long a journey is going to take me, even one I haven’t done before”, not to mention the freedom: “No longer yoked to capricious transport timetables, or the vagaries of the traffic, you’re at liberty to come and go as you please. Once you’ve grown accustomed to negotiating the traffic, you can actually look around you at the city.”

The article featured extensive information supplied by LCC on bikes and bike shops, security, rides, routes and more.

These articles were followed by a week-long focus on cycling in The Guardian and a feature in one of The Independent’s weekend magazines.

NewsLCC NEWS

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Cadden case victoryA cyclist who was fined for ‘unreasonable riding’ after police stopped him for cycling on the road in Telford, Shropshire, has had his conviction overturned on appeal at the Shrewsbury Crown Court. Police had fined Daniel Cadden, 25, £100, claiming cars were having to cross double lines to overtake him. However a judge in January overruled the original conviction, saying Mr Cadden had every right to be on the road.

Corbyn top MP rider February saw the release of details of Westminster MPs’ expense accounts. A small number of MPs claimed the 20p-per-mile for cycling, with Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour MP for Islington North topping bill with £230 (or 1,150 miles).CTC reported that despite his high-profile bicycle rides, Conservative leader DavidCameron was not among the 10 MPs who claimed expenses for cycling. Other cycling MPs included Labour MP for Wakefield, Mary Creagh (£230) and Conservative MP for North East Hampshire, James Arbuthnot (£176).

Borough initiative Eleven London local authorities have signed up to the CTC’s Regional Benchmarking Initiative which will see borough representatives and cycle campaigners visit other boroughs to evaluate local cycling initiatives.

The participating London boroughs are Hackney, Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Ealing, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Sutton, and Tower Hamlets.

Cycle Show movesThe Cycle Show, the largest bicycle exhibition in the UK, will move from ExCel in the Docklands to the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre this year in an effort to broaden its appeal. The show will run October 11-14.

LONDON CYCLIST April/May 2007 5For more news, go to www.lcc.org.uk

News

The call is made to help save the Eastway legacyin brief

Send items for the news pages to [email protected]

or write to the address on page 3

LCC has welcomed Mayor Ken Livingstone’s budget proposal to spend an additional £40 million on cycling over the next three years.

“I welcome the increase in funding for both cycling and walking initiatives in London in this year’s budget agreement but must stress it is not just about funding,” said LCC director Simon Brammer. “We now want to see that increase in investment turned into measures which result in further and sustainable increases in walking and cycling.

“The Mayor has rightly prioritised climate change, but this is not an issue we can tackle overnight.

“This announcement is a great start, but with further significant increases in investment over the next 20 years, we should be aiming for 20% of journeys to be made by bike. That really would be a substantial contribution to tackling climate change.”

The 2007/08 budget promisees to deliver an extra £47 million to help make London a green city “at the forefront of climate change”, said the Mayor.

It will see an additional £4.6 million spent on the promotion of walking, and £5.5 million more spent to encourage other forms of sustainable transport.

“It is no accident that London is leading the way on climate change issues,” said Mr Livingstone. “London is the only region in the country where the Greens are an active partner and [this] package will

help us maintain that leading position.” He said tackling climate change was “the number

one priority” for his administration.Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones also

welcomed the budget. “This agreement will help London lead the way on climate change, traffic reduction and green energy,” she said.

“These new proposals build on the work we have already carried out on safer roads, cleaner air and better food.”

The Mayor renewed his commitment to complete all but 50km of the LCN+ by the end of 2009/10, with the remaining stretches finished by the end of 2010. There would be a continuation of funding levels for cycle parking in schools; cycle parking at all rail, tube and DLR stations would be tackled via £600,000 four-year action plans; and green and off-road cycle routes would receive a £1.5 million boost.

An additional £1 million was earmarked for cycle training in 2007/08, bringing that budget for 2007/08 to £2.8 million. From 2007/08, cycle training would be provided for every primary school that requested it, said the Mayor. He said TfL would meet or exceed targets to train half Year 5 and 6 school children to level 2 of the national standards by 2009. Refresher courses will also be available for secondary school children, he said.

In an astonishing turnaround, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced plans to shrink the successor to the legendary Eastway Cycle Circuit in East London from 34 hectares to 10.

New proposals leave no provision for off-road sport and a 1.6km ‘U’-shaped road circuit tight against the arterial A12.

Campaigners are furious that earlier promises have been broken. A massive, detailed planning application of 10,000 pages for the whole Olympic area was submitted to the ODA to the surprise of Eastway users, who were not consulted on the design

of the circuit proposals.“London 2012’s bid promised

a legacy for the Olympic sports of mountain bike, time-trial and road racing events,” said Michael Humphreys, chair of the Eastway Users’ Group (EUG). “The IOC and users agreed the

34-hectare site would be a world-class replacement. London gave protected land and the money to build. Let’s remind London 2012 of its promise to cycling.”

The LCC and the EUG have submitted objections to the planning applications.

Mayor’s £40m bike pledgeCycling and walking on track for 2007/08 boost

Left: The ceremonial burning of the Olympic fl ag at the old Eastway cycle circuit. Campaigners are concerned the promised ‘Olympic legacy’ may not come to fruitionFar left: Bulldozers move in to level the pavilion at Eastway earlier this year

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AN LCC CAMPAIGN

AN LCC CAMPAIGN

HOW TO GET INVOLVEDThere is a template letter at

www.lcc.org.uk/campaigns which members can use to write to 2012 chairman Lord Coe and Secretary

of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, urging them to reconsider this decision. Members

without web access should call LCC (see page 30 for contact details).


Capital womenGreen London Assembly member Jenny Jones headed a group of cyclists on March 3 urging women to get on their bikes. Ms Jones set out from Brixton with other cyclists, including LCC members, to highlight the importance of cycling for women. They were en route to Capitalwoman 2007, an event celebrating women. LCC promoted cycling at the event with an information stall and a free maintenance workshop. See www.lcc.org.uk/news for more.

Movers on the webWandsworth Cycling Campaign (WCC) has launched a website to showcase its recent Movers & Shakers project aimed at getting community leaders cycling. WCC is keen to hear from and help other groups interested in running similar schemes in their area. See www.movers-shakers.btik.com or email [email protected]

Hackney on the mapThe Hackney Environment Forum has launched a Big Green Map of the borough. Hackney Cyclists and local bike shops are listed on the map. Barking & Dagenham, Lewisham and Haringey also have maps as part of a London 21 Sustainability Network (www.london21.org) initiative aimed at highlighting environmentally and ethically sound facilities.

Report a potholeThe CTC’s www.fillthathole.org.uk allows cyclists to mark the location of defects online, with information passed to local authorities which then have a duty to repair the road fault. To report potholes in the London area, visit www.lcc.org.uk for extensive links and contact details.

Stands for Islington Islington Council will set up a £3m Climate Change Fund for energy efficiency measures and green transport projects. It will also install a 500 new bike stands during 2007/08.

in brief

Two LCC members and cycle stalwarts were awarded MBEs in the Queen’s New Year honours list. In this two-part series, we profile both men, starting with Tom Lynch

It’s an impressive resumé: former British and European BMX champion, creator of London Ambulance Service’s pioneering Cycle Response Unit (CRU), MBE recipient. Tom Lynch, took his first bike ride on a Raleigh Chipper, aged seven and he says he “has never got off since”. At 11 he was a BMXer, with racing taking him all over the world and on to the winner’s podium in all major championships.

“Cycling has always been special to me as it has been a great form of transport, giving me great freedom to explore,” he says. “I used it for competition and it has kept me in good health. Cycling makes sense even more so now as we should be concerned about the costs to the environment.”

The “ambulance idea” – the Cycle Response Unit – was trialled in the summer of 2000 in the West End, and by 2002 its first team of riders was working in central London with spectacular success. The subsequent establishment under Tom’s supervision of a unit at Heathrow was the first of its kind at a European airport, with other aiports following suit.

The idea has been copied from Manchester to Weymouth, with Tom coaching each city’s

cycling life savers. As a trained instructor for the International Police Mountain Bike Association, he was well placed to develop the protocols and guidelines that underpin these nationwide units.Tom’s fame has spread. He is now answering calls for his advice and training across Western Europe.

“It is indeed an honour to receive [the MBE] as my BMX and ambulance careers have been very enjoyable, and have provided great success.

Thanks to him, the UK leads in Public Safety Cycling, (PSC), and with his sights on even more positive change, Tom hopes for raised awareness of cycling’s health and environmental benefits, and a more cohesive relationship between road users.The launch of a PSC website in mid April will raise a standard for all Tom’s many public service oriented ambitions. Gary FahySee the June/July issue of London Cyclist for our profile of Derek Roberts MBE.

News

For more news go to www.lcc.org.uk LONDON CYCLIST April/May 2007 7

‘Cycling gives me freedom’Tom Lynch rewarded for his commitment to cycling

Tom Lynch on the road

LCC pushes for HGV mirrors

LCC is urging members to help lobby for laws requiring HGV lorries to be fitted with mirrors to give drivers a better view of cyclists and pedestrians.

An EU directive passed in 2003 means new trucks over 3.5 tonnes must have effective mirrors, but more than five million older trucks in the EU still pose a risk to road users.

Each year, 400 people lose their lives because they were not seen by lorries. In London, more than half cyclist fatalities involve lorries, mostly turning left at junctions.

Another EU directive has now been proposed to require

all trucks to be fitted with the mirrors, regardless of age. LCC is urging members to write to MEPs to support the proposal.

The Minister of State in the Ireland’s Department of Transport, Ivor Callely, says the adjustment to HGVs cost as little as a tank of diesel.

The British government commissioned the original research which illustrated the benefits of additional mirrors, with Holland, Belgium and Denmark subsequently acting on the recommendations; the UK has not taken action since the report was released in 1999.

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LCC NEWS

How you can celebrate the bike in JuneOrganisation is well under way for Bike Week, set to run June 16-24, and again incorporating Bike2Work and schools events.

Last year 1,717 events were registered across the UK; more than 220 of these taking place in Greater London, with the capital’s biggest event the London to Brighton ride (see page 18 for our charity feature).

Local groups are encouraged to register all rides and events at www.bikeweek.org.uk. Free advice is available by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0845 612 0661. Advice is also available from LCC (see page 30 for contact details).

See the June/July issue of LC for coverage of what’s happening in your borough; the LCC’s website will also carry news on Bike Week activities. See www.lcc.org.uk.

LCC is lobbying for all lorries to be fitted with mirrors.

AN LCC CAMPAIGN

HOW TO GET INVOLVEDThere is a template letter at

www.lcc.org.uk/campaigns which members can use to write to their

MEP. Members without internet access should call the LCC office (see page 30 for contact details).


Sustainable LondonJune 3-17 will be London Sustainability Weeks. Hundreds of events will take place covering everything from sustainable transport to wildlife protection. See www.lovelondon.org for details or call 020 8968 4601. Organisers are keen to hear from groups interested in organising local events.

Met joins Ride2WorkEvans Cycles have signed a contract to provide a salary-sacrifice bike-buying service to the Metropolitan Police. Under the agreement, Met workers are entitled to tax breaks and up to 50% off the price of new bikes via Evans’ Ride2Work programme, developed as a result of the government’s Cycle To Work initiative. For details on Cycle To Work, see www.lcc.org.uk.

Awards nominees The boroughs of Lambeth and Kingston, along with the City of London, have been named finalists in the cycling category of the London Transport Awards 2007, to be announced on April 25.

Success for baiting Police will look at using bait bike technology to break up gangs of bike thieves in London following a successful operation in Tower Hamlets that resulted in six convictions. Bike baiting involves decoy bikes being fitted with trackers. The bike baiting in Tower Hamlets, coupled with a crime prevention advice campaign, saw a 17.4% fall in bike thefts.

'I love my bike day'Pupils at Ambler Primary School participated in an ‘I love my bike day’ in February. The school, one of four in Islington taking part in Sustrans’ Bike It project, received bike bells and stickers, thanks to money raised recently by pop band the Scissor Sisters. The band supported Bike It at a recent gig after hearing of its success in encouraging children to cycle to school.

After 80 years beguiling generations with die-cast delights, the Wilton Cycle and Wireless Company of Tachbrook Street, Pimlico – a pristine example of ’50s retailing – has closed its doors for the last time.

Until February 3, you entered the store to the smell of tyre- rubber and a children’s corner of rainbow-coloured bikes, and stacks of delicately balanced Airfix and Revell kits – everything from pocket battleships to Lancasters and Harriers.

In 1895, the founder, Charles Halsall began work as a cycle repairer at the age of 14, living above his premises at 8 Hindon Street in Victoria, subsequently moving to 110 Wilton Road, and ‘Wilton Cycles’ was born.

By 1910 they were exhibiting

at the Motor Cycle and Cycle Car Exhibition in Olympia. Trade flourished, with three tourers exhibited alongside Morris Motors at the 1919 Motor Show.

But prices ranged from £395 to £425 (Cowleys were half the price), with the company

ignoring the cost advantages of mass production. Wilton Cars Ltd ceased production in 1924, but the Wilton Cycle and Motor Company on Wilton Road, Pimlico, was a separate enterprise, and went on to enjoy the boom in radio crystal sets.

Robert Head, the third generation custodian of the business was forced to close its doors after struggling to justify its costs. Trade, he says, had fallen away over the last two years in line with the decline in small, family-run businesses.

The Wilton bike shop started life at the turn of the 19th century, and all was as it had always been as the 20th century dawned. Now, in 2007, that brave little flicker has finally been extinguished. Gary Fahy

News

For more news go to www.lcc.org.uk LONDON CYCLIST April/May 2007 9

Historic bike shop closesEnd of the road for family-run Wilton Cycles

Whilst not eating up the miles as he once did, John Powell – believed to be LCC’s oldest member – still rides at the age of 94. John began his two-wheeled adventures aged five, cutting his teeth on a second-hand tricycle. He modestly tells of his racing ambitions in his late teens, breaking evens in some 25-mile time trials but modestly says he was “just an average clubman”.

John has toured extensively through Europe, and cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats to celebrate his 80th birthday to raise money for a local hospice. Among his other adventures, he recalls his tour of the Blue Mountains in Australia, citing the scenery and weather as highlights.

He attributes his long and healthy life to “steady and consistent exercise” (see page 24 for the health benefits of cycling).

John says the advances in lightweight technology have made cycling more pleasurable, but while the precision-made components work much better and are beautifully crafted than ever, he says they lack the longevity of their old, steel counterparts. The other most obvious change has been to

traffic. John has lived in Woodford Green for 40 years and recalls how he would see a car once every 30 minutes on the Chigfield Lane. He could ride for miles enjoying “beautiful scenery” without interruption. Now there is a constant hiss of traffic rushing past. None the less, he does not feel driver standards have fallen, saying accidents have increased through the sheer volume of motorised traffic.

Pulling no punches, he feels disappointed in the behaviour of cyclists who ignore the Highway Code, particularly those who jump traffic lights and ride unlit at night. “If the public are to be on the side of cyclists as road users, we must be seen as law-abiding citizens,” he says. Michael Stenning

in brief

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LCC NEWS

The Community Cycling Fund for London (formerly CLPP) is now open to all community groups in London. Groups can apply for up to £5,000 for projects such as cycle training, school events, bicycle provision, organised bike rides and maintenance courses. See LC Feb/Mar for examples of projects funded last year.

There are three big cycling events in London this year – Bike Week (see page 7), and the Tour de France and London Freewheel mass bike rides (see page 16). All events will have entertainment for children and community groups. If you want to work with your community on preparatory rides, cycle training or bike repairs ahead of these events, the Community Cycling Fund could help with financing.

To apply or to discuss ideas, see www.lcc.org.uk or contact Sarah Slater, LCC’s community cycling officer, ([email protected] or 020 7234 9310 ext 212).

The Community Cycling Fund for London is now delivered directly through LCC.

Community funds on offer for projects

LCC NEWS

John’s wheels keep on turning


>


Letters Have your sayYour new-look LCCongratulations on the new-look LC. It looks really impressive and is a massive improvement. It makes the organisation appear more professional. Great Stuff!Graham Freer, via email

Brilliant. Love it. And a great fi rst edition cover!Dr A Sinha, Stop Climate Chaos

Congratulations on the new look – you have made a good read better. My one complaint is that Zoe Williams’ section has shrunk. Her column is a hit in my household – can we have more please?!

I was also interested to read about Blackfriars Bridge. I feel that it’s a case of ‘one step forward, another back’. The cycle lane over Waterloo Bridge has been made far less safe. Ric Hill, NW1Ed: LCC has highlighted the problems at Waterloo on its website (see www.lcc.org.uk). LCC members recently met London Assembly member Jenny Jones and a Lambeth Council representative to review the problems.

When LC arrives, I’m usually in a hurry to get off to work and just have time to look at the pictures as I scoff my muesli. First thing I look for is Elsie. When the new-look LC plopped in and I struggled to come to terms with the unfamiliar design, I searched for some continuity with the old LC. Pages became muesli bespattered as I choked with indignation: she wasn’t there.

Are other readers missing Elsie? Josie Dew perhaps, who as a new mum – congratulations! – could learn a lot from Elsie about bringing up mini-cyclists? Please reassure me that Elsie is taking time out with her twins and will be back soon.Richard Evans, via emailEd: Sorry Richard, the Elsie era has drawn to a close. Many thanks to Hugh Morgan, who created Elsie

and kept her cycling for 12 years. Thanks also to all the readers who have sent in feedback following our relaunch. The response has been fantastic.

A big thanksI recently suffered a broken bracket on my pannier while a dozen miles from home. I would like thank the stranger who gave me two new bungees to strap the bag onto my bike as a ‘get-me-home’ solution. It’s really encouraging when cycling in London to get help like this.Roger Orr, SE14

Greater expectations“Does society expect too much of cyclists and not enough of motorists?” (Greater Expectations, LC Feb/Mar).

The cost of motoring has gone down, while the cost of public transport has rocketed. There is no systematic testing of motorists for drink-driving. It is possible to kill another road user and receive only a driving ban and a fi ne. Motorists’ organisations campaign against the enforcement of speed limits and have wide support in the press.

There is no sign that if all cyclists were paragons of virtue, drivers would change their ways. Cyclists are seen as cheapskates and a nuisance. Offi cial rhetoric of promoting cycling is contrary to the actual practice.Peter Salter, SE16

My heart dropped to see a fantastic new-look LC spoiled by an article endangering my wellbeing as a cyclist. While Tom Bogdanowicz makes some valid points in his piece, the overriding effect is to strengthen the sense that cyclists are at war with motorists. In fact, my experience as a cyclist is one of considerate motorists giving me a wide berth. What’s more, when out walking, I have frequently been

given no consideration by cyclists.

Where are the articles on responsible cycling? Obeying the law, not running red lights (you need to get off the fence on this) and not cycling on pavements should be encouraged. We cyclists are far from perfect. LC

must stop ignoring this.Matt Collins, N19

Tom Bogdanowicz is mistaken if he thinks that David Cameron riding a bike convinced the public that he was trying to save the planet or simply enjoying cycling. Surely I am not the only one to view it as a PR exercise. David Cameron FLEW to Norway to inspect the ice caps when aviation accounts for over 10% of the UK’s CO2 emissions. J Singer, E5

Cycling and the environmentWhy is LC reviewing environmental books? Do you imagine that we all agree with the views expressed in the fi rst two books reviewed in the Feb/Mar issue? Are you going to give equal prominence to books debunking the global warming hoax or supporting nuclear power? I think not!

No book from either side of the debate has any place in a cycling magazine. This magazine is about cycling, not about pushing left-wing agendas. Many leftists assume everyone shares their views, and they are astonished when right-wing governments get elected or when people are sceptical of environmentalists’ claims. I suggest these reviews were printed because the editors fell into that same trap. Jeremy Benjamin, CR2

Report pothole problemsThe advice by Mark Bowman re potholes is useful (LC Feb/Mar). By following this procedure (and with help from an LCC-suggested

Books ’n’ things

34 February/March 2007 LONDON CYCLIST

Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer, Helen Caldicott (The New Press)

Global Warming: The Last Chance For Change,Paul Brown (Guardian Books)This is a very rational and informative account of the threat to our planet and the inevitable social, economic and environmental consequences of global warming. The most compelling chapter, ‘Mad, Bad or Greedy’, explores the refusal of developed (and developing) nations to adopt sustainable technologies, largely due to the small but powerful scientific community paid by conglomerates to create a smoke screen to dismiss any suggestion of climate change.The book maintains a real sense of pragmatism and hope in spite of the gloom, drawing upon the experiences of Denmark and Sweden who have invested heavily in sustainable technologies. The photography throughout is breathtaking; a Russian soldier dragging on a cigarette as oil fields

burn and a young child stood against the backdrop of a burning oilfield are of the most poignant. Imagery shot from space highlights the erosion of the polar ice caps and encroaching sea levels. The author argues no magic trick will solve our energy crisis – individuals have to force governments and industries to buy into new technologies. It is happening, but the revolution needs to gather momentum – and fast.This is the most balanced account of the subject I have read and, at a whisker under £20, it is excellent value for money, particularly given the quality of photography. Michael Stenning

Having grown up in the shadow of Bradwell, Britain’s first nuclear power station (the reactors were welded by my late grandfather in the 1960s), I approached this book with interest. Caldicott presents a powerful argument against nuclear power, asking whetther nuclear energy will ever be a safe and cost effective energy solution. She delivers a rational commentary, citing that

nuclear energy demands great reserves, as well as substantial government

funding. The book argues that we are sitting on a nuclear time bomb with

elderly reactors ceasing to operate safely yet being too dangerous (or costly)

to decommission. More alarming is the claim that we all carry radioactivity

within our reproductive organs which will affect the health of future generations.Caldicott says we must address our culture of energy consumption and

use sustainable transport to minimise emissions, thus reducing demand for

energy. She puts the onus on consumers to drive demand for energy efficient

appliances, dual fuel cars (and, yes, bicycles), and to conserve energy by

turning lights and appliances off when not in use. This is a fascinating, if chilling, book with a refreshingly balanced approach

that argues that a change of mindset can lead to a more sustainable way of

life. MS

After a few chapters of this book, I felt as though I’d ridden the length of Oxford Street at rush hour. The book weaves through myriad Tour facts and figures, colourful anecdotes and provides a detailed commentary of the last nine races, including the 2006 race which resulted in Floyd Landis surrendering the winner’s position after testing positive to drugs. The level of detail is sometimes bewildering, but Fife’s passion for the sport of cycling, and this race in particular, is admirable. Andrew Barnett

Tour de France: The History, The Legend, The Riders, Graeme Fife (Mainstream Publishing)

“But don’t you ever get days when you think ‘Oh to hell with it!’ When you just want to pack up and go home?”“Not really. I have shitty days like today when I can’t go any further, and when every mile is an endurance test. But I’ve never for a moment thought of actually packing up; it’s just something I’ve set myself to do.”“Yes, but you’ve already gone a hell of a long way. It’s not as though you have only managed to get down the road.” I thought about this later and questioned myself. It was true, I had had so many days which were a struggle, in fact most of my days were extremely strenuous. There was always something to test my physical or mental endurance; wind, bad roads, painful bum, hills, mountains, and later on, the awful heat. I did not doubt my mental stamina, it was my physical limitations which were usually the cause of my difficulties. I wondered if someone of much great physical strength and stamina would have found it significantly easier than I did.Yet it was not simply that I was female and lacking muscle and lung capacity. After all, Dervla Murphy and Bettina Selby seemed to float through their one-hundred-plus miles per day with no trouble, and some super-human cyclists supposedly achieve two hundred, I could only balk at the thought of that. The most I ever did was ninety, and that was an exceptional day. So why then did I never give a thought to packing the whole thing up? Why, even on days when I was almost reduced to tears, did I not entertain the idea of stopping?It was hard to know why not. Part of it. of course, was that I was determined to finish what I had stated; to paraphrase Bill Bryson ‘Cycling is what I did’. Partly it was because I had loved North America so much – every day had been a revelation, every day had revealed another of its gems.But I think it was also due to what I can only call the ‘completeness’ of my journey. It was not merely a bike ride, it was whole, rounded thing.

