Well Observed

Since the advent of the Internet I very rarely purchase a newspaper unless I am holiday or travelling by train. News is so readily available at the touch of a button and if you throw TV into the mix you have multiple news channels which offer a variety of different percpectives. numbers.
I used to always get a Sunday paper which used to take me all week to read. I would savour it like some lovingly baked cake, consuming it in equally portioned sections.
My paper of choice was the Sunday Observer.
This Sunday they hooked me back in with their review section. This was almost entirely dedicated to cycling in the United Kingdom.
Thank you Observer, you have won me back
They also have a good article on their Internet by Tim Lewis which I have copied below.

All pumped up and ready to go
Time was when only a tiny number of people cycled in Britain, and even then it was a dour, functional affair. Now, cycling is seen as eco-friendly, cool, healthy, cheap and practical, while bikes - and those who ride them - have become the epitome of style

About 10 years ago, I decided to ride my bike to work. This is, I appreciate, not the most dramatic opening gambit, but at the time I felt like a countercultural pioneer. In the office car park, there was a rack for six bicycles, half of which was never used, and spaces for around 50 cars, which were always full. There were, naturally, no shower facilities; I quickly attained some notoriety for the clippety-clop of my cycling cleats in the corridors and the ingenious though not entirely hygienic drying rack I rigged up under my desk. I had just one bike-rack buddy: he was definitely a little odd but in those days, as a cyclist, you could not be too picky. We would have interminable chats about hybrids, which were starting to take over the commuter scene, and about the smack-talking American who had recovered from cancer and was winning the Tour de France.
A decade on, some things haven't changed (Lance Armstrong is still bossing everyone around), but in many ways, cycling, as a functional means of transportation or as a convenient way of taking some exercise, is almost unrecognisable. At my office now, there is an equally capacious car park, but there are three spaces for cars (one of them electric) and more than 150 bays for bicycles. There are 10 showers. Rain or shine, you will find a Pashley Guv'nor with a luxurious Brooks saddle next to a single-speed Condor Pista next to a £2,000 Specialized Roubaix road bike next to a rusting granny bike.
A 2008 Sport England study showed that 1.8 million of us cycle once a week or more, not including commuters, and it is the second-fastest-growing sport in the country after athletics. But the difference is most obvious in our cities. There has been a 107% increase of people cycling on the capital's main roads since 2000, according to Transport for London; it has also risen dramatically in Bristol (up 27% since 2003), Sheffield (60% since 2000) and Leicester (43% since 2003). A ride-and-go cycle scheme was recently set up in Bristol and a London version - which promises to have 6,000 bikes and a docking station every 300 metres - will launch next May.
What explains this cultural shift? A partial list of factors might include ever-rising petrol prices; the 7/7 attacks in London; an increasing awareness of environmental issues; the introduction of the congestion charge; the launch of the Cycle2Work schemes, which provide tax-free bikes funded by the government; erratic public transport; the Tour de France visiting the UK in 2007; the eight gold medals won by British cyclists at the Beijing Olympics last summer; concerns over swine flu. And then there are people who just want some exercise.
Nevertheless, cycling still only accounts for 1% of all journeys taken in the UK (and 2% of trips under two miles), a shameful total compared with 18% in Denmark and 27% in the Netherlands. Those figures are also way below government projections made in the late 90s. But to look at it another way, if the boom in cycling is already so apparent despite the statistics, just where and how is it being felt? And, more important, how can the momentum be maintained?
Few mechanical objects have the simplicity and elegance of a bicycle. When he was 15, fashion designer Paul Smith used to ride a low-geared fixed-wheel five miles each way to work at a clothing warehouse in Nottingham; four decades on, he can still go misty-eyed about the unconventional beauty of a chainset or a pair of Anquetil shoes. "I would rub my thumbnail down the Campagnolo seat pillar and really think it was a fantastic thing," he recalls. "Or the sound of the tyres when they were pumped up so hard. I used to keep the bike in my bedroom - I was a bit obsessive and geeky."
These sentiments are echoed by a new generation of fixed-gear riders. These are bikes pared to their very basics: just one gear, one chainring, one sprocket, forcing the rider to pedal constantly while the bike is in motion. "It is the perfect form and function balance," says Andy Ellis, who founded the influential Fixed Gear London collective in 2003 and now consults at 14 Bike Co in Shoreditch, east London. "Fixies" were typically the cheapest and easiest to maintain bikes you could own, hence their popularity with cycle couriers, but now much of their popularity stems from the fact that they are a perfect blank canvas for you to modify and customise.
As a result, fixed gears have introduced a customer whose last bike was probably a Raleigh Chopper in the 80s. "When we started off three years ago, 50-60% of our customers were web designers or graphic designers," says Feya Buchwald, co-director of Brick Lane Bikes, which specialises in hard-to-find fixed gears and vintage models. "They were typically 20 to 30, though it's getting younger now, and for them a bike was an extension of their personality."
Cycling now finds itself in the unprecedented position of being an inspiration for fashion and artists. Louis Vuitton's recent spring-summer 2010 show was an homage to bike messengers, or the "gentleman butterflies" of the City, as studio director Paul Helbers has it (I must have missed the day when they wore egg-yolk-yellow nylon safari jackets). Meanwhile, for the final stage of the Tour de France this afternoon, Lance Armstrong will ride a Trek Madone, which Damien Hirst has emblazoned with real butterflies shimmering on the frame ("Holy $hi+ ... stunning" tweeted Armstrong when he saw it). This follows previous one-off collaborations between the cyclist and the likes of graphic artist Shepard Fairey and industrial designer Marc Newson that will all be auctioned for charity Livestrong.