South Of The Border (Mexico to Costa Rica), Gwen Maka, £7.99. Gwen’s first book was Riding with Ghosts(Seattle to Mexico). Both books are from Eye Books, www.travellerseye.com

Fine linesExtract from South Of The Border

Reviews

London: A Life In Maps is on at the British Library until March 4. See London as you’ve never seen it before as the city’s history comes to life through an incredible collection of maps, letters, and other ephemera from the library’s vast and varied collections. See www.bl.uk or call 7412 7332 for more details and opening times.

Don’t miss

FebMarBooks34-5RL.indd 34FebMarBooks34-5RL.indd 34

LONDON CYCLIST February/March 2007 35

Book ’n’ things

What happens when cycling and art are combined with the need to stay in touch with family and friends? The result is a range of greeting cards by American triathlete Stacy Keese. Often using nothing more than a chain for inspiration, Skeese has created a card for every occasion. There is everything from candles and cakes to a guitar for the bicycle-riding musician in your life. The cards are available online at www.skeese.com, as well as in selected bike shops and card outlets. If you want your local shop

to stock them, ask the store to email [email protected] as Stacy is looking for UK distributors.

Ella Doran Travel Journal, £16, from John Lewis This travel journal with a photographic print of a Chinese bicycle on the cover has blank pages inside and is divided into six sections to accommodate pockets for cuttings or postcards. It is one of a range of journals and storage boxes the East London-based designer has designed for John Lewis. Find out more about her at www.elladoran.co.uk.

New World Disorder 7 - Flying High Again (FreerideEntertainment) (58 min)Free riding is a branch of mountain biking that grew from BMX and involves high speed jumps and tricks in a variety of environments. The film features stars from the free ride world, camerawork is slick, and the locations are breathtaking (footage was shot in places as diverse as Utah and Turkey). Awe-inspiring as the rider’s skills and the cinematography may be, the film

becomes tiresome and predictable, a shame because the opening minutes

suggest a return to the engaging outlaw persona of mountain biking in the

’70s and ’80s. That said, there are some very amusing scenes. I expect to

hear the sound of broken frames and blown fork seals in streets and parks

around the capital soon. Michael StenningA Year Of Adventures;132: Seize The Days(Lonely Planet)The two Lonely Planet books reviewed here offer a departure from what we’ve come to expect from the ‘traveller’s Bible’, but they are very much in tune with the publisher’s move into more design-led content. A Year Of Adventures offers suggestions for what to do around the world each and every day of the year. From a cycling perspective, it takes in everything from the expected (the Tour de France) to the isolated (the Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu), however it also has

suggestions closer to home (biking in Gwydyr Forest Park in Wales). 132: Seize The Days is along similar inspirational lines. This is a smart and well-designed gem that provides ideas rather than practical knowhow. The premise is simple: the average Brit has 132 weekend days, holidays and bank holidays each year, and this guide aims to encourage us to make the most of them. The listings are a mixed bag (‘river bugging’, anyone?), but cycling rates several mentions, including extreme cycling, the Hadrian’s Cycleway and volunteering on a Sustrans route. Lynette Eyb

Since I last backpedalled my way into these pages I have experienced a surprise with a rear dropout: a mini cyclist has dropped out of my rear dropout area.It was all quite unexpected. For one thing I thought I was familiar with my bottom bracket region,

and for another, in my late teenage years a doctor told me I would never produce offspring (too much time spent sitting on bikes – or some such silliness).

But I returned home from a year away (nine months cycling around New Zealand plus far too many months spent lost at sea on a Russian rustbucket), was reunited with the builder (very nice) and got pregnant. Body then went into hormone overload: up until this point, the only hormones I was familiar with were endorphins – happy hormones. These are the ones that surge into action at such enjoyable moments as slaloming among London buses a second before the bone-crunching gap closes, or riding full throttle off Waterloo Bridge into the IMAX roundabout and surviving that suicidal drain cover pothole and the onslaught of kamikaze vehicles and those inconveniently positioned traffi c lights that turn red just as you’re swooping around the corner towards Waterloo station. Unfortunately, three months into my fattening status all the horribleness of a miscarriage struck. The hospital said it was just one of those unpleasant tricks of nature and hadn’t occurred because of anything I had done – like too much cycling. The fact that my body was used to cycling meant it was fi ne to continue cycling while pregnant as long as I felt like it – without going overboard – they said. But I couldn’t stop blaming myself. I felt I shouldn’t have cycled so far, or so fast as I had every day.I decided it was no good moping or looking back so I got on with writing books about bobbing about in a Russian tub and my cycling misadventures around New Zealand during the country’s worst weather on record. During this creative interlude I discovered I was pregnant again. This time I continued cycling but in a far less lung-bursting manner – at least I did for the fi rst 12 weeks while the mini cyclist within was establishing itself and developing the means for strong strapping thighs. As the summer months rolled by I kept riding every day but went further and further, albeit in a more measured manner, as weaving a narrow path between lines of traffi c or falling 40mph down a steep winding hill takes on a different dimension when you’ve got a belly full of arms or legs. Following one such hilly ride I arrived home, felt a bit odd and a few hours later Molly was born.NEW ADDITIONS TO THE JOSIE DEW BOOK FAMILYLong Cloud Ride – a 6,000-mile cycle journey around New Zealand (hardback) and the paperback version of Saddledat Sea – a 15,000 mile journey to New Zealand by Russian freighter, are published on 1 March by Little, Brown.

Skeese greeting cards (www.skeese.com)

BackpedallingJosie Dew

Great gift ideas

DVD

Gar

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FebMarBooks34-5RL.indd 35

17/1/07 22:17:18

repair of the road) may defend any claim by showing

it has taken “such care as in all the circumstances

was reasonably required to secure that part of the

highway...was not dangerous for traffic.”

In practice, this means an authority needs to

prove it instituted and observed a reasonable

system of inspection and repair. In assessing the

reasonableness of such a system the courts will

have regard for a number of factors. These include:

the nature of the road and the traffic reasonably

expected to use it; the standard of maintenance

appropriate for such a road; the state of repair an

ordinary person would expect it to be in; and whether

the authority knew or could be expected to know,

the road was likely to cause a danger to users.

This is a wide-ranging defence and, as a result,

claims resulting from potholes are notoriously tricky.

It is not simply a case of claiming the pothole existed,

was two inches deep and there is a valid claim.

How the authority may respond

Unlike road traffic collisions involving another

vehicle, liability is therefore very rarely admitted as

a matter of course. Instead, an authority, via its

insurers, will typically respond to notification of a

claim by stating it had a system of inspection in

place, that it was reasonable, and that no matter

how big the pothole was, it will not meet the claim.

In certain situations the authority may have a

valid defence along these lines and there will be little

prospect of succeeding with a claim. It is advisable

to seek legal advice to assess whether the authority

has satisfied the statutory defence. If it has

there is little point in continuing litigation

because, if the matter proceeds to

court, you are likely to be forced

to pay the authority’s legal costs

while recovering no damages – a

potentially costly outcome.

A solicitor will look at the

factors to be taken into account

by the court in assessing

the authority’s system of

inspection. S/he will advise

whether the factors are likely

to weigh in your favour or that

of the authority and therefore

whether it makes financial

sense to pursue litigation.

Remember – not every crash will

result in a successful claim.


Technical

If you crash because of a pothole or other defect

in the road surface there are things that you

should do.

Reporting a crash

1. Note the exact location. Be as precise as you can

by ensuring you have the road name and the number

of the building it happened outside and by making

reference to landmarks, eg ‘opposite Post Office’.

2. Immediately take photos of the cause of the crash

and the surrounding area. Measure the size and depth

of the pothole. If you don’t have a ruler, use an item

such as a credit card to show the rough size. If you do

not have a camera on you, return to the scene of the

accident as soon as you can to take photos.

3. Look for signs warning about the pothole or

markings on the road (for example white chalk marks

or red or yellow paint around the pothole) signifying

that the local authority or other responsible body is

aware of the existence of the pothole. Take photos of

any markings.

4. Take down the details (name, address and

phone number) of anyone who saw it happen.

5. Note any damage done to your bike, your

clothing/helmet/possessions and yourself. See

a doctor if you are in pain. Be aware that medical

symptoms do not always present themselves

immediately, so you should seek specialist advice

even if you do not feel you have hurt yourself.

6. Contact a solicitor who specialises in crashes

involving potholes. Whatever you do, do not

report the crash to the authority until the

above steps (especially step 2) have been

taken. Once you report the crash to the

responsible body it will understandably be

keen to repair the pothole and eliminate

any evidence you might have.

Bringing a claim

Being involved in a crash involving a

pothole does not guarantee you can

successfully pursue a claim for personal

injury. As a matter of policy, the courts

have decided it would be unreasonable

for local authorities to be responsible and

therefore have to insure against every accident

that occurs as a result of a pothole.

The relevant law is in Section 58(1) of the

Highways Act 1980. This states that the authority

(or other body responsible for maintenance and

About the author

Mark Bowman (above left) specialises in cycle

collision claims. For free initial advice contact

7861 4043 or [email protected]

What to do if

you hit a pothole

Many crashes are caused by the condition of the road surface. Solicitor and

LCC member Mark Bowman advises on what to do if this happens to you

If you are involved

in a crash get in

touch with the

LCC as soon as

you can. Members

are entitled to

free, expert legal

advice.For further

information see:

www.lcc.org.uk/index.

asp?PageID=391

CONTACT THE LCC

FebMarLegal featRL.indd 19

17/1/07 22:03:3017/1/07 22:03:30

Opinion

Greater expectations

When David Cameron rode a bike

to parliament, the public view of

him changed – people suddenly

had higher expectations of the

Tory leader. So much so that

there was indignation when

people discovered a car carrying

his papers followed Cameron

on his bike, and that he was

not riding because he wanted

to save the planet, but because

he enjoyed cycling. The fact

that Cameron was a cyclist led

to the expectation that his

every behaviour would be

exemplary.

The contrast between the

higher public expectation

of cyclists and the lower

expectation of other road

users couldn’t be greater.

Drive an SUV with tinted

windows and bull-bars (known

by some as child-bars) and

people will take for granted that

you will reach 60mph in 20mph

zones while watching a DVD

and talking on a mobile phone.

Jeremy Clarkson, the

BBC presenter and motoring

columnist, has made a

lucrative career out of

declaring his disdain of

anything that’s environmentally

friendly. Were a cyclist to say

they would deliberately run over

pedestrians or damage cars,

the press and public would be

outraged, yet when Clarkson said

he would crush cyclists under his

wheels if they delayed him, no-one

was even mildly surprised – he was

simply living up to expectations.

As the philosopher, Sissela

Bok argues, the danger of having

a lower expectation of anyone,

whether motorist, cyclist or

motorcyclist is that they tend to

live up (or rather down) to that

lower expectation. One classic

example was during student

unrest in the ’60s when the

French police, of whom no-one

expected decent behaviour, beat

students indiscriminately with

batons, whereas the British bobby,

of whom more was expected,

behaved with greater restraint.

Expecting little of motorists, as with

the French police,

can become

a self fulfi lling

prophesy: 60%

of motorists exceed

speed limits and many

use mobile phones

while driving. Many

offenders don’t think

they are doing anything

wrong and the public is

beginning to accept that such

behaviour is normal. Even the

fact that 15% of road casualties

in London are by hit-and-run

drivers draws little attention.

In Britain, we even have a word,

accident, that implies that in road

crashes no-one is to blame. In

countries like Poland or Italy, they

are – more accurately – called

incidents even though a word

equivalent to accident exists.

Drivers’ own expectations of

motoring are also shaped, and

distorted, by the constant stream

of promotions for motor vehicles.

Not only do advertisements assert

that car ownership, and use, are

steps to social approbation and

higher social status but they also

promise a vision of open roads

and high speeds. As a leading UK

psychologist observes: “People

are persuaded by advertising that

buying a car will meet with social

approval and will be liberating – and

then they are hit by taxes and face

endless congestion. It’s a recipe

for frustration and confl ict”. Rather

than take action, the Government

sits on the fence lamenting the

impacts of global warming,

reluctant to place restraints on

driving or to seriously promote

sustainable transport.

The public’s greater expectation

of cyclists may not be realistic

– after all, cyclists are little different

to the rest of the population – but

it is to be welcomed. If cyclists

are consistently more considerate

than other road users, as well

being greener, that may encourage

politicians to promote cycling as a

solution to transport problems.

A key lesson, however, is that we

must challenge lower expectations

of motorists. You hear some people

saying they treat all motorists as

homicidal maniacs. Not only is that

far from the truth, but I suspect

what these critics really mean is

that they are on the alert for poor

driving by a minority. Making that

distinction is important because to

improve behaviour you have

to raise expectations.

A turnaround in perception has

taken place with drink driving –

even Clarkson wouldn’t encourage

‘one for the road’. Mobile phone

use when driving and the fi tting of

bull-bars may, one day, also fall

into the same anti-social category.

Sadly, with the incessant promotion

of fast driving, it may take longer

to reverse the acceptance of

speeding, and the resulting

fatalities, as a norm.

LCC’s campaigns manager Tom Bogdanowicz argues that when society has

the same expectations of motorists as it does cyclists, the roads will be a better

place for everyone

HAVE YOUR SAY

Does society

expect too much

of cyclists and

not enough of

motorists? If

so, how can

the balance be

redressed?

Share your

thoughts by

emailing us at

[email protected].

uk or writing to

the address on

page 3.

Mai

n im

age

Bri

tain

OnV

iew


17/1/07 21:54:5317/1/07 21:54:53

Josie DewOn conceivingand cycling

Artist Ed Gray: My bike and I

www.lcc.org.uk February/March 2007 £2/free to members

Community grantsFrom Bayswater

to Blackheath

PotholesThe law and you

Bicycle polo

How it startedWhere to play

■ NEWS ■ OPINION ■ LETTERS ■ ASSERTIVE RIDING ADVICE ■

FebMarLC_CoverRL.indd 1FebMarLC_CoverRL.indd 1

17/1/07 22:16:17

SEBASTIANSS o l i c i t o r s

NO FEE - WIN OR LOSEYour case will be run by an experienced solicitor, Law Society Personal Injury Panel member, cycle injury

compensation specialist and committed cyclist

For your free consultation call Simon Robeson 020 7583 2105 e-mail [email protected] 92 Fleet Street London EC4Y 1PB

ACCIDENT COMPENSATION

FINAL10-11_AprLetters.indd 10FINAL10-11_AprLetters.indd 10 12/3/07 09:47:1712/3/07 09:47:17


Letters

Letters can be sent to [email protected] or to the address on page 3. Letters may be edited for legal or space reasons (please keep them short and concise)

Blackfriars Bridge feedbackYour article on Blackfriars Bridge (LC Feb/Mar) was interesting. The bridge itself is a huge improvement but I see two particular problems.

1. The north-east exit onto Queen Victoria Street is more dangerous. I now have to manoeuvre into the right-hand lane. I then opt for the inside of the outside lane even though some Farringdon Road cars cut across me. If I arrive at the traffi c lights when they are green, working across the traffi c is unsettling, especially as the cycle lane causes traffi c to veer unpredictably.

2. Moving west going southwards is also uncomfortable. I regularly have to stop on the left-hand side of the road before turning right down Stamford Street. I would prefer to go down Upper Ground but I can’t get onto the pedestrian crossing unless the lights are red.

I agree with Rik Andrew about the exits. It is a pity that so much good work was done without, apparently, looking at the entry and exit routes. Christopher Hedley, via emailEd: LCC is lobbying Transport for London (TfL) to complete its study of the north junction and to carry out sustantial improvements. LCC has also asked TfL to address the problems on the south side.

Additional pannier featuresI was surprised your Ortlieb pannier review didn’t mention the converters that enable you to walk around with your pannier on your back.

As for Zoe Williams, isn’t there a group that meets her capabilities? When I started with the local CTC group there was the Easy Riders group, the Club Riders and the Hardriders – one for everyone.

Thanks for the news of Josie Dew and well done on the new magazine – a better read!Andy Bebington, CroydonProducts reviewer Mel Allwood writes: I’ve used the Ortlieb rucksack converters, and they are very handy if you’re mixing biking with walking. Tags at the top of the converter clip into the pannier hooks, and the bottom attaches to the plastic strip at the bottom of the pannier. They pop on and off in seconds. But for around town, I’m happy to simply use the padded shoulder straps that come standard with the bags. The converters will only take a single pannier, not a pair.

I have given up cycling for a bit, in favour of exercise-biking. I am still using my bike, mind, just not for fi tness. It’s more for perambulating about, like Cate Blanchett in Notes On A

Scandal. I’m just waiting for a 15-year-old boy to fi nd my two-wheeled stead irresistible and try it on with me. Sorry, I’m digressing.

I’ve stopped knackering myself because, as it turned out, I was not fi t enough to do it in a group (no offence to the Dulwich Paragons, who made every effort to mask this glaring fact), and I lack the discipline and the navigational skills to do it on my own. I’ve turned instead to spin. I wonder how many of you remember spin fi rst hitting this country when Madonna had just married Guy Ritchie. She said it was better than sex. Am I the only person who remembers this?

I have to admit, it’s not unfun. You can listen to music – I was always really superstitious about listening to music on my bike, a) because it’s good to be able to hear cars, and b) depending on the song, I would be much more likely to scream at a driver who would then get out of the car and biff me. No such danger in a spin class. I did have a pre-spin spat with a lady over the source of problems on housing estates (it was her belief that bad things happened on them because only bad people lived there…), but when you’re keeping the kind of company that cycles in a brightly lit room and never actually arrives anywhere, you’re going to get the odd bad egg. At least I’m not getting rained on.

There are other advantages. The instructor shouts things like, “this is a mountain! Go team!” I can’t pretend it actually speeds me up, but it makes me laugh, which never happens when I’m going up a real mountain. Serious cyclists like that moment when you look up an incline and the only thing you can do is grit your glutes (as they’re known by motivational team-builders) and peddle. I like it more when the mountain is a theoretical one, and if you don’t like the turn it’s taken, you can just turn off your resistance and pretend you’re going up a mountain (close your eyes and make an ugly face – it always works!)

I think, for a temperament like mine, it’s actually good for fi tness, since the very security that I can only hypothetically get left behind makes me work harder; when I’m in the real world, I always feel as if I have to keep something back just in case I get, I don’t know, chased by a bear later.

I wouldn’t do it as long-term, though – this is only until it gets me fi t enough to rejoin a gang. Every now and then you get this grim fl ash of how long the world would last if everyone behaved like you did – needlessly generating energy on machines that need energy just to satisfy your vanity. And plus, Madonna’s right, it is fun, at its best. But that still doesn’t say an awful lot for Guy Ritchie’s, erm, technique.

Zoe Williams

solicitor), I got compensation. A new service from the CTC,

www.fi llthathole.org.uk, makes reporting potholes easier. Without this service I would have had to contact Westminster, Lambeth and Transport for London.

If you hurt yourself, check the site to see if the hazard has already been reported. If it has, you increase your chances of compensation. The more hazards we report, the more we protect ourselves and each other. Mike Cushman, SW2

What a bright ideaHow disappointing that no-one has designed lights which, when removed, interlock neatly to each other with their switches concealed to prevent them from switching on while inside a bag/pocket. S Woodgate, via email

A new bike theft threat?On February 7, my bike was stolen from Leicester Square despite the fact that I had used three locks. A community support offi cer informed me that in the previous week a person who had been arrested had a complete set of skeleton keys for most bike locks on him/her. Are none of our bikes safe, regardless of the quality of locks we use? Will we soon be unable to get insurance for our beloved bikes? Richard Jackson, SW11

After my bike was stolen, I asked the police offi cer what advice he’d give me if I wanted to go to Brick Lane to fi nd my bike. He said I could pay to buy it back or I could call the police to help get it back.

We had only been in Brick Lane 20 minutes when we saw my bike. I called the police and, to the annoyance of the ‘traders’, my Giant and I were reunited. The good guys won! It shows that you can go to Brick Lane, fi nd your bike and call on some great help from the police to get it back.Name withheld by request

Bike box frustrationI am annoyed by the mopeds and motorbikes that try to get ahead of traffi c by occupying the green ‘bike box’ at traffi c lights. To add insult to injury, I have found they also decide to use cycle lanes. Does anyone else fi nd this? Frustrated, Brixton

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Opinion

Life as a ‘normal’ human being

I don’t know about you, but when people ask if I’m a ‘keen’ cyclist it makes me fl inch. Before I lived in London, I lived in small towns where a bicycle was just a practical way of getting around, and it never occurred to me that it might be some sort of political-with-a-small-‘p’ statement about my outlook on life.

To cycle in London is to be instantly pigeonholed. People will quickly assess whether you are a Green Party-supporting, Stoke Newington-living charity worker, a muscle-building fi tness fanatic, or a thrusting politico who aspires to be the next David Cameron. However, there is no category labelled ‘normal regular person who just happens to use a bike to get around’.

The problem is made worse by the weird clothes that some people think are needed in order to ride a bike. I don’t want to be the clothes police – if you favour wearing skin-tight yellow spandex, that’s up to you and I hope you enjoy it. But it shouldn’t be necessary for the rest of us. We ought collectively to be capable of designing a city in which people who don’t want to wear expensive techy gear still feel that cycling is for them.

This came home to me whenI was researching how some cities have started to tackle car culture. A citizen of Utrecht (or Copenhagen or Freiburg...) would no more think of putting on special clothes to ride a bicycle than of donning Biggles-style goggles and a leather hat with ear-fl aps to drive a car.

Cycling in ordinary clothes is the sign of a civilised city. In Utrecht, there is no particular need to ride defensively, or to assert your road position, or to cycle at the speed of the traffi c – and consequently, there is no particular need to wear refl ective spandex or a helmet.

My aspiration is that cycling should become a normal way of getting around, so nobody bats an eyelid if I arrive at a meeting by bike, nobody asks me how much my Brompton weighs (answer: I don’t know, actually, but would you like to carry it downstairs for

me?), and nobody tut-tuts or rolls their eyes and tells me cycling is too dangerous except in the park. I would like to be allowed both to cycle, and to be normal.

This isn’t just a selfi sh desire to fi t in. Thinking a bit more strategically for a minute, we are going to have to transform London into a sustainable, low-carbon city over the next 20 years. I can’t see that this is possible unless cycling starts to play a more signifi cant role. The tube is a fantastic people-shifting machine, and buses are even better. Between them, they move about seven million passengers every day. But there are also 11 million car trips each day. It would be a lot easier to cut our car use by half (which is a conservative estimate of what we need to do) if a lot more people used a bike, at least some of the time. These people wouldn’t be ‘keen cyclists’, any more than they were ‘keen bus users’ or ‘keen motorists’.

And this in turn means that people who think that cycling is not for them need to be persuaded that it is. Cycling must be made an attractive option for some journeys whether you are a middle-aged professional woman; a teenage girl; a retired taxi driver; or recently arrived in London from a country with little cycling culture. Cycling should not be a cult thing, where to ride a bike is to join the club. It should not be what defi nes you.

It takes a long time to achieve this

sort of change. If you talk to the transport planners in towns like Freiburg – where cycling now accounts for more than one in four trips – they will tell you that they

have been investing in cycle paths, bicycle streets, 20mph zones, cycle parking, their bicycle stations and so on for over 30 years. They have spent a lot of money on promoting cycling, and on building a cycle-friendly street environment.

Cycling in London is growing. The fi gures show that Londoners make 70% more cycle trips than fi ve years ago. We have started on what – in optimistic moments – I hope will be a transformation of our streets and our culture. If it happens, it will take a couple of decades, and it will cost a lot of money. But the prize – a civilised, inclusive, ecologically sustainable city – will be worth every penny.

Lynn Sloman’s book, Car Sick: Solutions For Our Car-addicted Culture, is published by Green Books. To order your copy at the special price of £8.95 + free p&p, phone 0845 458 9910 quoting ‘London Cyclist reader offer for Car Sick’.

We know we’ll have developed a European-style cycling culture when it’s considered ‘normal’ to ride a bike, says author Lynn Sloman

HAVE YOUR SAY Is Lynn Sloman right? This was a hot topic of debate at LCC’s AGM late last year. Share your thoughts on how we can make cycling a ‘normal’ activity. Email [email protected] or write to the address on page 3.

Top: Commuters go about their business in the Danish capital, CopenhagenAbove: Bikes immortalised in art on the Copenhagen Town Hall

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“Alittle bit of heaven between the gaunt wharves,” reads a caption in the 1924 silent film Barging Through London. Eighty years

after that wonderfully evocative film, that gauntness isbeing stripped away as canal-side sites are flattened and the last of the lime warehouses are converted. But the slow-world magic remains, along with the lonely up-river feel of a water hyacinth-choked stretch of the Bow Back Rivers on a hot summer evening. “It’s a leisure park, a wildlife sanctuary, an industrial heritage site and a transport system all in one,” is how the Inland Waterways Association describes it.

Birmingham may have more canals than Venice, but London’s got more than both: 65 miles against 35 and 26 respectively. British Waterways London – canals were nationalised in 1948 – is in charge of those 65 miles, 40 miles of rivers (but not the Thames), and


110 acres of docks. From Brentford in the west, the canals loop east to Paddington, Regent’s Park, Angel and Hackney, onto Limehouse Basin and back to the Thames. The Limehouse Cut links to The Lea. The dead straight Hertford Union Canal connects the main loop to The Lea, by-passing Limehouse.

It doesn’t take long to get to know these water routes, and almost all of them are rideable via towpaths. There’s the magic Bow Back Rivers and Three Mills – and the Greenway, with the sewage of four million Londoners bubbling beneath your tyres. Other routes have dwindled away or been lost to ‘progress’: Croydon Canal (Surrey Docks to Croydon), Grand Surrey Canal (Surrey Docks to Camberwell and Peckham), Grosvenor Canal by Chelsea Bridge, Kensington Canal (Chelsea Creek to Olympia), and the Fleet that enters the Thames under Blackfriars Bridge.

With British Waterways set to scrap the need for cycle permits on London’s canal towpaths, Barry Mason takes a wander through the history books to help explain the allure of the capital’s extensive canal system

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(like the towpath alongside Sheldon Square and Paddington Basin).

“The permit system has been a useful way of communicating with cyclists, but we are replacing this with new signage, a new code of conduct, our ‘two tings’ campaign to encourage the use of bells, cycling awareness days, etc.”

The no-permit area covers the Grand Union Canal south of bridge 175 in Rickmansworth, the Grand Union Canal’s Paddington Arm, Regent’s Canal, Limehouse Cut, Hertford Union Canal, River Lea Navigation and the River Stort Navigation. The area is outlined at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/downloads/general/index.html

In the January edition of Waterways World, a magazine for house- and narrowboat users, Adrian Stott writes: “As towpath bicycling grows, so does the aggro... public funding means that towpaths are open to all. Banning cyclists is out of the question ... signs don’t slow them [but] the right surface can … hence the new speed humps going in.”

However the introduction of speed bumps and chicanes has met with criticism from some cyclists who say the speed-slowing devices restrict access to and enjoyment of the canals. British Waterways say the trial chicanes will be two metres apart and designed to slow cyclists rather than force them off their bikes. ‘Rumble strips’ would be used at blind corners and bridges with bad sightlines.

Time and additional towpath use will help determine how effective these changes are, and whether they benefit cyclists. Explore and love the canals, and respect them and their users. These towpaths are not merely cycle routes but tracks through the years. Let them seduce you.

USING CANAL TOWPATHS ■ British Waterways is set to published a new code of conduct for all towpath users. It will include guidance for cyclists and pedestrians. The June/July issue of London Cyclist will carry a leaflet outlining the code. ■ If you come across any sections where maintenance is needed, call British Waterways on 020 7985 7200 or email [email protected]. ■ If you are involved in an incident of any kind on a towpaths, report it by filling in the online form at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/responsibilities/safety/visitor_incident_reporting or by calling 020 7985 7200.


Feature

Above: This map from the London Canal Museum (pictured opposite page) shows how extensive the network remains

■ British Waterways has a site dedicated to the recreational use of waterways (www.waterscape.com) General enquiries can be directed to 01923 201120.

■ The Inland Waterways Association (www.waterways.org.uk, 01923 711114) is an excellent resource. Its shop has a great selection of books, including Exploring The Regent’s Canal by Michael Essex-Lopresti (£8.95).

■ The London Canal Museum (12-13 New Wharf Rd, N1; 020 7713 0836, www.canalmuseum.org.uk) has

good displays, a bookshop and leafl ets. Its staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

■ GEOprojects (01189 393 567, www.geoprojects.net) publishes an extensive range of books and maps covering the entire London waterway system.

■ LCC’s Parks and Canal Group can be contacted via the LCC office (see page 30 for details). There is a lot of information at www.lcc.org.uk on cycling the canals. Simply visit the website and type ‘canals’ into the search box.

An industrious idea The boom started in 1776 at Duke Bridgewater’s mine 10 miles from Manchester. Horses and mules could carry 125kg of coal on their backs; barges moving three miles an hour could carry 50 tons. By 1790, the Duke’s engineer, James Brindley, had used canals to connect England’s four great river basins; the ‘Grand Cross’ linked the Severn, the Trent, the Mersey and the Thames. These new watery slivers that more than halved the cost of transport and fuelled the Industrial Revolution linked Limehouse Cut to the Thames and the Lea in 1770, and by 1800 the Grand Junction Canal (it wasn’t called the Grand Union Canal until 1929) from Birmingham and Oxford reached out and touched Brentford. In 1801 a branch reached Paddington.

In 1815 architect John Nash pushed the horny-handed navvies and their Regent’s Canal north of his new park and posh villas, and by 1830 the Hertford Union Canal linked Regent’s Canal to the Lea Navigation. Then the railways arrived and, overnight, canals were too expensive, too slow. In 1845, a consortium nearly converted the Regent’s Canal into a railway. The golden age was over.

The second coming London canals still carry some weight (planning permission for the demolition of the London Arena on Millwall Dock states that 10,000 tons of rubble has to be barged out), but now leisure craft rule the waters, while fishermen, walkers, joggers and cyclists are using the towpaths in increasing numbers.

In 1968 Westminster City Council was the first local authority to open a canal walk for public use: Primrose Hill to Lisson Grove. All London towpaths are open now, and houseboats are encouraged along much of the system.

The network has never stopped changing. The maze of channels of Bow Back Rivers will be neutered by the 2012 Olympics, although pressure to preserve the best of these channels is increasing. In February, a tiny lock-keepers office circa 1820 on the long gone Surrey Canal was flattened in a day. But many of the locks (or the lack of them for 27 miles west of Camden), the ramps that rescued startled horses from the canals, the rope-rubbed bridge supports and the mooring points remain, as do the legends.

The Inland Waterways Association does heroic work to help preserve all this history, while LCC’s Parks and Canals group continues to push for improvements for cyclists. In February, British Waterways and Transport for London started a £446,000 towpath safety project along Regent’s Canal. This project was followed by the news that a cycle permits system – in operation since the ’70s – will be scrapped from May 14 when British Waterways completes the introduction of signage and speed devices.

“The permit has its origins in our bye-laws which don’t allow cycling unless permission is given,” says Debbie Walker, spokesperson for British Waterways. “But as this system is unenforceable (we don’t have the policing resource), we are trialing a reversal in London. We’ll permit the right to cycle on our towpaths except in areas where it is specifically signed ‘no cycling’ in places of heavy pedestrian use

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Put two dates in your diary: July 7 and July 8. History will be made this year when the Tour de France sets off from London, and all Londoners

will get the chance to participate in a mass bike ride to coincide with the main event. The Tour, along with a second mass particpatioin event in September (see page 17) should help get more people on their bikes more often.

Ride to the TourEvery year the Tour de France inspires millions of people to get out on their bikes and ride. London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone expects it to bring in substantial tourism revenue as well as boosting the image of cycling. “Hosting the first stage of the legendary French


cycle race will raise the profile of cycling in the capital, attract visitors and promote the capital as a venue for international sporting events,” he says.

For three days, London will go cycling-crazy. A massive launch party will kick things off in Trafalgar Square on Friday, July 6 – the start of a weekend-long celebration of cycling. On the Saturday, the Tour’s Prologue race will take to the streets of the capital, with 200 cyclists racing against the clock around a five-mile route through the heart of London. On the Sunday the first stage of the Tour begins on The Mall, running through the City, over Tower Bridge and on to Canterbury. After that, the riders cross the Channel and race on through France, Belgium and Spain before finishing in Paris three weeks later.

Transport for London (TfL) wants the event to help get Londoners cycling. The challenge is to encourage new and infrequent cyclists to jump on their bikes and make the trip to central London to be part of what is a showcase event on the world sporting calendar.

LCC will make this happen by organising group

Turning up the volumeLCC is taking charge of mass participation rides into the heart of London for the Tour de France. Charlie Lloyd has the details

Feature

“For three days, London will go cycling-crazy, starting with a party in Trafalgar Square”

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See www.tourdefrancelondon.com for details on the Tour in London; full race details are at www.letour.fr Information on LCC events (including how to register to take part in the

rides) is at www.lcc.org.uk See the June/July edition of London Cyclist for our comprehensive coverage of the 2007 Tour de France in London.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

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Above left: The Tour of Britain last year gave Londoners a taste of top-level cycle sportOther pictures, both pages: Dr Bikes and cycle training sessions will be a feature of the Tour de France celebrations, helping new cyclists onto the road

Chance to FreewheelThe Tour de France won’t be the only opportuity to take part in a mass participation ride through London. Cycling is a key part of the Mayor’s transport strategy and is growing in popularity every year. Starting this year, the Mayor and Greater London Authority will be promoting another mass cycling event, this time on September 23 and linked to the sustainable transport activities. The London Freewheel ride will have a central London circuit on roads open only to cyclists. It’ll be a day for cyclists to enjoy themselves and/or use it as a chance to raise money for charity.

LCC will organise and lead rides to staging areas in six parks from where cyclists will join the route to the main event. It is hoped the event will see both experienced and new cyclists taking to the streets. In the months leading up to the day, groups will be able to apply for Community Cycling Fund for London money (see page 9) to help with training and other initiatives.

Full details of this new event will be on the LCC website in the coming months.

rides from locations all over London to a special viewing area reserved for members and all the new cyclists they can encourage to tag along. This exclusive spot will effectively be a front-row seat for the Prologue race on the Saturday. Secure cycle parking will be based near the ‘People’s Village’, a three-day cycling promotional event in Hyde Park.

More than half a million people are expected to line the Tour de France’s London route. For cycling in London, this is an opportunity to demonstrate the foresight of LCC’s Active Spectator Strategy, which outlines how all sporting events can promote active travel. The strategy was a feature of London’s successful 2012 Olympics bid and, with TfL support, it is currently being trialled to help Londoners make the most of the Games.

LCC needs the support of its members to get people active and involved. Anyone wanting to join the rides to the Tour will be able to register on the LCC website. Members are encouraged to bring their friends and family along, and urge people who may not cycle often to take part in a unique cycling experience. You’ll have the chance to see stars like Olympic gold medal-winner Bradley Wiggins, enjoy the festive atmosphere and entertainment on the route for before the race, and join in the fun in the People’s Village.

LCC is looking for experienced cyclists, preferably with National Standards training, to be leaders and marshals on rides to the Tour. If you can help, see the website information or email [email protected].

This is the year to get involved in mass participation bike rides – events that will help nudge London closer to becoming a true cycling city.

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One of the key statistics to have come out of LCC’s annual survey last year was the fact that some 68% of members had participated

in a charity bike ride. Whether cycling’s boom has led to an increase in charity events or whether charity events have spawned an interest in riding among the previously unconverted is difficult to say. What is clear is that charities the length and breadth of Britain have been quick to see the potential of cyclists as fundraisers.

Simon Albert, the director of adventure travel company Charity Challenge, which organises hundreds of fundraising expeditions each year, says his firm has seen a 34% increase in the number of people doing its bike rides since 2001.

While walking and trekking still lead the charity pack, cycling, he says, is fast closing the gap. “Trek-king is more popular because mountain climbing like Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp will always be pop-ular, but the biking Cuba is also big and has been for the past five years now. Rajastan in India is increasingly


popular, and the Vietnam to Cambodia bike ride we introduced a few years ago has taken off, so the market is there and people do want to do it.

“Some charities have a strong group of bikers who do cycle challenges year in, year out. People do these rides for different reasons, but most people have an emotive reason for choosing a particular charity.”

Dominic Carolan, from Skyline Events, which runs www.doitforcharity.com, says his company has 1,500 charities on its database, resulting in hundreds of cycle rides. “But this is only a fraction of all the char-ity events taking place in the UK,” he says. Dominicestimates up to 1,000 charity rides involving as many as 150,000 cyclists take place in the UK each year. This excludes the many experienced riders who undertake trips independent of charity head offices, using their own initative to raise money for their favourite cause.

The British Heart Foundation’s annual London to Brighton ride is the largest ride leaving the capital each year and is always hugely oversubscribed. Organisers expected all 27,000 places on the June 17 ride – which coincides with annual Bike Week celebrations – to be taken by the time LC went to press.

The largest event based wholly in the capital each year is Leukaemia Research’s London Bikeathon, which has grown from a small ride in Woking in 1989 to a 5,000-strong, multi-route event.

The Bikeathon was the brainchild of fundraiser Tony Carter, who watched his wife complete the London to Brighton ride in the late ’80s. He quickly realised the potential of using bikes to provide a simple and enjoyable way of raising funds for good causes.

“Cycling a route with others was never a new

Feature

“Cycling for a common charitable goal has to be one of the most ethical things you can do.”

Cyclists pedal thousands of kilometres every year for hundreds of different causes. We look at the popularity of charity rides, the history of London’s largest ride and chat to one cyclist with a charitable habit

casesCharity

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there were 19 Leukaemia Research Bikeathons in the UK; Tony set about planning a major ride in London.

Support from the mainstream press proved key to getting the message to the capital’s commuter and recreational cyclists. “I remember a very sweaty cyclist arriving at Leukaemia Research head office to sign up for the Bikeathon, Times in hand,” says Tony. “The publicity was just so important in the growth of the ride on a grassroots level.”

Also pivotal was the support of ex-England footballer Gary Lineker, whose high profile last year helped attract 5,000 cyclists who raised a record £400,000. “More people are riding, and raising more money than ever,” says Tony, “but without the commitment of volunteers and everyone connected with the ride, such growth over the last 10 years would not have been possible.”

This year’s London Bikeathon takes place on Sunday, July 15. For more information about the ride, visit www.londonbikeathon.co.uk or call 020 7269 9097. For information on other Leukaemia Research bikeathons (including Woking), see www.lrf.org.uk/cycling


Feature

Opposite page: the start of the last year’s London to Brighton ride and, left, cyclists relax on the beach after making it to the coast

idea, but the feeling of togetherness and enthusiasm generated by the ride was fantastic,” he says. “Cycling for a common charitable goal has to be one of the most ethical things you can do.”

Tony was already a keen supporter of Leukaemia Research when Alec Grayson, the then mayor of Woking, came to a local branch meeting in 1988 looking for a way to raise money in memory of a friend. Almost 1,000 people raised £30,000 riding around Woking the following year, and the popularity of the concept saw Tony take early retirement from the computer industry and focus his attention on developing the concept.

The Bikeathon gets bigger and betterIn 1993, with the backing of Leukaemia Research head office, Tony set off on a tour of the UK with his friend John Stafford-Smith. Soon, locals in Doncaster, Pendle, Winchester and Kingussie in the Scottish Highlands were working on their own events. By 1996,

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sHOW TO GET ON A CHARITY RIDE■ Charities advertise their events in the mainstream press, as well as in

publications such as London Cyclist. If you have a charity of choice, check its website or phone its head office to enquire about planned rides.

■ Charities also use organisations such as Charity Challenge (www.charitychallenge.com) and Do It For Charity (www.doitforcharity.com) to muster support and/or help with the organisation of rides, particularly longer rides or rides based abroad. Such companies will either ask for an upfront fee to cover logistics or they will take a percentage of fundraising revenue.

■ LCC now also has a dedicated charity rides page at www.lcc.org.uk (see the ‘rides and events’ section). Here, you will find lists of events requiring riders or volunteers, as well as tips on raising money and ideas for popular routes.

■ See Diary, pages 36-37 for the Stroke Association’s call for volunteer marshalls for its charity ride along the Thames.

CYCLING MOUTH-TO-MOUTHJonathan Edwards is just one of hundreds of London cyclists who make a habit of riding for charity. Here is his story.“Some 12 years ago, I was look-ing for a logical ‘from and to’ ride for my first extended bike tour. I chose Barmouth to Great Yarmouth, and my sister suggested that since it was from ‘Mouth to Mouth’, I should collect money on the way for Afasic, a charity that works to help speech-impaired children. Such children are little noticed by the public but there are some-thing like over a million of them, so raising awareness was as important as raising money.

I followed this ride up with an ‘End to End’ (via Falmouth and the Kyle of Tongue), which was the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. Since then,I have visited all the mouths I can find along the coast of Britain. There

are still some inland mouths like Monmouth I haven’t done.

These rides were just extended pub crawls, really, since that’s where you can collect money (you need a licence in a town square). I always wear a T-shirt with a logo, have an official collecting tin and a letter from the charity. I take no for an answer, cover my bike in bunting and flyers, and try to be sweet (not sweat!) smelling.