"Ah look, it wasn't much of a technical challenge, it was essentially a graphic exercise," says Newson, who was a keen racer in his teens and has designed a range of city bikes for Danish company Biomega. "But there's a buzz about cycling that wasn't there before - you wouldn't call it popularising, because Lance is doing it on quite an elite level, but it's all part of the same movement."
For increasing numbers of riders, cycling is a way of escaping the daily grind. A typical weekend rouleur will be male, affluent, in his mid-30s or early 40s, and likes nothing more than going out on his bike for a 70-mile ride on a Sunday morning (which conveniently allows a few hours away from his wife and kids). "Men get to a certain age and they yearn for that escape," says Simon Mottram, managing director of the high-end cycling brand Rapha. "If your normal life is sitting at a desk or going in and out of meetings, frantically looking at your BlackBerry, taking calls on Skype, then you will dream of adventure and camaraderie and going out and doing something quite physical."
Rapha, which was set up five years ago to find a solution to the eternally disturbing sight of a middle-aged man in tight performance fabrics, is proof that cycling companies can not only withstand the economic downturn but profit from it. When it was launched, the company was criticised for having prices that were typically 40% higher than its competitors, but in fact they were just getting warmed up. Earlier this year, Rapha produced the ultimate counterpoint to the lurid spandex that many riders wear: a three-piece cycling suit in Prince of Wales check with pink "storm collar" made by renowned tailor Timothy Everest. Despite the eye-watering price of £3,500, more than a dozen orders have been taken.
"We are growing at 80% this year and with the economic crisis we never expected to grow that fast," admits Mottram. "In the UK, we are performing particularly strongly. The main reason is that, for the people buying the stuff, it's the last thing you want to give up. It makes you feel better about yourself. Yes, you might not buy your hugely indulgent new sofa or your car, that's a big-ticket item, but your cycling, which keeps you feeling good about yourself... it's going to take quite a lot to stop you doing that."
Women have proved less enthusiastic about converting to two wheels. Research in February from Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, revealed that four out of five women never cycle, and fewer than one in 10 cycle more than once a month. The study highlighted the perceived danger of roads as a primary concern, but Amy Fleuriot, whose women-specific Cyclodelic clothing range will launch in September, believes the problem goes deeper. "All the images you would see in the media were men clad in Lycra and going fast and that doesn't appeal to a lot of women," she says. "They think you have to buy all this specialist kit and you're going to get sweaty and that's not the case."
Again, the model is the Netherlands, where women make up more than half of all riders. "It's a safety in numbers thing," says Fleuriot. "Once you show women that it's really not that dangerous, it will go from there."
It must be acknowledged that the increasing number of cyclists on the road has not been received with universal enthusiasm. The debate was ignited by a 2003 article written by Kate Hoey, the former sports minister, entitled "Lycra Louts". Reacting to RAC research that indicated that 50% of Londoners and 25% of Glaswegian cyclists did not stop at red lights, she seethed: "There's a kind of innate moral superiority about cycling that assumes they should be immune from the law."
If running lights makes her this angry, it's hard to imagine how Hoey would react to the vogue for fixie owners who ride without brakes (they stop by using bike control, anticipation and, presumably, an ability to read others minds). The police claim to be getting tougher on cycling offences - Boris Johnson promised "complete zero tolerance" in London - but this did not stop David Cameron blithely riding unpunished through a red light in Notting Hill last year.
The Guardian's Matt Seaton gave voice to the frustration of many pedal-pushers when he bemoaned the tendency for cyclists to "get out a revolver and fire one off at our collective foot"- although iPod listeners, riders who ignore one-way streets and the woman I saw riding along a busy road last week balancing a hardback book on her handlebars do not seem too bothered.
Everyone in the industry believes that the cycling boom will continue at least for a few more years. Rapha's Simon Mottram points out that next year will see the debut of Team Sky, the first British outfit that will compete in the Tour de France; its director, Dave Brailsford, who masterminded the Olympic effort, has predicted a British winner of the Tour within five years, and he is not typically wrong about these things. Sky also aims to initiate a million new cyclists by 2013, starting with city-centre Skyrides in Manchester, Glasgow and Leicester throughout August. There will also be the inevitable boost of the London Olympics.
The challenge for the government and bodies like the CTC will be to replicate the success of London in other British cities. At the moment, we cycle 4bn kms a year in the UK, but more than a quarter of this distance is ridden in the capital. There are other cities with a strong cycling culture, notably Cambridge, where a quarter of people cycle to work, and York, where it is one in eight, but in many cities, particularly in the north-east, there is little interest to build on, and often quite steep hills.
One incentive to non-cycling cities should be the statistics that indicate that, paradoxically, the more cyclists on the road the fewer accidents there will be. "At the very least, we should set an ambition to double cycling within the next 10 years," says Chris Peck of the CTC.
Making 2% of all journeys by bike by 2020 does not seem an outrageous proposal. However, we will know that cycling has become fully entrenched in Britain when there is no such thing as bike culture - it will just be our way of life.
• Tim Lewis is editor of Observer Sport Monthly
Chain links: The essential websites and blogs for cyclists

Top five websites
bicycletutor.com
Useful step-by-step bike maintenance videos.
cyclechic.co.uk
Smart accessories for women, from funky lights and floral panniers to vintage-style cycling capes.
cycle-route.com
Directory of UK cycle routes, perfect for holiday planning.
sheldonbrown.com
Brown worked as a bike mechanic until he died last year and his homepage lives on as an astonishing technical resource.
warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk
With regular feature Cycle Facility of the Month: photographs of bike lanes leading into oncoming traffic, with deadpan captions.
Top five blogs
livestrong.com
Increasingly reluctant to talk to the conventional press, Lance Armstrong typically communicates with his fans through his Twitter page (twitter.com/lancearmstrong) and his unexpectedly entertaining videos: recent guests have included Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Mark Cavendish.
guardian.co.uk/environment/series/bike-blog
The Guardian's inimitable blog includes the Two Wheels column and a monthly podcast.
copenhagenize.com
One of the best blogs on bike culture, this English language site documents life and style in the world's cycling capital and has a sister site, copenhagencyclechic.com, that is the last word in two-wheel fashion. It has also inspired an equally successful imitation, amsterdamize.com.
bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com
Entertaining, cynical and sharp-witted account of cycling in Manhattan.
minxcompendium.blogspot.com
For those fed up with cycling machismo, a refreshing diary by eight female cycling friends from across the UK.

Posted by Tim Lewis Sunday 26 July 2009 00.01 BST The Observer

If any of you know any observer readers it is worth asking them to save the review section as there are a Full five pages of reading joy!!!!!!

Summer blockbuster - Who says that the Western is Dead?

Each summer Hollywood gets itself ready to present us with Movie blockbusters.
Films to move us, frighten us, and excite us.
To invite us to work out who are the goodies, the baddies and the bit part supporting actors.
Each film Production company is vying for our attention, and trying to steal a march on its rivals. Kids get excited and some parents too, using their children as vehicles to attend darkened Cinemas with Dolby sound, reliving their youth.

This year there is a new foreign production that is taking us all by storm. Its a real 'film Noir' in full Technicolour, giving the lighting engineers a real hangover with the fast moving sshadows.
The 2009 Tour de France.
Only 4 days in we have had everything
Exotic locations, beautiful weather and a Fantastic plot.
There has been blood, sweat, and tears.
Breakdowns, breakups and breakaways.
Tested loyalties, marriages, divorce, and further marriages of convenience.
Its a true epic.
Comparable with 'How the West was won'

With Lance Armstrong taking up the leading role pulling 'his' Astana wagon train across the french Riviera chased by the froggies.

I like his black helmet. its a cleaver rouse.