My next ride for Afasic will be from Great Yarmouth to Bar-mouth from June 16-23 – 350 miles. It’s £110 to register (that includes board and lodging, luggage transport, maps, insurance, a last night quiz/do at a pub and a lunch and reception in Barmouth). You are also asked to raise at least £250. Anyone interested can call me on 020 7704 1884, Mark Thompson on 020 7490 9410, or send an email to [email protected]

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Technical

Stand and deliver


The explosion of cycling in London has brought with it a booming interest in cycle parking. LCC’s cycle parking conference in June 2005 was closely followed by the Reinventing The Bike Shed exhibition (which was promoted as part of the London Architecture Biennale), and Transport for London’s Take-A-Stand initiative to help employers get their staff cycling. More recently, Central St Martins College of Art and Design launched a project to design new bike stands.

In terms of value, convenience and flexibility, it’s hard to beat the well-established Sheffield stand, which is now more than 30 years old, but Adam Thorpe of the Central St Martins Bikeoff (www.bikeoff.org) project argues that their innovative M-type design encourages people to lock both wheels and frame to the stand. Other stands also have their own fans – with the A-stand the most popular alternative to the plain Sheffield. Here’s a selection of the stands that can be spotted on the streets of the UK.

The Double Bar, off Trafalgar Square

The Stand and Chain, Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row, WC1

The Heritage, Leicester Square

The Merry Go Round, Bunhill Row, EC1 – this stand can take 30 bikes

The Waterloo Triangle, Upper Ground, SE1

The Nappy Pin, Hoxton Street, N1

LCC’S SUMMER BIKE PARKING CAMPAIGNLook out for this summer’s LCC campaign which will encourage all retailers to provide cycle parking. More in forthcoming issues of LC and on the LCC website.

The Penny Farthing, Leytonstone

The Long Bar, Cannons Health Club, 11 Endell St, WC2

Thankfully, gone are the days when all we had to chain our bikes to were lamp posts. Tom Bogdanowicz has this wrap of the many and varied bike stands now available on our streets

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For more on cycle storage and parking, follow the ‘cycling info’ links at www.lcc.org.uk

The Southwark Hoop, Bermondsey Street, SE1

The City is found in the City of London

The Newcastle can be found in Grey Street, Newcastle

The Josta can be seen at Surbiton station

The Wiggle, Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row, WC1

BIKE PARKING AT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS – GET INVOLVEDLCC is working to encourage the operators of London’s leading tourist attractions to provide bike parking for visitors. LCC members can download a sample letter from www.lcc.org.uk/campaigns to sign and send to attractions and landmarks not catering for cyclists. Members without internet access can call or write to the LCC offi ce (see page 30) for a copy of the letter.

LCC ADVICE ON CYCLE PARKINGEmployers and retailers can contact LCC for advice on cycle parking. Email [email protected] or telephone 020 7234 9310

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The M-stand, Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row, WC1

The Pennant, London Bridge, SE1

The Regent, Regent Place, W1

The A-stand, found all over London

The Vertical Sheffi eld, Whetstone Park, WC2

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There’s nothing fetching about a sweaty back or muscular aches and pains brought about by wearing a backpack while riding. Panniers not only take the pressure off your body, they also give you better balance as you cycle. But if you’re going to let your bike take the load, you’ll need to fit a rack and some panniers.

What you’ll needAside from suitable panniers, you’ll need a strong and rigid rack to mount them to. These come in two basic types: steel and alloy. Alloy racks are far more plentiful and relatively inexpensive. A cheap but cheerful model will cost about £20, although better

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GENERAL PANNIER TIPS* Distribute weight evenly in each pannier bag, with the heaviest items at the bottom in order to keep bike handling stable.* When fitting racks, a drop of thread lock or plumber’s mastic on the threads can stop the rack fittings loosening.* Bind electrical tape around the frame of the rack to prevent pannier fixings wearing through the paint/metal.

designed and more durable models will cost around twice that. Steel racks have a quiet following these days but are durable, are easy to repair by a garage, blacksmith or anyone with basic

welding equipment (making them particularly suitable for expedition touring). However,

expect to pay between £50 and £100 for a lightweight model, although

Minoura make a nice, if weighty budget model for about £20. Regardless of which material you choose, opt for a four-point design as this is the most rigid option.

Inspect your bikeBefore splashing out on a

nice rack, check that your bike is suitable. Most touring

frames worth their salt will take a rack and expedition panniers as a

Right: A four-point carrier fi xing

Below: A mono-stay

Why carry a bag on your back when your bike could be carrying it for you? Michael Stenning has this guide to fitting a rack and panniers

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matter of course. The same is true for hybrid/city bikes but plenty of other machines will accept or can be converted to take luggage.

The ideal bike has four-point carrier fixings brazed into the frame (see picture above right). Good quality rigid mountain bikes traditionally had carrier mounting points, although some (and a few road bikes) have a mono-stay with brazed on rack mounts. This is still fine, but can prohibit some designs of rack.

Fitted to the machine pictured left is machine is a Surly Nice rack which costs around £90. If you don’t have fittings like these, all is not lost – in many cases rear racks can be fitted using plastic coated ‘P-clips’ which attach around the frame’s seat stays (although this is not recommended for prolonged heavy load carrying).

In such cases, care and consideration needs to be taken when choosing pannier size – should the chainstays not be long enough, you run the risk of your heels catching the bags. Seek the advice of a knowledgeable friend or your friendly local bike shop if you’re unsure.

Seat post mounted racksIf your bike is incompatible with a traditional rack and pannier combo, seat post mounted racks can be a

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PANNIERS Consider how much you are going to be carrying. I run a pair of 80 litre expedition panniers made of waterproof Codura bought in a sale for £90 a decade ago. The river runs too fast for me to recommend specific models, but Altura and Edinburgh Bicycle’s revolution ranges are nice budget options. Look for good waterproofing and simple fixings that enable you to whip them on and off in a flash – there’s nothing worse than fighting with a pannier on a wet Friday night in Oxford Circus. Consider panniers with a locking mechanism to prevent them bouncing off or being stolen. Resist the urge to put laptops in traditional panniers. There are laptop carry cases on the market, as well as briefcase panniers. Some higher end messenger bags have secure laptop storage and would be fine for short to moderate commutes.

See LC Feb/Mar 07, as well as page 28 of this issue, for pannier reviews .Left: A seat post

mounted rack

Right: A four-point fi xing rack. It’s

bolted on at four points – at the

top and front, and at the bottoms

of the legs.

WHAT’S A MONOSTAY?This refers to the frame shape.When you build a frame, there is normally a pair of tubes, on either side of the bike, joining the rear wheel axle to the part of the frame where you adjust your seat height. These are called seat stays. It’s these seat stays that we’re suddenly interested in. In most bikes, these are two seperate tubes which run all the way up. Occasionally, the frame is made so that these two tubes join just above the rear wheel, and become a single stay for the short remaining distance. This is a monostay design.The blue bike in the pictures is of this design.Normally, this doesn’t make a great deal of difference, however if you’re trying to fit a rack, it’s a bit of a pain because they’re designed for the more common double stays, which are further apart. But with a bit of jiggery, you can normally bend the rack to fit.Mel Allwood, bicycle mechanic

solution (seat post mounted racks mount around the seat post). Cheap units (under £30) are best avoided but better models can manage small panniers. However, their other downside is that most are quick release meaning that unless you have very secure cycle storage you’ll either need to remove it when you lock up or exchange the quick release for a bolted assembly.

Fitting a carrier Fitting a rack is a fairly straightforward procedure. 1) Attach the arms loosely to the rack. 2) Offer the rack up to the frame – you may need to splay the legs of the rack open to fit them around the outside of the frame at the bottom. Grease the fixing bolts, and thread them loosely into the frame mounting points/P-clips.3) Move the rack upright until it is level. You may find you need to adjust the arms of the rack to get it aligned correctly with the mounting points or P-clips. 4) Once you’re satisfied you have the rack positioned correctly, tighten the fixing bolts at the frame, and the bolts that secure the arms to the rack.

22-23_TechPanniers.indd 2322-23_TechPanniers.indd 23 11/3/07 23:23:1411/3/07 23:23:14

The media is fi lled with stories of the NHS struggling to combat the rising tide of obesity, and the demands placed upon it by an ageing population. Part of the problem is that medicine focuses on treatment rather than prevention. We have in many ways delegated responsibility for our health to professionals who treat us when we fall ill. However, if we take responsibility for living a healthy lifestyle, we reduce the likelihood that we will become ill in the fi rst place.

Since the Industrial Revolution, technological advances have reduced occupational and household physical activity to the extent that inactivity is now endemic and is one of the main causes of ill health.

The Chief Medical Officer recommends that we perform at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity such as brisk walking or cycling five days a week, but currently only around 20% of us achieve this. Yet, the risks of developing diabetes, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, osteoporosis, bowel and many other cancers can be significantly reduced by increasing the amount of physical activity we do. Regular exercise promotes loss of body fat, improves heart function, reduces blood pressure and blood lipids, improves glucose tolerance, improves functional capacity and body balance and strengthens bones.

But it’s not just prevention, but treatment and cure as well. Physical activity or exercise is now incorporated into treatment plans for people with respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, cardiovascular disease

Bri

tain

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Technical

A very healthy habit


(high blood pressure, coronary heart disease), depression, diabetes and back pain because of its proven therapeutic benefits.

Putting theory to the testTo understand how exercise exerts some of these beneficial effects, let’s use the example of Betty, who cycles to and from work every day (six miles, five days a week).

The leg muscles contract in a co-ordinated fashion to turn the pedal and make the bike move forwards, and muscle contraction requires energy. At moderate intensity, this comes mostly from oxidising (burning) fuels: fats and carbohydrates, which are either circulating in the blood or stored in the muscle or adipose tissue (fat stores). The energy cost of cycling six miles every day is approximately 260 kilocalories; Betty can either have an extra apple Danish every day and maintain her body weight or, if she doesn’t increase her energy intake, she will lose just under 1kg of body fat per month. Regular exercise is therefore a very effective component of any weight-loss programme, particularly as it promotes the loss of body fat rather than muscle.

The increased turnover of fuel (fat and carbohydrate) also has important metabolic benefits. The muscle becomes more efficient at ‘sucking’ glucose out of the blood, to be used by the muscle as a fuel or to replace their stores of carbohydrate (glycogen) in recovery. This effect is one of the reasons that exercise can help prevent and treat Type 2 diabetes.

Fat is stored in the adipose tissue and transported through the blood to where it is needed. It is transported in many forms, including in low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The bad guy in this story is low density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is very susceptible to being deposited in the artery walls, causing atherosclerosis. This process is at the root of cardiovascular disease either in the coronary arteries (coronary heart disease) or blood vessels of the brain (stroke).

The good guy is high density lipoprotein cholesterol which helps to remove cholesterol from the circulation before it can contribute to atherosclerosis.

Regular exercise reduces the bad guys and increases the good guys, lowering the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. Also during exercise, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems have to work harder to supply the muscle with more oxygen to oxidise the fuels to keep up with energy demand. This is achieved by increasing breathing rate and depth; and heart rate and stroke volume (volume of blood ejected from the heart per beat). This improves the fitness of the heart muscle, contributing to the protective effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system.

It sometimes takes more mental effort to get on your bike; hopefully the knowledge that you are keeping the bad guys at bay – while at the same time having fun – will make you feel even better about your cycling habit.

MORE INFORMATIONFor more advice on how to get cycling more often, see www.lcc.org.uk and follow the links to ‘cycling info’. See our feature on page 16 and the Group News (Diary) on page 36 for rides and events.

ABOUT THE AUTHORDr Joanna Bowtell is head of sport and exercise science research at London South Bank University. If you are interested in learning more about courses, research activity and exercise testing services at the university, see www.lsbu.ac.uk/sports

We all know cycling is good for us, but do we know why? Here, Dr Joanna Bowtell, explains exactly what effect pedal-pushing has on the body

FINAL24_TechHealth.indd 24FINAL24_TechHealth.indd 24 6/3/07 23:22:306/3/07 23:22:30

tubes and punctures, adjusting brakes/gears. Six hours’ tuitionCost: £58 (£52 for LCC members)When: Saturdays Time: 10.30am-5pmAt: Bikefix, 48 Lamb’s Conduit StreetContact: Patrick Field (020 7249 3779,www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk)

GreenwichWhat: Year-round maintenance classes comprising classes for all levsels and including advice on tyres and punctures, brakes, gears, hubs, etc. Bring your own bike, along with any parts you want to fit eg brake cables or pads, racks, etc.Cost: Call for detailsWhen: Call for detailsTime: 7pm-9pm At: Armada Centre, Armada Court, 21 McMillan Street, SE8. Contact: Julian Dobson (07771 692 344, 020 8463 [email protected])www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk

Hackney

What: Evening workshopCost: Free. Donations appreciatedWhen: First and third Tuesdays of each month, 7pm-9pmAt: The Kings Centre, Frampton Park Baptist Church, Frampton Park RdContact: Adam (07940 121 513,[email protected])Paul ([email protected])Ross ([email protected])www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk/workshop.htm

Islington What: Monthly, 2.5-hour, self-help cycle maintenance workshopCost: £1 (50p unwaged) When: Fourth Wednesday of month (not August/December); 7pm-9.30pmAt: Sunnyside Gardens, at the corner of Sunnyside Road and Hazellville Road, N19 (off Hornsey Rise)Contact: Adrian (07810 211 902)

What: Ongoing programme of one-day cycle maintenance workshops. Each covers adjusting,


Technical

Workshops

BromleyWhat: Bigfoot Bikes workshops include hands-on sessions. Suitable for beginners. Bring your bike but clean it first! Booking is essential. There are two courses: The Basics (pre-ride safety checks, fixing punctures, cleaning and lubricating a bike, etc). Brakes and Gears (tuning up gears, tightening and adjusting brakes, changing cables, replacing brake pads). NB Disc brakes are not covered but a session may be organised if there is demandCost: £20 – includes a maintenance pack worth at least £9. When: Call for details Time: Call for detailsAt: Hayes Old Church SchoolsContact: Bike Foot Bikes (020 8462 5004, [email protected])www.bigfootbikes.com

CamdenWhat: Course includes puncture repair, brake tuning, chain repair, tuning gears, cleaning. Two tutors, maximum 12 participants. Details at www.camdencyclists.org.uk Cost: For all three sessions £45When: Bookings now open for courses in AprilTime: 2pm-5pmAt: Velorution, 18 Great Titchfield St, W1W 8BDContact: Stefano Casalotti (020 7435 0196, [email protected] )

Central London What: One-day courses, basic and intermediate at weekends; one-to-one, or group bespoke sessions; bike assessment and adjustment; puncture masterclasses Cost: £60/one-day course, £27.50/hour for bespoke tuition; £100 for assessment and adjustment; £20 for punctures.When: Basic: April 21, 22, May 19; Intermediate: May 20; Bike assessment (ask for details); Puncture masterclasses: every second Wednesday; 6pm-8pm. At: CTUK training roomDiscounts: 5% for LCC membersContact: CTUK (020 7231 6005, [email protected])www.cycletraining.co.uk

What: Regular courses (max’ four participants). You work on your own bike. No mechanical knowledge is assumed. Topics covered include: cleaning and lubrication, machine inspection and safety checks, tyres,

cleaning and lubricatng your bike; fixing punctures; fitting brake blocks; and adjusting gearsCost: £20 (£12.50)When: Saturdays, as often as there is demand for themTime: Please call for detailsAt: A venue in N7Contact: Jonathan Edwards (020 7704 1884). Regret no email

KingstonWhat: Two options introducing maintenance and first aid‚ repairs to help people keep their bikes in good working order, safe and easy to rideCost: Six sessions are £40 or a one-day session is £22When: The one-day course is on May 10, 10am-4pm, while the six-session option starts June 4 and runs 7pm-9pm At: North Kingston Centre, Richmond RoadContact: Kingston council ([email protected]) or Rob (020 8546 8865, [email protected])

LambethWhat: Five-week introduction to bike maintenance (cleaning, brakes, gears, cables, etc). Preference given to LCC members who live or work in Lambeth Cost: £55 (£5 concs)When: April 4 and May 15; 6.30pm-8.30pmAt: 336 Brixton Road, SW9Contact: Janet Paske (07740 457528, [email protected])

RedbridgeWhat: Three-week courses covering: puncture repair; fitting brake blocks; gear adjustment; general check (pedals, spokes, bearings, brakes, headset and bottom bracket)Cost: £15 per course When: May 2, 9 and 16; 7pm-9pmAt: Wanstead House, 21 The Green, Wanstead, E11Contact: Terry (07795 981 529,

[email protected]) or Chris (020 8989 9001, [email protected])www.redbridgelcc.org.uk

SouthwarkWhat: Three-week course including: puncture repair; cables, brakes; chains; trueing wheels. Maximum eight students to two mechanics Cost: £36 per course When: Tuesdays 7pm-9pm(call for dates)At: On Your Bike, 52-54 Tooley Street, SE1Contact: Barry (07905 889005)

SuttonWhat: Twice-yearly basic class and Dr Bike (free cycle safety check). Cost: £5 per person per class, reductions for families When: Autumn (phone for detaiils. Contact: Chris (020 8647 3584, [email protected]) orShirley (020 8642 3720)

Tower HamletsWhat: Hands-on workshops. Tools, demos; bring your own sparesCost: Free. Donations welcome!When: Last Saturday of the month(except December)Time: 11am-3pm At: The Boxing Club, Limehouse Town Hall, 646 Commercial Road E14Contact: Owen Pearson (07903 018970, [email protected])www.wheelers.org.uk/workshop

WalthamstowWhat: Workshops where you can maintain or assemble a bike. Cost: £1 per sessionWhen: First and second Saturday of each month; 9.30am-12.30pm. Reconditioned bikes for sale the first Saturday; 1pm-3pmAt: Council Transport Depot, Low Hall Manor, South Access Road, WalthamstowContact: Geoffrey (020 8521 2683)

Want to know how to maintain your bike? Try a course or workshop

CTUK has two new courses. Bike Assessment and Adjustment for Cycle Activity Leaders is for National Standard provisionally accredited instructors, but it’s also suitable for volunteer instructors and ride leaders. The second course, Puncture Masterclass, is expected to prove popular. See CTUK’s central London listing below.

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UK

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Visit www.lcc.org.uk/info for more on bike maintenance. To list a workshop on

this page, please email [email protected]

FINALApr Workshops25.indd 25FINALApr Workshops25.indd 25 8/3/07 00:13:318/3/07 00:13:31


The Scorcher has been designed specifi cally for London cyclists, and comes in three versions – single speed, three speed and eight speed. I tested the three speed version, which has a Sturmey Archer hub gear. Although we tested a stock model, the bikes are individually assembled. This means that you can specify different components when you place your order. This can signifi cantly affect the price, of course, but it also means you get a bike equipped with the components you like best.

The bike is built around a steel frame, not aluminium, making it light and nimble but also robust enough to last for decades. The model I tested was battleship grey, but because Scorchers are assembled on an individual basis you can have one in any colour you like.

The Scorcher’s finishing kit is superb – leather saddle, beautiful chainset, every component built to last. The only thing I didn’t get on with were the aluminium mudguards. They’re made of a clean sweep of metal, which looks very tidy, but the corners took chunks out of my shins.

The bike came equipped with moustache style handlebars, which swept down and back. I didn’t get on with the position – it made me feel quite closely packed. I persevered over a couple of long trips, then gave in and flipped the bars, creating a solid, chappish town bike position.

Once I’d fiddled with the bars, the Scorcher came into its own. The comfy steel frame means you can sit on the bike all day, pedalling away merrily. Particular mention should go to the leather grips. They feel warm without gloves on, and are just firm enough without being spongy.

You may think that three gears is too few but they were the right three gears for me. The low one is for starting off and getting up hills, the middle one perfect for riding about in traffic, and the high one is for when you really need to go for it and get somewhere quickly. If you’re used to a bike that’s well-endowed in the gear department you’ll notice that the gaps between the Scorcher’s gears are much bigger than you’re used to. I found I quickly got used to this.

The Ridgeback is the most conventional of the three bikes tested for this issue. It has a diamond frame made of aluminium and 24 derailleur gears. The most obvious sign that you’re getting something with an extra bit of class are the carbon forks. They’re stiff, so the bike goes exactly where you point it, but they also absorb vibrations from the road, so are more comfortable than an aluminium equivalent. The seatpost matches, too.

It’s obvious as soon as you get onto the Element that this is a bike built for speed. It’s light and nippy, and as soon as you push down on the pedals, it’s leaping away. The position is fairly long, giving a comfortable stretch, but the stem is angled steeply upwards so you don’t have to crane to see the traffic.

The brakes and gears are all by Shimano, and work well enough that you don’t really have to think about them. The gear levers were noticeably more comfortable than those that many cyclists have to contend with - the part that fits into your hand is sculpted to fit. The saddle looks quite severe but thankfully proved more comfortable than it appeared at first glance.

For me, puncture resistant tyres are essential on a commuting bike. There’s just too much

London Scorcher City 3 Speed, £880Velorution (020 7637 4004, www.velorution.biz)

Ridgeback Element 1.0, £399Ridgeback (www.ridgeback.co.uk – look under Rapide series)

Pinnacle Stratus 1.0, £275Evans (0845 006 3885, www.pinnacle-bikes.co.uk)

The Pinnacle Stratus comes in both a diamond frame and a step-through frame. We tested the latter. Our test bike came with a bright, metallic red paint job, which did not draw crowds of envious admirers.

On the plus side, it arrived with all the accessories you need to get straight on the road. The rack and mudguards that come as standard aren’t particularly glamorous, but they’re highly functional and easily carried my junk around and kept road spray away from feet, bottom and back.

The gears are operated by using twistshifters. Twistshifters are often sneered at by the cognoscenti, but they’re reliable, durable, and fairly cheap to replace if you manage to break them. The Stratus has 24 gears, which is more than ample for anything you’re likely to get up to in London. I spent most of the time in the middle chainring at the front – the gears on the back have a good range, including a really low one for emergency bail-outs halfway up a steep hill.

I didn’t warm to this machine straight away, but then one day I found myself having to drag a loaded trailer across town in a storm. I’d normally sling the trailer on the back of my singlespeed but the weather was a bit severe, and when I heard they’d closed my local park because the wind was uprooting trees I realised I’d need a few more gears. Halfway home, when a gust of

Has the time come for you to buy a new bike? Mel Allwood has given three cycles that are new to London streets a spin

Product reviews New bikes

ConclusionThis bike is beautifully put together and, with a steel frame, is built to last. You can customise it to suit your needs. It’s just the thing for cyclists who want hassle-free commuting and a bike suitable for full days in the saddle.

FINALproducts.indd 26FINALproducts.indd 26 8/3/07 00:20:448/3/07 00:20:44


glass around to waste time putting up with cheaper, more vulnerable tyres. The Element comes equipped with Continental Contacts, which have plenty of puncture resistance without being heavy and sluggish.

Unlike the other two bikes on test this issue, this one didn’t come equipped with mudguards, rack and (in the case of the Scorcher) a dynamo light. You would need to factor in a few additional purchases before this bike could be London road worthy. That said, the frame has all the fittings you need to attach everything securely, and all reputable bike shops are happy to fit rack, mudguards and the like free of charge if you’re buying a new bike from them.

headwind and a particularly vicious speed bump almost brought me to a standstill, I began to feel differently about the Stratus. It might not be quick, but it’s loyal, stubborn, and dependable. It’s the sort of bike that just keeps going doggedly on without quibbling.

The Stratus wasn’t as beautifully set up as the Scorcher or as speedy as the Element, and I had to wave my tool kit at it a few times in the first couple of weeks, but it got me everywhere I needed to go.

Product reviews

ConclusionThis would be the bike I would choose for fast, busy commuting. It will get you where you need to go without wasting any of your energy.

ConclusionThe Pinnacle Stratus might not be a looker, but it’s just the thing for popping about town for shopping and errands. It’s comfortable, and the upright position gives you plenty of visibility. Mudguards and a rack as standard are big points in its favour.

.foska.comBuying a new bike – top tips

Think carefully about what you’ll really be using the bike for and choose something suitable. You may dream of off-roading at weekends but if you’ll mainly be commuting to and from work you need a bike designed for the urban environment.

Leave enough room in your budget for accessories like locks, mudguards, a rack, panniers and lights. Some bikes come equipped with almost everything but a lot of bikes are supplied almost bare.

Test ride a few bikes before you make a decision. Whatever reviews say you have to choose a machine that fi ts your body shape and cycling position. A good bike shop will encourage you to try several bikes before deciding.

Bike shops will usually offer a free service for your bike after you’ve been riding it for a month or two. Be sure to take advantage of this – your bike will run much more smoothly in the long term if it’s serviced a few weeks after you’ve begun riding it.

You’re most likely to have a bike stolen when it’s brand new. If you’re not confi dent about how best to lock up your new steed persuade your bike shop to show you a reliable security procedure. Or, decorate your bike so it’s less appealing to thieves. Tape, stickers, whatever. Just don’t obstruct moving parts.

If you like everything about your bike except the handlebars (or the saddle, or the pedals, etc) don’t suffer in silence. Ask your bike shop to help you swap parts in order to maximise your comfort.

FINALproducts_AR.indd 27FINALproducts_AR.indd 27 12/3/07 09:51:5112/3/07 09:51:51

Product reviews Panniers

The Mirte bag by Basil is a pannier quite unlike any other I’ve come across. It’s made of vinyl, and the version we tested was bright green with pink fl owers printed all over it. Basil also makes a slightly more sober version, sporting a white background covered with black leaves. If you ask me, if you’re going to have a fl owery bag you might as well embrace your inner Barbie and go the whole pink hog.

The Mirte has two big shopping-bag handles for carrying off the bike. A zipped patch at the back of the bag conceals a pair of simple pannier hooks that attach to your rack. A big zip across the top of the bag is the closure and there’s a small pocket inside the bag as well. That’s about it for features.

The zipped patch that covers over the hooks when you’re not using the bag as a pannier is neat. It hides the bag’s true purpose and also stops the hooks from getting caught up in your clothes when you’re walking along. The shopping bag handles are big enough that you can actually carry it over your shoulder (I’m unqualified to comment as to whether the fashion police would condone this act, but it worked very well when I had my hands full of other stuff). The size of the

handles also allow you to sling the bag over the handlebars if you can’t be bothered to put it properly on the rack.

The fitting hooks are quite basic, and I probably wouldn’t put my laptop in the Mirte without using a bungee or a cable tie for a more secure attachment. However, I should make it clear that the bag didn’t jump off over potholes. The big, friendly handles might make it tempting for somebody to lift the whole thing off while you’re stopped at a traffic light but would they really be expecting the contents to be highly valuable? The Mirte seems to be crying out for a bottle of plonk, some decadence from the deli counter, and a pair of emergency pants – not a laptop, expensive mobile and a few platinum credit cards.

If you’re after something 100% waterproof or super secure (or discreet!) look elsewhere. If you want a feminine bag that makes people stop you in the street and ask you where you got it, the Mirte is for you. I’ll leave the final word to my enthusiastic tester, Sarah: “I love it! Practical yet feminine. It’s a going out bag, for when I have nice clothes and a jacket on and don’t want to look like an engineer.”

In keeping with our healthy theme in LC April/May (see also page 24), we have teamed up with Innocent to give three lucky LC readers 10 smoothies each week for two weeks.

The smoothies are from Innocent’s new ‘superfoods’ range, designed to help make

breakfast easy for anyone short of time. Dubbed ‘breakfast thickies’, the

drinks are full of low fat yogurt, fine-milled oats and crushed blueberries and raspberries. Innocent are calling it breakfast in a bottle.

To be in the running to win two weeks’ supply of smoothies, email [email protected] by Monday, April 30, or send a postcard to the address on page 3. Please mark all entries ‘Innocent smoothies’, and include your full name, postal address and phone number.

For more on Innocent, see www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

WIN A TWO-WEEK SUPPLY OF SMOOTHIES

Basil Mirte bag, £35 Velorution (020 7637 4004, www.velorution.biz)

Is London ready for a quirky, girly pannier? Mel Allwood examines a pannier with a difference


WIN!


Cereal bars

Jordans makes a dizzying range of bars. Some are grain-based while others are made from 100% fruit-based ingredients. The Superfoods Bar appears to be one of Jordans ‘premier’ bars and is defi nitely aimed at health-conscious adults. Our testers generally weren’t all that keen on it. Some found it too sweet, others described the fl avour as too ‘acidic’. It’s studded with cranberries, almonds and pumpkin seeds and it looks attractive but it was drier than the others. Overall: poor to OK, but none of the testers asked for more of it.

Jordans The Superfoods Bar, approx £2.70 per pack of 3(0800 587 8901, www.jordans-cereals.co.uk)45g, 171kcal, 7% protein, 10.9% fat. Made with “conservation grade” grains. Many other Jordans bars on the market.

Need a snack? Erin Gill asked a selection of London cyclists what they thought of four British-made cereal bars


Product reviews

Everyone loved this bar. It doesn’t taste worthy at all, despite the fact it’s vegan, organic and boasts the fairtrade label. It has a higher proportion of fat than any of the other bars, so maybe that’s why everyone liked it. One tester looked around to see if there were more of these bars lying around, saying: “I could eat a lot more of this!” Another described it as “a pudding bar”. This bar is chewier than the others and the mix of grains, fruit and nuts is particularly good. The inclusion of mango seems to work very well. Overall, this was the winner.

Doves Farm Organic Tropical fruit and nut cereal bar, approx £2.50 per pack of 5(www.dovesfarm.co.uk)40g, 196kcal, 6.5% protein, 11.5% fat. Organic, fairtrade, wheat-free & vegan. No GMO & enzyme technology. A low-fat ‘fruity oat’ bar is also available.

This organic bar got the thumbs-up from all our testers, although it wasn’t the out and out winner. The bits of puffed rice were appreciated by some and the taste was generally approved of. It isn’t a stodgy bar at all and could be popular with people who want a genuinely light snack rather than a lead-in-the-bottom-of-the-stomach type of bar. The Village Bakery is a brand well known to people who shop in wholefood shops, and one of the company’s claims to fame is that many of its products are baked in high-tech, wood-burning ovens. That’s renewable energy, you know.

The Village Bakery Organic 4Bars Fruits, approx £2.15 per pack of 4(01768 881 811, www.village-bakery.com)No weight data provided, 150kcal, 3.8% protein, 5.9% fat. Organic, wheat free. Also available in nut and seed flavours.

Torq bars aren’t cereal bars at all but carefully-calibrated energy bars aimed at athletes who want an alternative to the over-processed energy bars and gels that dominate the sports market. Torq bars provide almost double the calories of the other bars we tested and offer both instant and lasting energy for people who are in the saddle for hours at a time. Most of our testers really didn’t like this bar, complaining that the fl avour was ‘unidentifi able’ and the texture vile. However, a couple of testers loved it, proclaiming that it’s now become part of their essential kit when they head to the Surrey or Kent hills for a hard day’s ride at the weekend. Probably not what you need if you only cycle a few miles at a time within London.

Torq bar2 Sundried Banana, approx £1.15 per bar when buying pack of 24(0845 128 4312, www.torq.ltd.uk)65g, 324kcal, 4% protein, 1.9% fat. Vegetarian. Some Fairtrade ingredients. Also available in pineapple and ginger, and tangy apricot.

WIN 39 CEREAL BARS!

LC has a bunch of cereal bars to give away to one lucky reader. These aren’t identical to the bars reviewed here but they’re produced by the same companies. Here’s what our winner will receive:

■ 3 Torq4 pineapple & ginger bars■ 16 Doves Farm organic and fairtrade low

fat fruity oat cereal bars ■ 8 Village Bakery organic & wheat free

seed and nut bars■ 6 Jordans fruit & nut multigrain bars■ 6 Jordans apple & sultana multigrain bars

If you fancy consuming 39 cereal bars, send a postcard to the address on page 3 or email [email protected] by Monday, April 30. Please mark all entries ‘Cereal Bar Prize Draw’, and include your full name, postal address and phone number.

WIN!


This page has all you need to know to get the most out of your LCC membership

LCC members’ page

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIPLCC is a campaigning charity mainly funded by your membership. We work to improve conditions for cyclists and to promote cycling throughout London.

INSURANCE & LEGALThird party insuranceIf you cause damage to a person or their property while cycling, they may make a claim against you. As a member of the LCC, you are covered for up to £2 million. If such an incident occurs, phone the LCC office for immediate advice and assistance.

Free legal adviceFree legal advice is a member benefit. If you need any legal assistance on a cycling-related issues, please phone the LCC office and we will put you in touch with a cyclist-friendly solicitor.

Theft insuranceLCC Cyclecover theft insurance also comes with free personal accident cover for LCC members. Theft insurance costs about 10% of the value of your bike and is a ‘new for old’ policy. For an instant quote, please call 0870 873 0067 and have your LCC membership number to hand.

INFORMATION & CAMPAIGNING Local groupsLCC has a local group in every borough, plus the City of London. These groups campaign on local

cycling issues, and also organise events, meetings, workshops and social rides. See page 32 to find out what your local group is up to.

MapsLCC, in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), has produced free cycle maps covering all of London. These can be ordered viawww.lcc.org.uk or by phoning TfL on 020 7222 1234.

London Cyclist magazineThis magazine is sent to members every two months. It is packed with news, features, cycling tips, products news and the latest on our campaigns. It has been voted the number one member benefit.

Who needs eBay?Members who have bikes or accessories to sell can advertise in

London Cyclist free of charge (see page 32). Send your short, concise ad to [email protected] or to the LCC (address above right). Ads from businesses are not accepted.

HOW TO HELP LCC GROWAsk a friend to joinYou can help boost our work by recruiting members to LCC. The more members we have, the greater our campaigning voice. Simply ask your friend or colleague to visit www.lcc.org.uk/join to join online or ask them to call 020 7234 9310 to join over the phone.

Tell your boss about usLCC has several schemes to help encourage employers to help make riding to work easier. For detaiils, see www.lcc.org.uk or call our office and ask for information on our corporate affiliates programme.

Volunteer your timeOur small office in central London relies on volunteers for its membership administration and campaigning. If you have some spare time, we could use your help! Phone the office for details.

How to join LCCIf you like what you see in London Cyclist but you are not yet a member, we encourage you to join the campaign to receive the magazine delivered to your door every two months. Members also receive the great package of other benefits listed on this page. You can join by calling 020 7234 9310 or via www.lcc.org.uk/join.

LCC’S VISIONLCC’s vision is to make London a world class cycling city

STRATEGIC AIMS ■ To involve people from all

communities in cycling■ To improve the quality of

life in London by increasing cycling

■ To bring about the best possible services for people who cycle or want to cycle in London

■ To be leaders in urban cycling

CONTACT LCC2 Newhams RowLondon SE1 3UZt: 020 7234 9310f: 020 7234 9319e: [email protected]: www.lcc.org.uk

Contact the LCC Board: [email protected]

Registered charity number: 1115789

You can contact the membership team on 020 7234 9310 or

email [email protected]

www.lcc.org.uk April/May 2007 £2/free to members

Making the most of London’s canals

■ NEWS ■ ZOE WILLIAMS ■ LETTERS ■ FITTING PANNIERS ■

Rites of passage

Upgrade your wheels MaintenanceworkshopsDiscounts for members

PLUS!





Money mattersMoney mattersRiding for charity

BBC London’s Robert ElmsMy bike & I

Ken WorpoleThe wonderful world of maps

BBC London’s Robert ElmsMy bike & I

Ken WorpoleThe wonderful world of maps

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Anyone who joins LCC can cash in on a range of ongoing benefits open only to members.

They include:

MaintenanceCycle Training UK (CTUK) offers LCC members a 5% discount on bike maintenance training. You can call CTUK on 020 7582 3535.

Breakdown coverLCC members get a 50% discount on membership of the Environmental Transport Association (ETA). ETA is a breakdown service for transport users

who care about the environment. For further details, phone the ETA on 0800 212 810 or see www.eta.co.uk. You will need to quote your LCC membership number and reference 1061-9001.

Bike shopsLCC members also get discounts on bikes, accessories and servicing at the follwowing bike shops in the capital. Remember to show your membership card before you make a purchase or book your service.

MAIL ORDER

Cotswold Outdoor Quote ref 2115 at www.cotswoldoutdoor.com ♣Loads Better Mail order only. Suppliers

of xtracycle and Kronan bikes (0845 8682459) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5 Old Bicycle Trading Co Mail order only. Hub gears new and vintage parts (020 8306 0060) ● ✔ www.oldbiketrader.co.uk Outdoor Indoor Ltd Mail order clothing Supplier. ● ✔ www.outdoorindoor.co.uk

CENTRAL

Action Bikes Dacre House 19 Dacre St SW1 (020 7799 2233) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-5.30Action Bikes 23-26 Embankment Place Northumberland Avenue WC2 (020 7930 2525) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Bikefix 48 Lambs Conduit St WC1 (020 7405 1218) ● ➔ Mon-Fri 8.30-7 Sat 10-5Condor Ltd 51 Grays Inn Rd WC1

(020 7269 6820) ● ✔ Mon-Tues Thurs-Fri 9-6 Weds 9-7.30 Sat 10-5 Cavendish Cycles 136 New Cavendish St W1 (020 7631 5060) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5 Cotswold Outdoor 23/26 Piccadilly W1 (020 7437 7399) ♣ (quote ref L2115 and show card) Mon-Fri 10-8, Sat, 10-6 Sun 11-5CycleSurgery 3 Procter St Holborn WC1 (020 7269 7070) ▲ ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 8.30-6 Tues/Thurs 8.30-7 Sat 10-5 Sun 11-5Evans Cycles 51-52 Rathbone Pl W1 (020 7580 4107) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9-6 Sun 11-4 Evans Cycles 69 Grays Inn Rd WC1 (020 7430 1985) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Tues closed 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-5

Member discounts

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Evans Cycles 178 High Holborn WC1 (020 7836 5585) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Tues closed 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-4 Fluid Cycles Mobile repairs and servicing in Underground zone 1 and the Docklands (020 7021 0742) ● ✔ (on servicing and repairs) Mon-Fri 8.30-6 Weekends by arrangementRe-rolling Mobile puncture repair service within central London (Cycle Guide no. 10) but may travel further (07715 711150) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 7.30am-7pmVelorution 18 Great Titchfield St W1 (020 7637 4004) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8- 6.30pm Sat 10-6pm Also sells secondhand bikes

EAST

Bicycle Magic 4-6 Greatorex St E1 (020 7375 2993) ■ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5Bike Shack 621 High Rd, Leyton E10 (020 8539 5533) ● ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5 Wed & Thurs 9-6Brick Lane Bikes 118 Bethnal Green Rd E2 (020 7033 9053) ■ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-7 Sat-Sun 11-6Chainlink Cycle Centre 140 Hornchurch Rd Hornchurch RM11 (01708 470 007) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Cotswold Outdoor Ground floor, St Clements House, Leyden St E1 (020 7655 466) ♣ (quote ref L2115 and show card) Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5 Cycle Asylum 700 Romford Rd E12 (020 8478 2540) ■ ✔ Incl servicing. Mon/Tues/Fri-Sat 10-6 (Closed Weds/Thurs & Sun)CycleSurgery Brody House Strype St E1 (020 7375 3088) ▲ ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 8.30-6 Tues/Thurs 8.30-7 Sat 10-5 Sun 10-4 CycleSurgery 12-13 Bishops Sq, E1 (020 7392 8920) ▲ ✔ (excludes Marin bikes. Full SRP items only. Excludes Selfridges concession.) Mon-Sat 10-6 Sun 12-6Ditchfields 792/794 High Rd Leyton E10 (020 8539 2821) ● ✔ (everything over £10) Mon-Sat 9.15-5.30Evans Cycles The Cavern 1 Market St (Off Brushfield St) E1 (020 7426 0391) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-6 Evans Cycles 1 Farringdon St EC4 (020 7248 2349) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 18-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles Cullum St EC3 (020 7283 6750) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Mon 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-5 Evans Cycles Unit B, Reuters Building, 30 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf E14 (0870 164 4037) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-6 Fluid Cycles Docklands See ‘Central’Heales Cycles 477 Hale End Rd Highams Park E4 (020 8527 1592) ■ ➔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5.30 London Fields Cycles 281 Mare St E8 (020 8525 0077) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat 10-6 S & S Cycles 65 Woodgrange Rd E7(020 8503 1000) ● ✔Mon-Sat 10-5.30Wharf Cycles Unit B6, Lanterns Court, Millharbour E14 (020 7987 2255) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-7 Sat 10-5 Sun 11-4Wizzbike.com 113-114 Brentford High St TW8 (020 8568 1633) ■ ✔ including servicing. Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9-6

NORTH

Action Bikes 64 Ballards Lane N3 (020 8346 2046) ▲ ✔ Discount also on servicing Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4Bike and Run 125 High Rd N2 (020 8815 1845) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9.30-5.30 Bike Mech The Castle Climbing CentreGreen Lanes N4 (07762 270 616)10% discount on servicing onlyMon-Fri 9-7, Sat 10-5

BIKES ACCESSORIES

0% ● ✖

5% ■ ➔

10% ▲ ✔

15% ❋ ♣

Many of these shops have email and websites.

For details see www.lcc.org.uk

• Show your LCC card to claim your discount.

• The discounts vary and are not negotiable. ● ➔ means no discount on a bicycle and 5% discount on parts and/or accessories.

• Discounts don’t usually apply to special offers or sale items.