Baddies were meant to wear black hats and goodies white, but we all know that hats are removed on the podium.

I am loving it.
Of course I have only seen the rushes, and after vigorous editing, all my expectations may end up on the editing room floor. I am a bit concerned about the double dealing Spaniard with a name too similar to that of a large vulture. He is wearing a white hat.
In the mean time for those who love the thrill of the chase I attach some footage from a previous year.

Slow down............your killing me

This week Joanne and I had a 'big tiff', and as its cycling related its permitted for blog exposure.
Two weeks ago I started up a cycling club at work for Thursday evening rides.

I wanted to try and promote cycling by getting people out of their cars and onto bikes.

My idea was to wean them in slowly through gentle, weekly, social rides - no more than 20/30 miles, with the odd visit to a country pub thrown in.

Despite the wide range of bike/ body types and fitness levels, I wanted us to pace ourselves at the pace of the slowest cyclist.

I guess that's fine in principal, but if your the slowest cyclist It cant be much fun, especially when you think your slowing everybody down.

On our first week we had lots of promises, but only the already committed hardcore cyclists turned up.

Joanne had decided to come too expecting a nice evening ride, rather than to watch 'road racers' in front of her, champing at the bit. She was naturally apprehensive about joining us again.

This week I was assured by many other riders that they too would come, making it a greater cross section.

Despite reassuring Joanne of this she was having none of it, and harsh words were spoken.

So she went her way and I went mine ......on our bikes that is.

The social ride was far better attended with numerous people fighting for the slowest pace position.

Half way through the ride we saw a cyclist dressed in pink ahead of us, who then made a right turn, away from our desired route.

The consensus of opinion was that it was Joanne, so I went racing ahead trying to make my peace.

As I got closer and seemingly in ear shot, the road started climbing and the distance between us steadied.
'Joanne' I shouted 'wait up'

There was no response, so knowing that Joanne probably had her I-pod on I pushed harder, shouting all the while.

'Look I am sorry......I do understand, but we are a lot slower this week'

Still no response, by this time I was getting a little bothered.

Not because I was being ignored, but due to the sudden injection of speed that I was now having to contend with.

Rather than the gap narrowing it started to widen!!!!

With my heart rate already up to 160, I had got it in my head that Joanne had been deceitful and leading a double life.

She was a secret speedster, a true 'Ms Velo' probably competing with Victoria Pendleton during the week, when I thought she had a steady office job.

Frustration turned to anger which increased my adrenalin output.

As I stepped out of the saddle, my heart rate rocketed to 185 - way into the red zone.

'For F*** sake slow down.......your killing me' I shouted in vain as this pink apparition was climbing away like the late Marco Pantani.

There were of course numerous other words that I used, but half are too obscene to feature hear and the others my spell checker does not seem to recognise.

Regardless there was still no response.

By the time I had pulled up alongside, my mouth was frothing, my face was as red as an over ripe tomato and I was sweating like pig in a sauna with an advanced state of malaria.

It was precisely at that moment that I realise it was not Joanne.

The timing was perfect, because It was also exactly the same time, that this lone female cyclist saw a mad, demented, stranger with a frothing mouth, riding alongside her.

As I braked hard, my pitiful 'sorry' seemed totally inadequate.

I could just have wrecked an aspiring cycling career.....the poor girl may be traumatised forever.

When I got home Joanne had done nearly 60 miles at a pace far greater than our group and promised to come next week.

When I recounted my story, she reminded me that 'judgement', like cycling is sometimes better served if it is considered at a slower pace.

Training
This weeks training has been fantastic, I completed 284 miles in total, making 3,297 miles for the year. It included a 76 mile jaunt to York and back on Sunday (pictures below)

Months ago I set myself a personal goal. To ride a virtual route from Beverley to Houston (4772 miles) before the start of the Hotter than hell at the end of August. At that time I thought it a tall order and maybe just out of my reach. I still think that, but I know what I am like. Once I get a whiff of the finish, ill be cycling through the night.

Certainly with this increased intensity, I could just do it.

This week my virtual tour has had the benefit of a tail wind, I have flown through Massachusetts, New York State and am now in Pennsylvania.
Our 'Travelwithmymule' concept is still progressing slowly and we have finally ordered some shirts which I think are great. We are always looking for new riders, check out the website.

Fridays Feature

Its been a great week training so far, and the Tour de France is just a pedal turn away.
It feels as if the sun is shining on my particular cycling world today both literaly and in spirit, so I have decided to beg for another day off and take my Camera out for a ride!!!!!!!!
I so love cycling.