LCC members’ page

Bikes R Us Mobile cycle repairs throughout north London (020 8882 8288 – workshop, 07949 066 889 – van) ● ✔

on servicing and most repairs Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30Holloway Cycles 302/304 Holloway Rd N7 (020 7700 6611) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8.30-6.30 Sat 9-6 Sun 11-5.CycleSurgery 70 Holloway Rd N7 (020 7697 2848) ▲ ✔ Mon 9-6 Tues 9-7 Weds 8.30-6 Thurs 9-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 11-5Mosquito Bikes 123 Essex Rd N1 (020 7226 8841/020 7226 8765) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8.30-7 Sat 10-6 Sun (summer only) 11-4 Cycle Store (The) 201 Woodhouse Rd Friern Barnet N12 (020 8368 3001) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 (Closed Weds) Sat 9-5 Sun 11-3 Pedal Power 210 Baker St Enfield EN1 (020 8363 8618) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5(Closed Weds)S & S Cycles 29 Chapel Market N1 (020 7278 1631) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat 10-5.30 Sun 10-2.30Shorter Rochford 27 Barnet Rd Potters Bar EN6 (01707 662 332) ▲ ✔ on RRP Mon-Fri 9-6 (Closed Weds) Sat 9-5Shorter Rochford 65-67 Woodhouse Rd N12 (020 8445 9182) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6 (Weds 9-7) (Closed Thurs)Two Wheels Good 165 Stoke Newington Church St N16 (020 7249 2200) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 8.30-6 Sun 11-5 Two Wheels Good 143 Crouch Hill N8 (020 8340 4284) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 8.30-6

NORTH-WEST

Broadway Bikes 250 West Hendon Bwy NW9 (020 8931 3925) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30 Sun 11-1Chamberlaines 75-77 Kentish Town Rd NW1 (020 7485 4488) ■ ✔ Includes shop discount Mon-Sat 8.30-6 Cycle King 451-455 Rayners Ln Pinner HA5 (020 8868 6262) ■ ♣ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 9-4.30 Cycle King 173 Hillside Stonebridge NW10 (020 8965 5544) ■ ♣ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-5 CycleSurgery 44 Chalk Farm Rd NW1 (020 7485 1000) ▲ (except Marins) ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 9-6 Tues/Thurs 9-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 11-5CycleSurgery Hampstead 275 West End Lane NW6 (020 7431 4300) ▲ ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 9-6 Tues/Thurs 9-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 11-5 Cyclopedia 262 Kensington High St W8 (020 7603 7626) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10.30-5Evans Cycles 250 Watford Way, NW4 (0870 142 0108) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8, Sat 9.30-6, Sun 11-5Simpson’s Cycles 114-116 Malden Rd NW5 (020 7485 1706) ● ✔ (Birdys ➔)Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5.30Sparks 5 Bank Buildings, High St NW10 (020 8838 5858) ● ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-6

SOUTH

Bikes Plus 429 Brighton Rd Croydon CR2 (020 8763 1988) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6Cycle King 26-40 Brighton Rd Croydon CR2 (020 8649 9002) ■ ♣ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 9-4.30Evans Cycles 5 London Rd Croydon CR0 (020 8667 1423) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 9-6 Thurs 9-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5

SOUTH-EAST

Bigfoot Bikes 50 Hayes St Bromley BR2 (020 8462 5004) ● ➔ Incl servicing Mon-Sat 10-5.30 Bike Shop (The) 288-290 Lee High Rd SE13 (020 8852 6680) ▲ ✔ on items over

£10 Mon-Fri 9-5.30 Sat 9-5Blackfen Cycle Centre 23 Wellington Parade Blackfen Rd Sidcup DA15 (020 8303 3761) ▲ ✔ (Incl labour) Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-3Bromley Bike Company 27 Widmore Rd Bromley BR1 (020 8460 4852) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30 Thurs 9-8 Comptoncycles.co.uk 23-25 Catford Hill Catford SE6 (020 8690 0141) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5 Crayford Cycles 3 Empire Buildings Waterside Crayford DA1 (01322 400055) ■ ➔ Incl servicing Mon-Tues Thurs-Sat 9-5 (Weds closed)Edwardes 221-225 Camberwell Rd SE5 (020 7703 3676) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 8.30-6 Evans Cycles 111-115 Waterloo Rd SE1 (020 7928 2208) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 10-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5Evans Cycles 77-81 The Cut SE1 (020 7928 4785) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Weds 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 6 Tooley St SE1 (020 7403 4610) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing. Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Herne Hill Bicycles 83 Norwood Rd SE24 (020 8671 6900) ● ➔ Tues-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5 (Closed Sun & Mon)London Recumbents Rangers Yard Dulwich Park College SE21 (8299 6636) ●

✔ Variable discount on bike hire. Mon-Sun 10-6 On Your Bike 52-54 Tooley St SE1 (020 7378 6669) ▲ ✔ Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 Also has bike hire ReCycling (Only sells catalogue returns, renovated and second-hand bikes) 110 Elephant Rd SE17 (020 7703 7001) ▲

✖ Mon-Fri 10-7 Sat 9-6 Sun 11-5 Robinsons Cycles 172 Jamaica Rd SE16 (020 7237 4679) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-6 Thurs 9.30-2 Sidcup Cycle Centre 142-146 Station Rd Sidcup DA15 (020 8300 8113) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-5.30 Thurs 9-7 Sat 9-5 Park Tools school Wilsons 32 Peckham High St SE15 (020 020 7639 1338) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat 10-5Witcomb Cycles (Frame-builder and repairs) 25 Tanners Hill Deptford SE8 (020 8692 1734) ■ ✔ (Mon closed) Tues, Weds, Fri 9.30-5 Thurs, Sat 9.30-4 Xadventure Bikes 25-29 Perry Vale Forest Hill SE23 (020 8699 6768) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30

SOUTH-WEST

A W Cycles 23 Abbey Parade, Merton High St SW19 (020 8542 2534) Mon- Fri 8.30-6 Sat 8.30-5 Closed Wed & Sun ▲ ➔Brixton Cycles 145 Stockwell Rd SW9 (020 7733 6055) ● ✔ Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat 9-6 Thurs 9-7Cowley Security Locksmiths (Locks and key cutting) 146 Colne Rd Twickenham TW2 (020 8894 1212) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-5 Cycle City 57 Approach Rd Raynes Pk SW20 (020 8542 4076) ■ ➔ Mon-Fri 8.30-6 Sat 8.30-5 Closed SunCyclopedia 256 Fulham Rd SW10 (020 7351 5776) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10.30-5

Dialabike 30 Strutton Ground SW1(020 7233 4224) ■ ✔ Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30Evans Cycles 13-15 Jerdan Pl (off Fulham Bwy) SW6 (020 7384 5550) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8am-8pm (Closed Mon 11-12) Sat 9.30am-6pm Sun 11am-5pm Evans Cycles 320-320b Vauxhall Bridge Rd SW1 (020 7976 6298) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Tues 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 48 Richmond Rd Kingston KT2 (020 8549 2559) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 9-6 Thurs 9-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10-4 Evans Cycles 167-173 Wandsworth High St SW18 (020 8877 1878) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10-4 London Recumbents Staff Yard Battersea Park SW11 (020 7498 6543) ● ✔ off hire only. Open weekends and school holidays Luciano Cycles 97-99 Battersea Rise SW11 (020 7228 4279) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-3.30Mike’s Bikes 27 Aberconway Rd Morden SM4 (020 8640 1088) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 8-5.30 Sat 9-4Moose Cycles 48 High St Colliers Wood SW19 (020 8544 9166) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9.30-7Munden Bikes 8 North Parade Chessington KT9 (020 8397 5287) ▲ ✔ plus ✔ on repairs Mon-Tues, Thurs-Sat 9-5 Weds 9-12Pitfield Cycles 137 Kingston Rd New Malden KT3 (020 8949 4632) ■ ➔ Mon-Sat 9-5.30Siecle 789 Wandsworth Rd SW8 (020 7978 2345) ❋ ✖ (applies only to bikes) Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30 Sat 10-4Smith Brothers 14 Church Rd SW19 (020 8946 2270) ▲ Also offers bike hire services Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30South Bank Cycles 194 Wandsworth Rd SW8 (020 7622 3069) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9-6Stratton Cycles Ltd 101 East Hill SW18 (020 8874 1381) ● ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Triandrun 53 Wimbledon Hill Rd, SW19 (020 8500 4841) ▲ ✔ Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri 10-6, Sat 9-6 Closed Wed & Sun

WEST

Action Bikes 101 Uxbridge Rd W12 (020 8743 5265) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4Action Bikes 176 Chiswick High Rd W4 (020 8994 1485) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4 Bikewise 61 Swakeleys Rd Ickenham Middx UB10 (01895 675376) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-2Bonthrone Bicycle Company 917-919 Fulham Rd SW6 (020 7731 5005) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 11-7 Thurs 11-8 Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5 Evans Cycles 548-550 Chiswick High Road, W4 (0870 060 5489) ▲ ✔Mon-Fri 8-8, Sat 9.30-6, Sun 11-5Mend-a-Bike 19 The Arches 33 Munster Rd Fulham SW6 (020 7371 5867) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-7 Sat 9-6 Woolsey of Acton 281 Acton Lane W4 (020 8994 6893) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 9.30-6.30 Sat 9.30-6 (Closed Weds)


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Contact: Stefano Casalotti (020 7435 0196, [email protected]) and Jean Dollimore (020 7485 5896, [email protected])Website: www.camdencyclists.org.uk

CITYCycling continues to boom in the City. Dr Bike events which promote subsidised cycle training were held every Friday lunchtime in March outside Liverpool Street station from 12pm-2pm and then rotated around high-profi le locations in the City. Dr Bikes have also visited bike-friendly businesses such as UBS bank and the Linklaters law fi rm, plus small City residential communities.The Tour de France roadshow comes to Liverpool Street at lunchtime on May 25 with St Paul’s being the focus on the day the Tour leaves London. A ‘nocturne’ is “95% certain” to go ahead between 5pm-10pm on June 23 as a warm up. This professional bike race around Smithfi elds Market would include amateur and novelty rounds featuring couriers and Bromptons. The next meeting of the City Cycle Forum is also planned for June. Our campaigning to increase on-street parking is showing results though we’re still struggling to ensure new buildings have stands outside for visitors. The City Crime Reduction Partnership has said cycles parked inside buildings have the highest rates of theft as people are less careful than when locking their cycles on street. Cycle route studies have been hampered by the quality of consultants involved, and also by the lack of support in City committees. TfL lost momentum after Blackfriars Bridge and tore up agreements made at CRISP meetings and held a secret meeting excluding the LCC in order to prevent Tower Hill being made an LCN+ route. If you can help in any way, please get in contact.Meetings: Check the website or email for detailsContact: Ralph Smyth ([email protected])Website: www.citycyclists.org.uk.

ENFIELDWe are busy putting together plans for Bike Week. Despite Enfi eld Council’s rather lukewarm attitude to cycling, the council is keen to organise a cycling festival in Enfi eld during this year’s Bike Week, so we look forward to working closely with them. Meanwhile, the lively rides and social side of our group continues. Do come along to a ride or meeting.Meetings: April 5 at 8pm at Winchmore Hill Cricket Club, Fords Grove, N21; May 3 at 8pm at the Six Bells, Chase Side, EN2

BARNETWe had the AGM and the existing committee was voted back in as no-one else stood. Still, there is change elsewhere in Barnet. Bittacy Cycles, a much-loved traditional bike shop, has closed down after about 50 years. Rumour is that it will be reopened as a branch of Raleigh Cycles. And Evans Cycles is opening a branch in Hendon. If you’ve never been able to come out on a Sunday ride, how about an evening ride now summer is coming? They start at Tally Ho at 7pm and end at a cafe/pub for a meal. The series starts Monday, April 2 and again on Tuesday, May 1. Meetings: Last Thursday of the month at 8pm at Trinity Church Hall, Nether St, N12Contact: Jeremy Parker (020 8440 9080, [email protected])Website: www.barnetlcc.org

BRENTWe have had a meeting with British Waterways and Brent Council – great presentation by David Arditti. It was a productive meeting with further study recommended into routes in and around the Welsh Harp reservoir as part of the Western Alternative as a means to overcoming the fragmentation of routes. Route 15 along Nicol Road is dependent on the redevelopment of Harlesden Town Centre. For the moment we have a return to the Stonebridge Recreation Ground alignment which will revert to a local route when the redevelopment is fi nalised. We will then have the option of the more direct route from Wembley Triangle down through Harlesden. The Stonebridge route is now well-lit most of the way; the path has been moved out from the trees and security is 24 hours at the stadium. A great result. We have rides planned into the autumn. Thanks to all for your valuable help and organisation. Meetings: The fi rst Wednesday of each month (April 4; May 2 – also our AGM) at Willesden Trades & Social Club, 375 High Rd, NW10. Contact: Patrick Rogan (020 8961 5740, 07815 501 190, [email protected])Website: www.brentcyclists.org.uk

CAMDENWe were pleased to hear that we have been awarded a grant for initiating our fi rst bike bus (see page 4). The Hampstead Heath consultation is now under way. The City of London is asking for feedback via http://tinyurl.com/38lcbh. CCC has written a response in which the main point is to ask for cycle links from the edges of the Heath to the existing cycleways. See our website for more and please support the case for better cycle links. We had fun assessing some designs for bike stands at the Design Against Crime Research Centre at Central St Martins. There were about 10 designs – most intended to secure a bike with a single lock, to give protection to at least one wheel and to stop the bike falling over (see photo).Meetings: April 2, 7.30pm at the Primrose Hill Community Association, 29 Hopkinsons Pl, NW1 8TN (put your bike on railings outside). May 14, 7.30pm at Central St Martins, cnr Theobalds Rd and Southampton Row (use entrance opposite Red Lion Square).

Contact: Richard Reeve (0870 321 3717, [email protected]) Website: www.lccenfi eld.fsnet.co.uk

HACKNEYA huge safety study of the A10 in Hackney has emerged, making interesting reading but suggesting some rather last-century remedies (eg more guard railing). This will be revised as part of TfL’s new ‘corridor’ approach. We want a more people-friendly, less heavily engineered approach, and a 20mph zone on the A10 in Dalston. The Frampton Park Estate bicycle user group has funding from TfL for 75 individual bike lockers. LCC members helped distribute leafl ets advertising them to residents. This will be our biggest installation of secure residential cycle parking. We were the fi rst London borough to be visited by the CTC benchmarking project, which will compare what boroughs are doing to support cycling and share best practice. We understand the team was impressed. The Regent’s Canal towpath is being upgraded, with surface improvements, new signage, mirrors under bridges, and a trial of chicanes designed to deter the sprinters (see page 14). Watch out for the temporary closures. There’ll be an awareness campaign supported by LCC groups, Living Streets and British Waterways. We had another great Burns Night dinner and dance. Thanks to all who came along and to all the volunteers. We recovered our megatrailer, but are still looking for premises for this and our Brox. A correction to last issue’s Hackney news: the route maintenance work programme will be carried out in 07/08, not in 06/07. Finally, the famous East London Railway ‘cyclists dismount’ sign appeared again, this time instructing 2000 cyclists per day to get off and walk on Kingsland Road. We had it removed, but not before a concerned citizen changed the wording to ‘Share The Road’.Meetings: First Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm at Marcon Court Estate Community Hall, cnr Amhurst Rd and Marcon Pl, E8. Contact: Richard Lewis (020 8525 4512) and Trevor Parsons (020 7729 2273); [email protected]: www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk

HAMMERSMITH & FULHAMSpring is here and we have a ride in the H&F festival on April 1. We will also have a barbeque near the milepost to watch the boatrace on April 7. We have started planning the Greenfest West London, to be beside the river in Hammersmith on June 17 during Bike Week. Among other attractions such as Des Kay, we hope to have the York Company of Cyclists with bike tryouts, thanks to LBHF and TfL. You are invited to be

Local groups News

Meade McCloughan and Colleen Macaulay of Camden Cycling Campaign test the innovative cycle stands at the Design Against Crime Research Centre at Central St Martins. Cyclists are invited to try out the stands on Southampton Row WC1B. See www.bikeoff.org/comment

A ‘cyclist dismount’ sign on Kingsland Road was amended by a rider before being offi cially removed at Hackney Cyclists’ request

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Local groups

See the ‘local groups’ section at www.lcc.org.uk for more contact

information and news from your area

involved (see www.greenfest.org.uk).Meetings: First Tuesday of the monthContact: John Griffi ths (020 7371 1290, 07789 095 748, [email protected])Website: www.hfcyclists.org.uk

HARINGEYOn Saturday, March 31, Haringey Cycling Campaign will be taking part in the Sustainable Haringey conference. Anyone who lives or work in Haringey (and receives their LC before this date!) is invited; entrance is free. Many issues will be discussed on the day and there will also be a transport workshop. One of the questions being will be, “how do we encourage more walking and cycling?” Meetings: Please email for detailsContact: Adam Coffman ([email protected])

HILLINGDONOur most recent meeting with the council cycling offi cer discussed the following cycling schemes: Uxbridge Road (Route 39), Heathrow/Harlington’Hayes (Route 88A), Heathrow to Uxbridge (Route 89 south), and Uxbridge to Pinner (Route 89 north). If you have any ideas about these routes, please come along to our next meeting. At these meetings we also get updates on the plans for the Sustrans National Cycle Route 6 which was set to go through Hillingdon via Ruislip Woods. The details are still being negotiated. As we are quite a small group and there are numerous CTC rides organised in the area, we unfortunately do not organise LCC rides, but work with CTC groups as many of us are members of both organisations. Enquiries welcome!Meetings: Phone for detailsContact: Sarah James (020 8868 2912); Steve Ayres (01895 230 953)

HAVERINGOur cycle liaison group met in February. The 2007/08 LIP funding settlement for cycling is £210,000. Offi cers met with TfL to discuss the level of settlement and whether any lessons can be learned to assist future bids. Harrow Lodge Park now has its new, re-routed shared-use path 95% completed (pictured). The surface is excellent but the lamp standards encroach into the path. We’re also surprised to see that ‘toy’ Sheffi eld stands have been installed instead of the tall, narrow variety promised. Proposed parking at Hacton Parade Shops has been rejected. The reason seems to have something to do with the desire to see an overall regeneration scheme implemented but this has nothing to do with

cycle parking, so the TfL funding shall be lost. Most of the other local shopping centre and library locations have been approved. Havering is bidding to Sustrans for a

‘Living Landmarks’ project in the Ingrebourne Valley Greenway to run a new shared-use path through the Country Park. Proposals for shared-use pathways across Rainham Marsh Reserve and alongside the river are advanced. Three schools have been chosen for Bike It projects. There’s also £20,000 for pupil cycle training. The borough wants to train its own cycle instructors. We’re getting upset at the frequency of consultation responses being ignored. Despite our advice to the contrary, for some road safety projects, the adjacent cycle lanes have been removed. We’ve been at great pains to point out that these are the locations where marked lanes are most needed. Terry has written to the council to seek dialogue.Group liasion meetings: May 15, 4pm-6pm, Planning Deptartment meeting room, Mercury House, Romford. Contact is Daniel Douglas, assistant transport planner, Greater London Borough of Havering (01708 432 850, [email protected])Havering Cycling Campaign contact: Bernie Curtis (01708 347 226, [email protected], [email protected])

KINGSTONJohn Legate has been doing stirling work in foul weather with TfL on their CRIM for the A3, recommending that improvements to crossings of the A4 are as important as making the road better for cycling. It looks like the Robin Hood junction has been receiving some design attention. We’re running a one-day maintenance class on May 12 and a six-session course starting June 4. The French city of Lyon and its amazing Vélo-V hire system is our favourite for a fact-fi nding weekend later this year. We’ve met with the council and discussed its three-year, £2.8m programme of LCN works for the borough. Our Bread Pudding rides seem more popular than ever (see page 36).Meetings: April 10, May 8. The venue may change, so please check the website or phone before setting out. Contact: Rob James (020 8546 8865) Website: www.kingstoncycling.org.uk

LEWISHAM2007 brought a very well attended AGM chaired by LCC’s Charlie Lloyd. Speakers included GLA reps Darren Johnson and Murad Qureshi, Cllr Heidi Alexander (Lewisham Deputy Mayor and cabinet member for regeneration) and Cllr Mark Morris (leader of the Liberal Democrat group in Lewisham). Topics included the delivery of the LCN+, what the next ‘big’ headline for cycling should be and Cllr Alexander’s eight-month wait for a key to the showers at the Town Hall. Well over 30 people attended. We now need to keep the political contacts live for 2007 and start using the TdF to keep the message out there. A mention must be made of our treasurer Ian White who has stepped down after many years. Please check out our website for details of the many rides we organise, many including GPS tracks so you can follow them yourself after the event. Meetings: Third Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm, the Albany, Deptford (bring bikes upstairs)Contact: Roger Stocker ([email protected]) Website: www.lewishamcyclists.net

MERTONRoad congestion and climate change are the big issues. To tackle the latter, the only fair and realistic way to deal with this is Mayer Hillman’s solution: carbon rationing (see his book How We Can Save the Planet (http://tinyurl.com/2n5me6). As for congestion, road pricing seems a no-brainer. Roads get congested because demand exceeds supply. Introducing the price mechanism will balance supply and demand. It’s rubbish to say the poor will be hardest hit: the poorest don’t own cars. The effects will be redistributive, as long as the revenue is invested in more sensible modes of transport like cycling and buses. I could be swayed by the policy of the Offi cial Monster Loony Raving Party: “To combat congestion we will immediately close all motorways to all vehicles with the exception of bicycles to encourage our green policy and fi tness”. Annual General Meeting: 8pm May 16 at the All Saints Centre, All Saints Rd, SW19 1BX. Anyone wanting to stand for election to MCC management committee or put a motion to the AGM must do so by May 2 (see MCC constitution on the website). Monthly meetings: 8pm, fi rst Thursday of the month (email or phone for details)Contact: Richard Evans (020 8946 0912, [email protected])Website: www.mertoncyclists.org.uk

REDBRIDGEThe proposed Hog Hill cycle facility on Forest Road has received planning permission for 2km closed road track, mountain bike routes, cyclocross, BMX,pavilion, conference/meeting room and car parking. Redbridge has commissioned a study for a cycle route down at least part of Forest Road to get to it. The opening date is late 2007. Interim facilities are available onroad at The Royals, Victoria Dock, or off-road at Hainault Forest Country Park (see Hubbub). Studies have been done to open up an offroad route through Happy Valley, Seven Kings; to improve the cycle route along A118 Woodford Avenue; and traffi c signals should by now be installed at the junction of Chigwell Road/Snakes Lane on the Roding Valley Way. Please support the LCC stall and Dr Bike at the Redbridge Green Fair on May 27. Book now for two trips away, one at Easter and one over the May Bank Holiday (see Hubbub). Our summer family rides start April 15.Meetings: March 20 at 8pm at Wanstead House, 21 The Green, Wanstead E11 Contact: Gill James (020 8989 4898, [email protected]); Chris Elliott (020 8989 6285, [email protected])

RICHMONDThe group continues to grow in terms of participants at rides and meetings, and through our email distribution. During March we travelled into London, around the borough twice and held our fi rst gentle mid-week ride in and around Bushy Park. See page 26 for rides.We are setting up a website we will advertise in the next LC. Route initiatives include the South Circular and Kneller Gardens.Meetings: The second Monday each month (phone for details) Contact: Ian Lyall ([email protected])

Harrow Lodge Park now has its new, re-routed shared-use path

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Local groups

JUNE/JULY DEADLINE: 6pm Thursday, May 3Please email news to [email protected] – photos are welcome and will be

published if space permits. Please keep contributions as concise as possible.