Cycling proficiency Test

Recently the government have decided to really embrace alternative transport.
They have developed a new cycling proficiency programme for kids, to ensure that they have the necessary skills to combat 'cycling in the city'
Sadly only a few have passed.
Am I being a cycic, or was that was the idea?

Two days to go till Flat out in the fens........Im really looking forward to it

Its as easy as Riding a bike

Non Verbal Communication

One of the things that I like about being part of the 'cyclist family' is the advanced communication systems that we use. Conventional dialogue is not always possible when in single file and when cycling in breathtaking countryside, with natures own orchestra playing in complete surround sound, it often seems rude to talk at risk of disturbing it all.
When I first started cycling my communication techniques were crude.
I would wave enthusiastically at other cyclists like an errant windmill.
As if they would miss me, appearing over the horizon, like a luminous blamonge on wheels.

In return I would receive merely a nod, smile or slight finger movement. With such a modest exclamation I used to feel 'short changed'. I thought that these riders might be arrogant or over restrained, but now I realise the subtleties of this 'Non Verbal' communication.

Minimalism is definitely the current trend.
I have recently mastered my own techniques where I employ 'The Parallel Finger raise' and 'The controlled head tilt'.

'The Parallel Finger raise'
This should be used in all forms of acknowledgement or to show mutual appreciation.
It is usually performed with the right hand where the grip is loosened from the upright position and all fingers are raised simultaneously to an angle of 90 degrees.


'The Controlled head tilt'
This translates as 'Its a great day to be out cycling and your bike looks really cool'
Visual contact is usually made with an oncoming rider, where eyes are locked.
A short 45 degree clockwise rotation of the head then takes place.This should be met with a similar anticlockwise acknowledgement.

I love it all and often spend hours thinking of ways to extend my vocabulary.
When riding in larger groups other signals are used. For the non cyclist reading you will now appreciate how clever we all are.
Here are some of the basic moves:-

1.One hand ‘gently patting an invisible dog’: The whole group should slow down or ease back.
2.Hand straight up in air: Group is stopping for a junction, puncture or because there’s an obstruction.
3.Left or right hand extended: Change in direction ahead or indicating the direction of a turn.
4.Elbow flick: This is more often seen on the track, but it’s sometimes used on the road. It indicates that a rider on the front has finished his turn, is about to pull off and that he would like you to come through.
5.Waving/pointing behind: Indicates there’s an obstruction that the whole group needs to move in the direction indicated to avoid.
6.Pointing down at road: Obstruction on road to avoid, such as road kill, pothole or drain cover.

After all of these basic communication skills have been learnt there is always the option of developing more advanced techniques. These are often very difficult to perform, and are not always appreciated to everybodys satisfaction.

However they can be very useful in heavy urban traffic and are very effective. But please don't try them in front of children!!!

Crime and Punishment

I finally arrived back in Yorkshire on Friday evening with my tail firmly between my legs. Although I had performed well on my course, it was equalled by my performance in resembling the principal character from The Film 'Babe'

As well as visiting numerous watering Holes in London, I had to deal with the 'gastronomic gauntlet' that befell me each morning in the Hotel. As I was walking towards the fruit and Yogurt selections, I had to pass, eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausages......just typing these words is making me salivate.

The final weekly damage is as follows:-
3 cheese and bacon burgers and chips
5 cooked breakfasts including a total of 10 sausages
15 pints of various beers
7 packets of crisps
8 packets of peanuts
At least 20 biscuits
Basically I have 'offended' badly and have had to charge myself with excessive gluttony.
As with all penal systems, there are punishments that are exacted in respect of all crimes and with my offence there is no exception.
This morning I sentenced myself to climbing the 'Devils Chimney' five times.
All cyclists have their certain rides or areas that they avoid for a variety of reasons. When I first started taking cycling seriously I was taken up a hill called Trundlegate. This is an unclassified road that leads from the village of Newbald nestled in the bottom of a valley up to the Top of the Wold a climb of 400ft.This road is totally exposed to the elements and it often feels like it is taking you to the top of the world. Every time I go up it, I am reminded how mortal I am, as my heartbeat races into the 170 + region. I often encounter, steeper, and longer hills, but for some reason Trundlegate is my Nemisis . As such I named it The devils Chimney. Its testament to this gradient that the name stuck and spread, and many cyclist now know it as such. I would be really interested to know if other cyclist have made up names for love/hate relationships they have formulated with stretches of road.

I duly completed my sentence today and on the final climb felt I was climbing Mount Everest. Joanne came with me to ensure I did not cheat. She did the climb four times herself !!!!!!

(see below) When I had finished she gave me my Halo back, and I promised that I would not be seduced by sausages again.

Other News

No totals for weight loss or mileage this week due to a mixture of scale avoidance and embarrassment.

I have now started up a new blog called 'The Lost Muse'
http://philip-thelostmuse.blogspot.com/

It features my second passion in life writing in prose and poetry. I intend to share my work and the work of some of my favorite writers in a variety of different formats. Check it out.
Any feedback would be lovely.

Our website http://www.travelwithmymule.com/ is still developing.

We now have our first design for our shirts.

The fellow Mules Love them I think it looks a bit demonic and might scare children.

London Pride

For years I have been castigating my Brother Paddy about his lack of will power in respect of his diet and training.
He says it is easy for me having a modest life style!!!
Admittedly he does have a point, eating less and using my bike rather than the car ensures that I can save money.
The saving enables me to buy the more important and often vital things that I need, rather than what I want.
Further more I am merely a stones throw from such beautiful and varied terrain where I can ride my bike.
To top it all, I also have a Gym in walking distance that offers a variety of exercise classes, including spin.
When Paddy is at home he is faultless, he eats sensibly and certainly trains as hard as I do.
The trouble starts when he is away, where he collects lbs with the same frequency as airmiles.
Living in hotels he piles on the weight and does very little exercise.
I always say to him. 'Why don’t you just eat sensibly and use the gyms that are usually available too you?'
When my questions are answered with what appears to be an array of excuses, I just used to switch off and think that he was just being weak and pathetic.
In a sanctimonious way I told him that he just needed to be better prepared and to have more self discipline.
The answer appeared that simple!!!!
He politely gave me a unique destination for my opinions.
On reflection I deserved much more, perhaps even a punch on the nose.

This past week I have been on a course in London.
Unless I am on holiday I would never stay in a Hotel for more than two nights, So this was to be the nearest to my brothers life I could get to.
So as well as completing the course, I tasked myself with an additional challenge.
To show Paddy once and for all that travelling should not affect training.
Before setting off I completed some research on the hotel and ensured that I was adequately prepared.
Instead of packing ‘Going out clothes’ they were replaced by Sports Gear.
Next to my toiletries I had placed assorted bottles of ‘slim-fast milk shakes’ and powders to make up hydrating sports drinks. This would be a breeze I had decided.
When I checked in my Hotel on the Sunday evening I was determined to go back to Yorkshire even fitter and thinner than when I arrived and to blow Paddy’s lifetime excuses right out of the water.
In fact I thought I could even call him whilst running on the treadmill, just to illustrate my opinion and give it more gravitas.

On inspecting the gym I was immediately struck by its position.
It was elevated on the fifth floor overlooking London.
Great view I thought.
It had a sauna, fantastic chilled water fountain and TV monitors at every exercise station. Thrilled at my discovery, I decided on a warm up on the tread mill, from which I could call Paddy in Houston.
The treadmill was broken................ and the one next to it, the third was occupied by a plump man walking slightly faster than and overladen snail, and reading the Financial times.
With my enthusiasm tempered I got on the only vertical bike.
The resistance button did not work, so it was like peddling down hill with a gale force tail wind.
The recumbent cycle was no better with the seat lock lever broken.
This meant that my movement was more akin to a rower than a cyclist and messed up my knees before the plump man had got to page 5.
Tactically I decided to delay my phone call to Paddy not wishing to copy those immortal lines of ‘Houston…..we have a problem’.
Having not even broken into a sweat I returned to my room thoroughly disgruntled.
So maybe a week of no exercise would do me good I convinced myself.
Besides there was always the diet.
Having decided to eat in the Hotel restaurant I observed the mouth watering menu and ordered what I envisaged to be a healthy, yet wholesome meal.
When it arrived it looked spectacular, and for a small child it might be considered an appropriate portion. For me it represented something I could eat in three mouthfuls without even having to apply a napkin to the corners of my mouth.
I was gradually getting very miffed.
From my swish hotel restaurant table I could see outside and over the road to the ‘Euston Flyer’ a Traditional Ale Pub.
People were sat outside enjoying the warm evening sunshine and smiling, an expression that seem to be avoiding my face.
They cheeky B******DS were drinking beer and eating food !!!!!!!
Portions that I could easily see from 200 feet away that included of all things chips.
Not those scraggly ones that you get in MacDonalds but big fat ones, with a crispy outer and soft fluffy inner. The sort you might pinch from anothers plate knowing that the outcome could result in physical violence.