SOUTHWARKCompare. Grange Road, Bermondsey. Deepest SE1. Spa Park been beautifully restored as part of the big Bermondsey Spa regeneration project. Parkside of Grange Road is a new block of fl ats. Opposite, 30 metres away across the road, is a new Children’s Centre that recently got 12 pages in the RIBA journal. Outside the fi rst are a dozen Sheffi eld stands. But 30 metres away outside the second is an equally new shiny nasty little set of three front-wheel grippers. Useless. How does quality work let itself down in such trash detail? We’re even getting Dr Bike. Our Afterworkers will focus more than usual on canals, and not only because of the 15km of 2012 site fencing going up around the Lee delta in July. The July 22 Latin Carnaval of Indepencias on Peckham Rye asked us to do rides there. Brand new partnerships emerge. April starts with the Good Friday International at Herne Hill Velodrome. Catch our ride there. After our Whitstable Weekend we launch Young Southwark Cyclists on April 27 – the day before the last of our pioneering Bikestart easy rides for novices. Southwark Living Streets and Southwark Cyclists signed Vision for Southwark. Walking and cycling – natural but all too infrequent allies. Try just one of our meetings. The question isn’t how to better our 2006 Bike Week or the 120 miles of the 15th Dunwich dynamo on July 28 or the 88 miles in the mountains on our Wild Wales Weekend at the end of August that niggles away – it’s how to lose those winter pounds in time for June 9’s Naked Bike Ride. Too many reasons for not doing that ride. Keep knocking away those excuses. Shower that morning. Meetings: The second Wednesday of the month at 7pm at Blackfriars Settlement, 1/5 Rushworth Street, SE1. Pub after.Contact: Barry Mason (07905 889 005)Website: www.southwarkcyclists.org.uk WESTMINSTER

Some progress is being made with a route between Bayswater and Tottenham Court Road, avoiding the Lancaster Gate gyratory and most of Oxford Street. Westminster’s offi cers are seeking councillors’ approval for further consultation and design work, while the Royal Parks have been consulting the public about allowing cycling along the north side of Kensington Gardens. This route

is affected by the installation of bollards near the US Embassy. We are hoping that, when the bollards are raised, cyclists will still be able to ride between them. A number of potholes have opened up on Westminster’s roads. If you report them at www.westminster.gov.uk, a temporary repair will be made, while a permanent repairwill be scheduled. But you will probably have to report the hole again when the temporary repair wears out. Meetings: Wednesday, April 18 at 7pm in the Library Bar of the Victoria Pub, Strathearn Pl, W2Contact: Colin Wing (020 7828 1500, [email protected])Website: www.westminstercyclists.fsnet.co.uk)

WANDSWORTHTwo main projects are bouncing us along in Wandsworth. Our Movers & Shakers scheme has hit the spot, and we’ve persuaded a dozen local big cheeses to climb on bikes and show others that cycling really is easy. They’ve all had their training now, and the celebration party looks set to be lively – it should produce some good publicity. We have £1,200 in donated funds to spend. We need ideas for projects to use this on. We’d like to hear from anyone with a good suggestion. Email [email protected] by April 8 in time for discussion at our next meeting. Ideas so far include organising public debates, a project aimed at educational institutions, and publishing leafl ets to motoristsMeetings: Second Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Contact: Simon Merrett (020 8789 6639, [email protected]) Website: www.wandsworthcyclists.org.uk

BARKING & DAGENHAMContact: Colin Newman (020 8591 9225, 07761 577255, [email protected]) www.stibasa.org.uk

BEXLEYContact: Frances Renton (01322 441979, [email protected])www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

BROMLEY: www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

CROYDONContact: Liz Mincer (07946 362193) or Trevor Rolfe (020 8681 1518)www.croydon-lcc.org.uk

EALINGMeetings: First Wednesday of the month Contact: David Lomas (020 8579 0805, [email protected])www.ealingcycling.org.uk

GREENWICHMeetings: First Wednesday of the monthContact: Julian Dobson (07771 692 344)www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

HARROWContact: Jacob Farley Gloor (020 8866 8894)www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

HOUNSLOWMeetings: Last Wednesday of the monthContact: Liz Trayhorn (020 8751 5430)www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

ISLINGTONMeetings: The second Wednesday of the month Contact: Alison Dines (020 7226 7012, [email protected])www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

KENSINGTON & CHELSEAMeetings: Phone for detailsContact: Philip Loy (020 8677 8624, 07960 026 450, [email protected])www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

LAMBETHMeetings: Third Tuesday of the month Contact: Philip Loy (020 8677 8624, 07960 026 450, [email protected]) www.lambethcyclists.org.uk

NEWHAMContact: Bernard McDonnell (07947 236 965)www.lcc.org. uk > Local groups

SUTTONMeetings: Second Tuesday of the monthContact: Chris Parry (020 8647 3584)www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups

TOWER HAMLETSMeetings: Second Wednesday of the monthContact: Owen Pearson (020 7515 9905, [email protected])www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk

WALTHAM FORESTContact: [email protected]

Most groups have email lists to communicate with members and exchange ideas. Ask your local group for detaiils.

OTHER LOCAL GROUP CONTACTS

Members’ advertsOLD BIKES FOR SALE: Good condition, space needed. Large Holdsworth touring bike £100 ono. Large mountain bike £80 ono. Slighlty smaller Falcon hybrid £50 ono. Call 07958 289607 or 020 8361 7526 (Arnos Grove area).FOR SALE: Front and rear Rigida road wheels (700x25) DPX SAT 24 paired stainless spokes, Quando quick release hubs, includes Continental Contact tyres and tubes. £50, collect from WC1. Call James 07914 871 650.

How to advertiseNon-business ads are free for LCC members. Email [email protected] or write to the address on page 3, and include your full name, address and membership number. The June/July issue deadline is: Thursday, May 3. Businesses or members interested in larger advertisements should contact Dan Rich on 020 7306 0300 ext 116 or email [email protected]

Mover & Shaker Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting, arrives at Parliament Square with Rob James of CTUK during a cycle training session on March 1

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A series of rides is planned for Epping Forest this year, start-ing on Sunday, April 29. Other dates include Sunday, July 29 and Sunday, September 16. All rides run from 11am-

3.30pm, and start at the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge on Rangers Road, Chingford (next door to the Royal Forest pub). The rides are for all ages, but a reasonable level of cycling

experience is recommended. The rides explore Epping Forest, stopped en route for a pub lunch. More details are available from Ian Greer at [email protected].


RIDES AND EVENTSSunday, April 1◆ Little Green Ride 9.50 from

Finsbury Park Station (overground ticket office). A 30-mile ride into Hertfordshire with pub lunch. Meet at 9.49am for the 10.11am train to Knebworth/Stevenage. Contact: Sue Dorey (020 7729 5409, not before 11am on Saturdays).

◆ Historical Ride 10am from Ealing Town Hall. Leisurely ride to see historical features within our borders and south into Isleworth. Contact: David Eales (07990 531 472, [email protected])

◆ Spring Ride to Richmond 11am from Interchange Centre

on Haverstock Hill (Hampstead Old Town Hall). Ride the Thames towpath to Richmond, returning via Wimbledon Common, Wandle river Wandle and Clapham. Lunch and tea stops. Contact: James Brander (020 7267 3585) or Jean Dollimore ([email protected])

Friday, April 6◆ The Good Friday International

Day of racing and events at Herne Hill Velodrome. Spectator ride from Southwark. Contact: Barry (07905 889 005). See also www.vcl.org.uk

Saturday, April 7 ◆ Bikestart! Healthy rides for all.

Meet 10am at Dulwich Park cafe for Dr Bike inspection with an 11am ride start. Contact: Barry (07905 889 005, [email protected])

Sunday, April 8◆ Easter treasure hunt/quiz

ride 10am from Outside Enfield Civic Centre, Silver Street, EN2. Family-friendly ride of 10-20 miles with a quiz/treasure hunt. (Chocolate eggs will be involved!) A mix of quiet roads and off-road tracks. Pub lunch, or bring own lunch. Finishes around 4pm. Contact: Richard Reeve (0870 321 3717, [email protected])

Saturday, April 14◆ Bikestart! Local healthy rides for

all. Meet 10am at Peckham Pulse for Dr Bike inspection with an 11am ride start. Contact: Barry (07905 889 005, [email protected])

Sunday, April 15◆ Bread Pudding Ride

10.30am from Kingston Market Place, Queen Anne’s Statue. An easy-paced ride into the Surrey countryside with the Kingston Cycling Campaign. Tea stops, pub lunch and a slice of bread pudding for all. Contact: John Dunn (020 8397 1875, [email protected])

◆ Little Green Ride see April 1

Local groups DiaryYour guide to events and rides that are open to all cyclists

What you need to know about social rides Unless stated, train-assisted rides meet at the relevant ticket office. Lunch is at a pub or take sandwiches if you prefer. Don’t forget: water, lights, a spare inner tube and tools.

Armchair riding To keep up with late changes and extra information, subscribe to the London Riders email list. Send a message to [email protected]

Organisers To publicise your ride or event, enter details onto the LCC database (www.lcc.org.uk). To get events into the June/July issue, please upload full details by noon, Thursday, May 3.

Pencil these Epping Forest rides into your diary

SeaFrance Dover-Calais Ferries has launched a new website (www.sailandcycle.com) to encourage Brits to explore the Continent on two wheels. SeaFrance is also offering 20% off its foot passenger fares to anyone travelling with a bike from now until June 15. During Bike

Week (June 16-24), foot passengers with bikes will travel free, while cars carrying bicycles will receive a 10% discount.

Anyone without internet access can claim the discounts and free tickets by calling 0871 663 2559 and quoting FOOTWK20.

Incentives for cyclists to ride in France

The Peak District and Der-byshire are hoping to cash in on cycle tourism with the launch of a Walking & Cycling Breaks brochure. The 12-page booklet provides details and maps of themed routes such as ‘Edges and Ales’ and ‘Castles and Caverns’. The brochure ties in with the promotion of themed holiday options for walkers and cyclists, with cycling holidays

starting at £115 (including ac-commodation). Everyone book-ing a weekend break receives a pack featuring a full itinerary, walking or cycling route notes, a laminated map, OS maps for the area, and accommodation information.

Copies of the walking and cycling booklet are available by calling 0870 2255 450 or via www.visitpeakdistrict.com/walk

Explore the Peak District and Derbyshire

Tour de France roadshowsTransport for London’s programme of Tour de France roadshows rolls on to get Londoners excited about the Tour coming to town. The roadshows include lots of info on the race and competitions with a cycling theme. See www.tourdefrancelondon.com or ask your local group coordinator if a roadshow is coming to your borough. See page 16 for LCC’s spectator rides to the Tour. LC’s June/July issue will carry a full preview of the Tour’s visit to London.

The largest-ever North Devon and Exmoor Walking and Cycling Festival will be held May 3-11. The programme features 62 guided walks and cycle rides, half of them new to the festival.

The cycling programme concentrates on mountain bike rides, with experienced leaders weaving challenging offroad trails through Exmoor. On the May 7 bank holiday, there will be a ‘cycling circus’ at Barnstaple’s Rock Park, with visitors able to practise their skills on unicycles and trick bikes.

For more information, see www.walkcyclenorthdevon.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 01271 883 131.

Walking and cycling festival in early May

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Local groups

Saturday, April 21◆ EasyRide (taxes Incl) 10am from Cricklewood station

to Harpenden (£7.20 return fare) then a loop around Harpenden, Luton Airport, Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and back to Harpenden. Distance (38km/24 miles). Contact: Paul Hayward (07762 279 149, [email protected])

◆ Vanunu Freedom Ride Peace ride from Scotland arrives in

London. Cyclists welcome to join. Contact: David (0845 458 1965, [email protected])

See www.vanunufreedomride.org.ukSaturday, April 21◆ Bikestart! Local healthy rides for

all. Meet 10am at Southwark Park cafe for Dr Bike inspection; 11am ride start. Contact: Barry (07905 889 005, [email protected])

◆ Whitstable Weeekend 65 miles on Saturday, 55 miles Sunday with Southwark Cyclists. Train back. Contact: Barry (07905 889 005,[email protected])

Sunday, April 22◆ Edmonton to Blake Hall 9am from outside Edmonton Old

Leisure Centre, Plevna Rd, N9. Road ride to the Battle of Britain Operations Rooms at Blake Hall (there’s a fee to go in). Cafe lunch (or bring your own). 30-40 miles with steep hills. Back 6pm(ish) Contact: Richard Reeve (0870 321 3717, [email protected])

Wednesday, April 25◆ Midweek Ride 7.30pm: Kingston

Market Place, Queen Anne’s Statue. Easy-paced short local ride with the Kingston Cycling Campaign. Pub stop is on the menu. Bring lights. Contact: John Dunn (020 8397 1875, [email protected])

Friday, April 27◆ ICAG Ride to Critical Mass 6.15pm from Islington Town Hall,

Upper Street N1. Join Islington Cyclists’ Action Group’s feeder ride to London’s largest monthly cycle ride. Contact: Alison Dines (020 7226 7012, [email protected])

Saturday, April 28 ◆ Bikestart! See April 7Sunday, April 29◆ Little Green Ride see April 1◆ Bread Pudding Ride

see April 15 ◆ Greenwich Mayor’s Cycle

Ride 11am from Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10. 10-mile ride in aid of Demelza Children’s Hospice and Greenwich MIND. £5 entry (under 12s free). Contact: Janice Harwood (020 8921 5033, [email protected])

Sunday, May 6 ◆ Ruislip Lido 10am from Ealing

The Stroke Associa-tion needs volunteer marshalls to help with its annual Thames Bridge Bike Ride on May 13. The event is a 32-mile spon-sored ride along the Thames, and is expected to attract more than 2,400 cyclists. The times marshalls are required vary, with shifts from 7.50am. Organisers are also in need of pit stop crews, and teams to moni-tor to start and finish lines.

Anyone interested in

helping out should contact Katie Nicholls on 020 7566 0321 or [email protected].

For last-minute rides, contact your local group (details page 32)

or go to www.lcc.org.uk

Sustrans and publisher Pocket Mountains have released a new guide to Scotland’s 430-mile Lochs and Glens Cycle Route. Sustrans has also updated two of its maps for the northern and southern sections of the route.

The Lochs and Glens route meanders from Carlisle through farmland and mountain ranges to the Inverness. The 96-page Lochs and Glens guide is split into day-long sections. The Lochs and Glens South Cycle Route Map covers the 214-mile section which offers a gentle, more tranquil ride compared to its northern counterpart, the Lochs and Glens North Cycle Route Map. The guide (£6.99) and maps (£6.99) are on sale via 0845 113 0065, from www.sustrans.org.uk or from selected bookshops and bike shops. See page 40 for more books from Pocket Mountains.

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Volunteers needed for Thames cycle ride

Discover Scotland’s lochs and glens Town Hall. A few hills and lovely views and descents. Via Harrow and Pinner; back through country lanes to Uxbridge and return via the canal. Contact: David Eales (07990 531 472, [email protected])

Tuesday, May 8◆ Evening ride to Brickendon/

Bayford 7pm outside Enfield Civic Centre. Through country lanes to the Farmers Boy pub in Brickendon Green. About 15 miles there (inc steep hills). Train back from Bayford to Enfield Chase. Bring lights! Contact: Richard Reeve (0870 321 3717, [email protected])

Sunday, May 13◆ Little Green Ride see April 1◆ Bread Pudding Ride

see April 15◆ Ducks & Drakes Ride 10am

from Wembley Triangle to Wetland Centre (£7.25 entry) in Barnes. Wembley 10am (26km/17 miles), 10.45am Roundwood Park (18km/12 miles). Contact: Paul Hayward (07762 279 149,[email protected])

Thursday, May 24◆ Pedal to Paris Five-day charity

ride starts. Contact: S Walker (020 7426 3854, [email protected])

Friday, May 25◆ ICAG Ride to Critical Mass

see April 27Sunday, May 27◆ Bread Pudding Ride

see April 15◆ Little Green Ride see April 1Wednesday, May 30◆ Midweek Ride see April 25

Loch Katrine in the Trossachs

June 16-24 ◆ Bike Week: A celebration of

cycling. Contacts: 0845 612 0661, [email protected] or see www.bikeweek.org.uk

Sunday, June 17◆ BHF London to Brighton bike

ride. See www.bhf.org.uk◆ Green Fest, Hammersmith.

See www.greenfest.org.ukSunday, June 24◆ Wandle Valley Festival.

Cycle rides are planned. Call 0870 714 0750 or see www.wandlevalleyfestival.org.uk

Sunday, July 1◆ British Cyclosportive.

Amateurs ride the London to Kent stretch of the Tour route. See www.everydaycycling.com

July 6-8◆ Tour de France. Includes

spectator rides (details at www.lcc.org.uk). Official site:www.tourdefrancelondon.com

July 15◆ London Bikeathon: Three routes

covering distances of 13, 26 or 52 miles for charity. See www.londonbikeathon.co.uk

July 28-29◆ Dunwich Dynamo: Famous

120-mile overnight ride. See www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk or call 020 7249 3779

September 15-23◆ Isle of Wight Cycling Festival.

See www.sunseaandcycling.comSeptember 16-22◆ European Mobility Week.

For European Mobility Week Award 2007 finalists, see www.mobilityweek-europe.org

September 23◆ London Freewheel: Mass

participation ride. See page 16October 11-14◆ The Cycle Show. UK’s biggest

bike expo at Earl’s Court. See www.cycleshow.co.uk

PLANNING AHEAD

Tickets for the September 3-9 Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships in Fort William go on sale April 16. Details available from www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk To coincide, VisitScotland is set to launch its new Mountain Biking Guide to Scotland. More details at www.visitscotland.com/adventure

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Books ’n’ things


Cycle Essex (Essex County Council, £5.50)

Bike Scotland Book One: 40 Great Routes From Central Scotland (Pocket Mountains, £5.99) Big name, small book. This pocket-sized guide, a companion piece for the book below, is a colourful, easy-to-follow book outlining routes of varying length and difficulty. The routes are suitable for any bike (the few more suited to mountain bikes are marked as such), and all rides start within an hour’s train ride of the main cities. A fantastic way to see the best of Scotland.

Bike Scotland Trails Guide: 40 Of The Best Mountain Bike Routes In Scotland (Pocket Mountains, £6.99)A fantastic little guide for beginners (there are tips, a glossary, and advice on trail gradings), but regular mountainbikers keen to ride north of the border will also find something here.See Diary from page 36 for more on bike routes in Scotland.

Camping France 2007 (Michelin, £10.99)Useful for any tourers looking to see France on two wheels. Released in time for this year’s Tour, it includes 3,000 campsites throughout the country.

France (Lonely Planet, £15.99)Short on cycle-specific information, but handy for regional history and accommodation options in cities and larger towns.

The Forger, Cioma Schönhaus (Granta, £9.99)

Think you’re hard done by in this city? Annoyed by cars and bike thieves? Well Cioma Schönhaus’ memoir is quite a reality check, with German Jew Schönhaus taking us back to 1940s Berlin. After witnessing the indescribable trauma of seeing his family deported to certain death, Schönhaus begins a remarkable yet often weirdly humorous fight for survival. This exhilarating tale recounts his work as a forger for

fellow Jews living every minute of every day facing death. It makes for an amazing read. This book is rare – atrue story told with little emotion. And guess what? He plots his escape to the Swiss border by bike. Andrew Barnett

Anyone who has ventured beyond the media stereotype will confirm that Essex is home to areas of fantastic natural beauty and peaceful, winding lanes. This pack contains a series of seven guides covering routes from Colchester and Dedham in the north right through to Chipping Ongar and Ingatestone. Each guide comprises a clearly printed route map, coupled with shorter alternatives – invaluable when planning rides with children. The reverse lists attractions and useful information relevant to the areas, including directions by road and rail.

The year guide carries excellent photography and an events calendar allowing rides to coincide with other entertainment. There is also a chapter discussing the intellectual heritage of and artistic presence in the county. Billy Bragg and LC’s Backpedallling columnist Ken Worpole are both contributors.

Copies of Cycle Essex are available from the county’s visitor information centres, via www.realessex.co.uk or by calling 0845 600 7373. Michael Stenning

The day before his discharge he has a surprise visitor: the boy who hit him, Wayne something-or-other, Bright or Blight.

Wayne is calling to see how he is getting on, though not, it emerges, to admit to any fault. “Thought I’d see how you are getting on, Mr Rayment,” says Wayne. “I’m really sorry for what happened. Real bad luck.” Not an artist in words, young Wayne; yet his every utterance is carefully evasive, as though he has been told the room is bugged. And indeed, as he later learns, Wayne’s father was in the corridor throughout the visit, eavesdropping.

No doubt he had coached Wayne beforehand: “Be respectful to the old bugger, say you’re sorry, but at all costs don’t admit you did anything wrong.”

What son and father say to each other in private concerning the riding of pushbikes on busy streets he can imagine all too well. But the law is the law: even stupid old buggers on pushbikes have the right not to be ridden down, and Wayne and his father know that. They must be trembling at the thought of a suit, from him or his insurance company. That must be why Wayne picks his words so judiciously.

Real bad luck. There is a range of replies he can think of, starting with ‘Nothing to do with luck, Wayne, just real bad driving’. But what use is there in scoring points off a boy who does not have it in his power to fix what he has smashed? He closes his eyes, wishing Wayne to go away.

An accident: something that befalls one, something unintended, unexpected. By that definition he, Paul Rayment, certainly had an accident. What of Wayne Blight? Did Wayne have an accident too? How did it feel the instant the missile he was piloting in a haze of loud music dug into the sweet softness of human flesh? A surprise, no doubt, unexpected, unintended; yet not unpleasurable in its way. Could what occurred at the ill-starred crossroads truly be said to have befallen Wayne? If there was any befalling done, it was, in his view, Wayne who befell him.