Within 30 mins I had crossed over the other side of the road.
To the dark side.
Supping a variety of Real Ales, eating a Juicy Burger and chips I was as happy as a pig in a trough. To onlookers I probably resembled one too.
Paddy I am so sorry.

From my new location I watched, smelt, heard and touched London.
London surprised me.
I used to live in London 18 years ago and It was at least two years since I had last stayed there. When I lived there I used to cycle into the city from Lewisham every day for two years. Then commuter cyclists were a rare site, almost a novelty, and I would wave frantically on the rare occasion that I might see another cyclist.
It was not a warm recollection. I was knocked over six times and would exhaust all the bad words in the dictionary on a daily basis. Ultimately it was one of the reasons I left the city for a more rural lifestyle.
But things had changed !!! I was impressed by the pure number of cyclists especially the fix gear variety. They were everywhere.
People of all ages, shapes, sizes, colour and creeds, forming spoke wheeled processions along dual cycle ways.
Maybe it was just where I was, or my optimistic perception, but suddenly I was uplifted by the progression that London had seemingly made.
I toasted the liberation with my pint of ‘London Pride’
It all went down very well.

Keep a lid on it

As a cyclist the ability to recall horror stories about bad motorists is as common as the name Wong, in a Chinese telephone directory.

Some months ago I was cycling in York, a city that is no stranger to cycles, with a positive and sympathetic cycle policy. It is somewhere that you should always feel comfortable to cycle, to be able to relax as you turn the pedals.
Whilst pedalling around the inner ring road, I was forced into the gutter by a motorist. The driver was a large female who had decided to swap lanes. Apparently in her world, this would enhance her progress and reduce her travel time by 0.51 seconds. Really!!!!
The manoeuvre was magnificently choreographed.
As well as turning the steering wheel with her knees, she was able to graze on an over sized sandwich, talk on her cell phone and preen herself in the mirror - all at the same time.
The additional and perhaps most important task, of looking at the road appeared to be beyond her comprehension or ability.
IF she had done so prior to the manoeuvre she would have seen me in a more favourable disposition.
A happily cycling chappie, brightly dressed and wearing a helmet.

Having delayed her observation until I had hit the pavement, she missed my metamorphic transition from ‘Mr calm and reasonable’ into ‘Mr Turrets’.

I was so animated that I might of EVEN frightened myself.

In the cycling world it is sometimes all too easy to become blinkered by the transgressions of other road users and to forget about ourselves.
Sometimes our halos drop too.
At work I often get into debates about cycling and cyclists with non cyclists.
One of my colleagues lives in the Yorkshire dales where he complains of being impeded by groups of cyclists riding in large groups two or three abreast along narrow and winding country roads.
I too have seen this practice, which can be dangerous as well as irresponsible.
If I were cycling along such a road and came across a group of pedestrians in the middle of the road, I too might have felt a bit disgruntled.

Arrogance in any road user, only causes further divide.
In England you don’t have to wear a helmet to cycle a bike on any road.
This cant be right!!!
Most parents would never let their children ride their bikes on the road without a helmet, so why undermine yourself by not wearing one.
Every weekend I see dozens of cyclist (usually my generation) riding with no helmet. Its so disappointing. Why should we expect motorists to take more care when we don't even look after ourselves.

When I ask helmet less riders why? The answers are varied.
'I want to feel liberated'
'I am an experienced cyclist and don’t need a helmet'
'I am not letting any civil servant tell me what I have to wear'.

As soon as the sentences start with I, then the accompanying arrogance usually causes any rationale argument to be lost.

There is also a lot of controversy over traffic lights, with cyclists often disobeying them and running red lights. It only adds fuel to the flames of motorists displeasure.

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."

Luke 6:41-42

Bridging the great divide.

Since the turn of the year I have been pedaling my way through the East Yorkshire countryside.

For those not familiar with Yorkshire, It is the biggest county in England and Yorkshire Folk are very proud of their heritage.

Due to its size, wherever I pedal I am likely to remain within its borders, unless I pedal into the next day or head south.

Despite the advent of the motor vehicle some Yorkshire folk see an excursion across the county line as the equivalent to Foreign Travel.

For the adventurous Passports would be sought or renewed and packing completed well in advance. Queues would form outside local doctors with vaccinations requests.