He opens his eyes. Wayne is still by the bedside, sweat pearling on his upper lip. Wayne is waiting for a signal, and he wants Wayne out of his life. “Good of you to come, lad,” he says, “but I have a headache and I need to sleep. So goodbye.”Slow Man, JM Coetzee (Vintage, £7.99)

Fine linesextracts from Slow Man by JM Coetzee

Reviews

Guides out now

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Book ’n’ things

Cycle fi lm show, Phoenix Cinema, Sunday, April 8, 2.15pm Battle Of The Bikes, the story of Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman and their fight for the world pursuit championship and hour record, is just one film screening as part of this special day of films. Paris-Roubaix: Le Centenaire, the official film of the race’s 100 years, and The Greatest Show On Earth, about Eddy Merckx’s victory in the 1974 Giro d’Italia, also screen on a day worthy of support. Phoenix Cinema, 52 High Rd, East Finchley, N2 9PJ (020 8442 0442, www.phoenixcinema.co.uk). Battle Of The Bikes is also available for £22.99 from Bromley Video (01932 879 940, www.bromleyvideo.com)

Contested Streets: Breaking New York City Gridlock (Transport Alternatives, US$19.95 plus postage) It’s always interesting to see yourself as others see you, and this documentary, co-produced by sustainable transport group Transportation Alternatives (www.transalt.org), turns the spotlight on London’s efforts to beat traffic congestion. And while London’s progress appears to stack up well – even against Copenhagen! – one can’t help feeling the film’s clear anti-car agenda aims to convince viewers that just about anywhere is better than New York City. Regardless, the message is clear: unless New York starts working towards cutting its reliance on cars, the city’s economic development will suffer. And, as in London, cycling has a huge role to play in those efforts. Available on DVD from www.transalt.org.

The Thames Project, Kurt Jackson (Lemon Street Gallery, £30)Published to coincide with his exhibition at the South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell (until May 7), Kurt Jackson’s extraordinary The Thames Project charts moments in the lives of people Jackson encountered along the river’s banks. While the exhibition and book are not cycle-specific, it does include Evening Cyclists, pictured here. Jackson says: “This painting shows a moment of apparent shared happiness – a mother and child cycling together along the riverside one early evening.”Jackson himself is a cyclist, and mostly rides in the countryside where he does most of his painting. For more on Kurt Jackson and his work, see www.kurtjackson.co.uk

I once tape-recorded the memoirs of an elderly shoe-maker in Hackney, a skilled craftsman, who learnt the trade at his father’s knee – literally. He started making shoes at home by the age of 10. This kindly man had rarely travelled in his life, but said that one of his favourite

pastimes was to take an atlas or map to bed and imagine what the landscapes and towns looked like from the contours, rivers and symbols on the map.

A map is as good as a novel or a great painting. The recent, and rather wonderful exhibition, London: A Life in Maps at the British Library, demonstrated that the very earliest maps of London were indeed paintings, full of spouting fi sh in the Thames, neatly drawn woodlands and forest clearings along Bankside, and grisly severed heads stuck on pikes at the gateway to London Bridge. They mixed the pictorial and the diagrammatic in equal proportions, and were mostly done by Dutch illustrators who earned a living in both narrative painting and the new ‘science’ of cartography. The exhibition contained several ‘Bicycle Road Maps’ for Middlesex (including London), with suggestions for nearly 300 short spins to be done by enthusiasts for this wonderful new machine.

There’s probably no such thing as a merely functional map. The early Christian maps put Jerusalem at the centre of the world; the Ordnance Survey maps I mostly use these days put Maldon in Essex at the centre of the known universe, as I continue to explore the back roads of the coastlands and river interiors. Maps refl ect not only places but attachments too. When I’m out cycling at weekends, I look at the OS map at least three or four times an hour to visualise ahead the turnings, lanes, hamlets, churches and rivers shortly to be encountered. Back at home I can recreate almost every journey I’ve ever made by following the route by map – and the memories come fl ooding back, particularly through the association of place names: Mistley Heath, Horsleycross Street, Hare Green, Goose Green, Weeley, Great Holland, Kirby-le-Soken, Horsey Island.

Maps relate to paintings and poems in their free association of contour lines, pictograms and place names in the way that road signs relate to the dead language of offi cialdom and the motor trade. A map is a guide to a better world, a world of uncertainty, discovery, serendipity and happenstance. A beautiful corrugated chapel here, a tea shop with a duck pond there, a long avenue of limes leading all the way to the sea. No doubt there is someone somewhere already working on a satellite navigation system designed for bikes. If I knew who they were I’d go straight to where they were working and drive an icicle deep into their cold, cold heart.

Ken Worpole’s many books on landscape and architecture are detailed at www.worpole.net

Karen Darke relives her hand-cycling and climbing adventures across the world – a tale that serves to remind us that the human spirit is a truly wonderful thing. Darke – paralysed in a rock-climbing accident – is just as active after her accident as before it, taking us with her as she cycles along some very inspirational roads. Keep an eye on LC’s Fine lines column in June/July for an extract from the book.

If You Fall ... , Karen Darke (O Books, £9.99)

BackpedallingKen Worpole

On screen

Evening Cyclists, Richmond Bridge, by Kurt Jackson

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From Muswell Hill to the Ritz

I ride an old rusty Dawes Lightning with oil-camoufl aged Shimano 105 components. I tend to favour proper cycling clothes, not so much because they look good, but because I’d look silly cycling in the tuxedo I wear as a table supervisor on the night shift at the Ritz Casino on Piccadilly.

My journey begins by heading down Muswell Hill Road with its abominable potholes and up to Highgate station. Archway Road can be scary with buses and articulated lorries racing for the green lights. It’s best to claim the centre of a lane and keep the speed high. Further down there is a bus lane, although BMW drivers apparently have a special dispensation to use it.

Junction Road runs through Archway and Tufnell Park to Kentish Town. Again, buses and potholes are a problem, as are distracted pedestrians making their way through traffi c with their mobiles clamped to their heads.

Once through the chaos of Kentish Town Road, it’s a quick sprint through the back streets of Camden Town. Well-meaning Camden Council have made great efforts to accommodate cyclists, but don’t seem to have ever actually met one. My favourite example of this misplaced enthusiasm is a cycle lane 10-feet long that ends (labelled “END” so you know it) on a speed bump.

Entering Regent’s Park, I have a long sweep of clear cycling past the zoo – you can see the giraffes from the road. Just past the tennis club is Winfi eld House, home to the American ambassador to Britain. The armed policemen at the gate nod politely if I wave to them, but they never take their hands off their weapons to return my hand gesture.

Almost opposite Winfi eld House is the Regent’s Park Mosque with its colossal chandelier visible through the windows. The dome is looking a bit grubby these days and needs the attention of a gilder.

I turn out of the park at Clarence Terrace and hack my way down Baker Street, past the Sherlock Holmes Museum. As a law-abiding cyclist, I wait at the pedestrian lights here, though they do seem to be timed to let earthworms wriggle safely across the road.

Halfway down Baker Street are the welcome red Cs painted on the road, though I haven’t noticed much difference in the levels of congestion since their introduction.On Orchard Street, between Wigmore and Oxford Street, the traffi c congeals completely and shoppers wend their way around the stationary cars, oblivious to the possibility of a cyclist appearing.

I get through eventually and have a fast run around Grosvenor Square, then a tricky left and a right into Berkeley Square with its

beautiful old plane trees thriving despite high levels of pollution.

A last sprint up Berkeley Street, watching out for double-parked cars outside Nobu and the Palm Beach, and I arrive at work. Journey time: approximately 30 minutes.

And the return leg ...Although my commute into work could not be described as relaxing, the return journey, in the early hours of the morning, is as peaceful as one could want, especially compared to the joys of riding the night bus.

In summer the sun is already coming up and the air is clean and fresh. The policemen at Winfi eld House seem more relaxed and wish me good morning as I pass. If I’m feeling macho, I take a steeper route through Hampstead; if I’m suicidal, the only way home is up Highgate West Hill.

I am lucky in that my employer provides both secure parking and showers at work. If I could just persuade them to sign up to the government’s Bike2Work scheme, I could buy a new bike as well.

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Pictured: William Weinstein leaves Muswell Hill for the Ritz on Piccadilly

Most Londoners commute to work as the sun rises, but not William Weinstein. Here, he shares the chaos of Kentish Town Road and the serenity of Regent’s Park en route to his night shift at the Ritz

My way

ABOUT THE AUTHOR William Weinstein was born in London but spent much of his adult life abroad, returning to London in 2000. He lives in Muswell Hill and works at the Ritz Casino, Piccadilly, as a casino inspector (a table supervisor). He has been commuting in London for six years.


THE JOURNEYDistance: Eight milesTime: 30 minutes High points: Watching the fi rst hint of the summer sun rise over Regent’s ParkLow points: The innumerable potholes and bendy buses

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Outward bound


Cycling the Salient

“Nonsense,” I said confidently when my long-time quiz night partner, The Old Git, as he refers to himself, talked about “if” he

ever cycled the battlefields of the Ypres Salient again. “It’s not if, but when.” And go we did, in July last year, to the Grand Old Duke of York’s hill, we drank beer, ate chocolate (and frites with mayo), saw things that looked like stone Daleks, Hellfire Corner, monuments to military cyclists, and the grave of Peter Pan. Not bad for a cycle touring virgin, or for my first experience of

the Western Front. The Ypres Salient, a bulge in the Western Front

around the town itself, was formed after Allied forces had prevented the Germans reaching the Channel and ‘turning the corner’ into France. After both sides dug in, it was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in World War I. So heavy was the fighting that when the shelling stopped, a man on horseback in Ypres could see from one side to the other, so little of the town remained standing.

The battlefields of Flanders are a poignant reminder of the true cost of war. Using Ypres as his base, Chris Elliott cycled the now peaceful region that was once the Western Front

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Outward bound

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Nowadays, the town centre has been reconstructed, and Ypres (or Ieper in Flemish) is an ideal base for day trips to the battlefields. A semicircle of low hills marking the position of the front line surrounds Ypres like the rim of a saucer, and a lot can be seen by bike while covering 18-30 miles in a series of loops out and back.

Our route to Ypres was largely dictated by the fact that only one ferry, from Dover to Calais, currently takes foot passengers with bikes. We took a combination of trains and tube to Dover, then cycled from Calais to Saint-Omer along the N43 (about 35 miles) before staying overnight in the local Ibis hotel. From here, we went along the D933/948, through Mont Cassel and Poperinge to Ypres. Again only about 35 miles, but Mont Cassel, linked to the brief invasion of Flanders by Frederick, Duke of York in 1793, goes from nothing to 176 metres high, and temperatures that day topped 37°C. On the way back, we skirted it via the N916/N42

At Ypres, we stayed at the Old Tom Hotel, on the Grote Markt (Central Square), a hotel run by Filip, a double for ex-England footballer Alan Shearer. Modest accommodation, but good food, and we could store the bikes in a lockable underground garage across the square. Within 50 yards was the Troubadourtje bar,

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To mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, there will be commemorative events across West Flanders from June to November.

Often called the ‘Third Battle of Ypres’, the offensive helped shape the outcome of the war in 1918. The prologue to the battle was spawned by the explosion of 19 deep mines under the ridge near Messines-Wytschaete on June 7, 1917. What followed was an offensive that should have lasted no longer than three weeks, but went on for three months and marked the initial withdrawal of the

German defence lines. In just 100 days, more than 500,000 soldiers were either killed, wounded or declared missing. The Battle of ‘Passion-dale’, as it was often called, was one of the bloodiest massacres of the Great War.

On July 12, an official remembrance ceremony will take place at Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest Commonwealth burial ground in Europe, and the final resting place of almost 12,000 soldiers. Later that day, the 80th anniversary of the inauguration of the Menin Gate in Ypres will be marked.

A remembrance programme has been planned by of Zonnebeke, Heuvelland, Messines and Ypres to coincide with the anniversary proceedings. A special exhibition will open in Messines for three months from June, before moving to Wytschaete until November 19. Another six exhibitions will be set up from July 13 around Zonnebeke and linked along the Westhoek cycle network. For more in format ion, see www.passchendaele.be and www.greatwar.be, or contact Tourism Flanders & Brussels (see page 47). Lynette Eyb

Battle of Passchendaele commemorations in 2007

Both pages: Wartime photographs of the Ypres area, plus the construction of the Menin GateLeft page inset: Chris Elliott and his cycling mate Richard East enjoy a beer at Troubadourtje bar in Ypres Above: Their journey to Belgium



Outward bound

TRIP ADVICE FROM CHRIS PlanningWe booked everything online, usually by email, and managed luggage on two rear panniers apiece. We used main roads from Calais, but there are often segregated cycle lanes on the narrowest stretches, and HGVs gave us plenty of room as they passed us. For a Londoner, Belgium is cycling heaven – there are even cycle lanes on roundabouts – but you have to think hard when turning left to avoid ending up on the wrong side of the road. Aim to spend 7-10 days to see everything, and budget around £450-£500 per person.

Useful booksMajor And Mrs Holt’s Battlefi eld Guide To Ypres Salient(Pen & Sword Books)Good Beer Guide To Belgium by Tim Webb (CAMRA Books)

Further information and contacts Ferry timetables and bookings: www.directferries.co.ukOld Tom, Ypres (Grote Markt 8; +32 (0) 5720 1541; www.oldtom.be)Ibis Hotel, Saint-Omer (2-4 rue Henri Dupuis; +33 3219 31111; www.ibishotel.com)

Tourist informationTourism Flanders & Brussels (1a Cavendish Square, W1G 0LD; 020 7307 7738; www.visitfl anders.co.uk). Ask Tourism Flanders for a copy of a cycle map outlining the 45km ‘Peace route’, which takes in much of the area outlined in this article.The Shell Hole museum, Ypres (D’Hondtstraat 54; +32 (0) 57 208 758; www.shellhole.com)In Flanders Fields museum, Ypres (Grote Markt 34; +32 (0) 57 239 220; www.infl andersfi elds.be)

where Big Eric serves the excellent local Hommelbier. Along the Lille Road and just off the square is Ter Posterij, which has a great range of beers, and a fantastic beef casseroled with prunes in Trappist beer.

Tracing a brutal warFew overt signs of the savage fighting remain, although Hill 60 and Sanctuary Wood have preserved trenches, shell holes and their own museums, but the area is rich in monuments. A good guide like the classic Major And Mrs Holt’s Battlefield Guide, which comes with a specialist map, will bring them to life.

In Ypres itself, the In Flanders Fields Museum is unmissable, as is the deeply moving Last Post, played at 8pm each evening at the nearby Menin Gate. The

gate commemorates 54,896 soldiers without known graves, including, on Panels 54 and 56, members of the Cyclists’ Battalion London Regiment and the Army Cyclist Corps. Just outside the town, a roundabout marks the site of the legendary Hellfire Corner. On the approach road from Ypres is something resembling a stone Dalek, one of a chain of demarcation stones once stretching from Switzerland to the Channel and set up by the Belgian Cycling League to mark the furthest point of the German advance.

Around the salient are 160 cemeteries, each grave with its own story. At Voormezeele Enclosure No 3 Cemetery is the final resting place of 21-year-old George Llewellyn Davies, stepson of JM Barrie, and inspiration for Peter Pan, who also never grew old.

Above: The Tyne Cot cemeteryBottom left: ‘The Brooding Soldier’ Canadian memorialBelow: A chain of demarcation stones was set up by the Belgian Cycling League to mark the furthest point of the German advance

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Cape Town’s on the move

Cape Town, and indeed South Africa, has fi rst and third world communities living alongside one another. During apartheid, access to opportunities was removed from the majority of the population. While this process is slowly reversing under democracy, much racial division and separation still exists.

Many people spend hours each day treading long dusty paths to places of work or to school, or out simply searching for work. Others have to pay hard-earned wages for costly and at times ineffi cient and unsafe public transport.

It is in the spirit of this environment that the Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN) was established in Cape Town in February 2002. The main mission of BEN is poverty alleviation through the promotion of the use of the bicycle so as to enhance low-cost non-motorised transport and to improve health through linking exercise and mobility. Together with local and international partners, BEN facilitates the transportation of bicycles from Europe, the Americas and Asia to southern Africa, the distribution of these bicycles to strategically selected groups, the establishment of bicycle workshop projects, and the planning and introduction of a range of bicycle user paths and integrated networks.

Bicycles are for mobility and job creation, for sharing and unifying of communities. In the past fi ve years BEN has explored and implemented the establishment of bicycle projects in seven rural and urban townships; delivered nearly 2,000 new and 3,000 used bicycles to schools, to places of work and to farm workers by working with community-based organisations. BEN has also trained the young and the old in bike maintenance, road safety and brought about a growing understanding of the value of bikes as a form of mobility. Seven repair businesses have been set up and the newly employed project managers provide support for the community and, of course, for their bikes.

Making a differenceAs a result of these programmes, a bicycling city is emerging in Cape Town. The success of the Cape Argus Pick ’n’ Pay Cycle Tour, established in 1978 (and now the largest timed bike race in the world) has helped build the foundations of a cycling culture. This now needs to be extended to everyday commuting. Small, often tiny, footsteps are being made in this direction.

During the past fi ve years, Cape Town and the Western Cape Government have taken small strides towards a bicycling city by supporting BEN in the distribution of commuter-style bicycles. These complement the established racing and recreational market that already exists in South Africa. More bicycles are now being used on Cape Town roads for a greater variety of reasons and purposes.

Kids are cycling to school; adults are using bicycles as they begin to realise the effi ciency, health and cost benefi ts. These needs are also being met by the Independent Bicycle Dealers (IBD) projects that BEN has established in rural and township areas.

Planning for the futureThe City of Cape Town and the Province of the Western Cape have invited BEN to be a partner and contributor to the strategic planning of roads and transport. Many events are being planned – bike to work days, car-free days and school events. We’re also partnering with competitive bike races where bicycles are distributed along the route (such as the Cape Epic and the Tour d’Afrique) – all of which helps to raise the status of cycling. It is hoped this can one day extend to other parts of Africa.

With a growing population and a struggle to access education and employment, the bicycle may just prove to be the answer to communities in need of low-cost, effi cient and environmentally sound transport. Cape Town is beginning to demonstrate that, with successful partnerships, this can be achieved.

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London isn’t the only city making inroads into developing a cycling culture. Andrew Wheeldon from LCC’s Cape Town counterpart explains what’s happening in his city

Dispatches

GET INVOLVED For more on Cape Town’s Bicycling Empowerment Network, see www.benbikes.org.zaBEN works with charity Re~Cycle to ship bikes to Africa. To donate a bike, take it to their Vauxhall collection point (call 020 7793 1110 for details or see www.re-cycle-east.org)


Above and right: Cape Town kids and their bikesTop right: Kids play outside the home of home of Nomawethu Maqungo. The house was burned down after the picture was taken. BEN is raising funds to rebuild it. LCC readers visiting Cape Town can help by purchasing a bicycle township tour, or by donating the equivalent amount (£25). Contact BEN via the website below to help

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My bike & I Robert ElmsC

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The BBC London radio presenter chats about cycling through Regent’s Park, the Tour de France and his conversion to road bikes

Interview


cyclists are also drivers, but most drivers don’t know what it’s like on two wheels. Maybe that should be part of their education.Do you get annoyed when you have hostile listeners calling in to complain about cyclists?Not many do, but I understand – it’s tough out there.Do you fi nd yourself often trying to convert others to two wheels?I’m more of a militant road biker. I was a late convert to dropped bars and thin wheels, but now I don’t un-derstand why anybody would ride anything else. All other bikes are heavy and clumsy.If you could do one thing on two wheels, what would it be and why?Last year I rode a stage of the Tour and that was wonderful. I’d love to do the cobbles of Flanders, but that seems unlikely as I’m just not good enough.As a road biker, what impact do you think the Tour de France is going to have on London?I don’t think we understand the grandeur of the Tour – perhaps we will begin to grasp why it’s such a monumentally big deal to most Europeans. It will be a fantastic event, and a chance for us road racing nuts to bask in a little refl ected glory.

Tell us about your route to work.At the moment it’s three and a half miles, Tufnell Park to Marylebone – rotten traffi c in Kentish Town, nice spin through Regent’s Park, downhill all the way and uphill home. About 15 minutes there; 18 back.Where else do you enjoy riding in London?I do the Regent’s Park outer circle velodrome, and the hills of Highgate and Hampstead. How long have you been riding in London?Always. As a kid I cycled, as a student at the LSE, and throughout my adult life. It was a bit hard when I was a punk though – bondage trousers and bicycles don’t go well together.What sort of bike do you ride?I have three bikes, but my love is a handsome, hand-built Roberts road bike in Italian blue with full Campagnolo groupset.Are you a good cyclist?I’m a fairly decent city cyclist and a sadly inept road rider, but I do try.What’s your idea of the perfect cycling holiday?I have a house in Andalucia at the top of a perpendicular hill. I keep a bike there, and get out before the sun gets too extreme. (I ride) all the way downhill to the sea, then all the way up again. With a couple of mates and a couple of beers after, that’s pretty perfect.You often talk about cycling on your show — what response do you usually get from the public when they hear you’re a cyclist?The response is getting better, but there are still some militant motorists who hate us. I’m a motorist too, so I know how frustrated they get cooped up in those horrible machines.This morning you told (colleague) Vanessa Feltz that you were spat at on your way to work. Can you give us a rundown of what happened?I was on my daily commute, in Camden Town, coming towards a junction where I needed to turn right. I pulled into the middle of the road, a car behind beeped aggressively, so I indicated that I was turning. They revved really hard, forcing me over; the passenger wound down his window and gobbed at me. I can’t deny I got angry and then later sad that I have to live in a city with people like that. I resisted the temptation to kick their car when I got to the next lights as I would probably have ended up with more bodily fl uids than just spit on me, and the blood would have been mine.We have an opinion piece in this edition by Lynn Sloman, who says cyclists are defi ned by their mode of transport in a way drivers would never be... I am not anti car – I don’t believe they (cars) are bad, and that kind of militant stuff makes us sound like nutters. How are you supposed to get to and from the supermarket with three kids and shopping on a bike? Or from Edgware to Croydon? Cars have their place – we just have to learn to share the road better. Most

“Cycling was a bit hard when I was a punk – bondage trousers and bicycles don’t go well together”

ROBERT ELMS You can hear Rob-ert Elms on BBC London 94.9FM each week day between midday and 3pm. The show features guests from across the worlds of arts, media, politics and entertainment.

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London Cyclist Magazine April-May 2007

Documents

Transcript of London Cyclist Magazine April-May 2007