These shopping trips to London were a logistical nightmare.

For the more traditional they would ask

'Why would you want to go anywhere else when you have all that you want here?

I must admit the county is incredibly diverse both demographically and geographically.

They do have two very important commodities Yorkshire Pudding and Yorkshire Tea.

Although I firmly believe in cultural values, I also believe that we can not live in the past.

'Being an 'international cyclist' he says very smugly

(having cycled in the USA as well as in Yorkshire) I decided to take Addy on a day trip.

Today the great people of neighbouring Lincolnshire would become acquainted with me and my trusted companion Addy.

We would be modern day path finders and illustrate to our fellow Yorkshire folk that it is safe to go over the water.

So after my breakfast of Yorkshire Tea, Cumberland Sausage, Cornish Pasty, and Lancashire hotpot, Addy and I headed south over the Humber bridge.

It is not as impressive as the Golden Gate which I have also travelled over, but you could hardly compare Hull with, San Fransisco.

We did 72 miles in total at a steady pace and took some pictures on our way.

This international travel is great, although when I asked at the toll booth to have my passport stamped, I was a bit miffed that they said NO and called security.

So you say your a cyclist?

As the Autumn of my life steadily sneaks up on me, my memory is not always as sharp as I would like it to be. One of the regular things that is effected by this is my recollection of various passwords.

There used to be a time, that the only code I had to remember, was the combination lock to my bicycle.

Now I have about twenty different passwords to remember.

To make matters worse, I have to change most of them every three months.

I used to store them in my Blackberry 'password box' but alas I forgot the password for that too.

When I do forget, I have to go through a right rigmarole of having my personal identify verified.

Its a good job that my twin brother Paddy lives in America, as I used to be asked the question.

How do I know that 'you are you', and not your twin brother?

More confusingly, I have also been asked.

How do 'you' know 'you are you', and not your twin brother?

I guess that there is always the possibility, that when we were babies we got mixed up.

However as we are not in line for the thrown, or awaiting some massive inheritance, being 12 minutes younger has not affected me too much.

When you look at the cycling there are also some identity issues, with so many disciplines that accompany the generic term of 'cyclist'.

Each has its own following and stereotype attached to it.

Each is also very different.

For me, I seem to have forgotten my metaphorical combination code as I scramble for my 'cyclist' identity.

For years It was easy, I was a recreational cyclist and that was the end of it.
Now the lines have gone all fuzzy.
I still ride to work, ride to the pub (Very important) and ride to the shops. This sort of puts me in the 'ecco-recreational' category. However if you now mix in Sportives, Audax, and the odd time trial then you have a very long word.

One that might compete with llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrob wllllantysiliogogogoch which incidentally is a place in wales and translates as :
"The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave"
Sounds a really cool place to cycle.

Considering other disciplines such as :- track cycling, cycl0-cross, fixed gear street riding, the many forms of BMX riding, mountain biking, road racing, criterium, or people just taking spin classes in the Gym there is good reason to be more specific.

The principal may be the same but the application, training and technique is often very different.

I sometimes hear drivers castigate cyclists.

Well which 'cyclist' exactly do they mean, as we are not all the same?
I think anti cyclists often take a piece of negativity from every discipline they can think of, and clump them all together as in this satirical video 'The Cyclists'.

Weekly Training/Weight Data

This week my weight loss has moved to a sensible amount of 4lbs (18lbs in three weeks). I am starting to find the hills easier and the flat bits much faster. The energy levels do seem to fluctuate though, so I am now taking whey protein drinks after each ride.

I managed 228 miles this week with 11,000 ft of climbing. I am very pleased with this but its been tough. It included 70 miles today in gorgeous weather around the Wolds. I took some photos (below) which included a cycle scare crow spotted in Wetwang. The strangely named village was hosting a scare crow festival.

I also had my daughter take one of me sporting my fantastic T Shirt from Rat Trap Press Check them out, they are all very original and great value. I support them because they are hand made using a silk screen process by the man himself.

In my virtual reality bike ride from Beverley to Houston, I stated last week that I was over the gulf of St Lawrence and moving towards the New Brunswick Coast. This stretch of water still contains some winter ice which affected my GPS. It miscalculated our progress probably through wishful thinking. We are still infact in the Gulf of St Lawrence and longing for landfall !!!!!!

Rolling back the years

Since 'Addy' (My new bike) has arrived on the scene, my life has changed.
I guess most people in life, like to be liked.
I am certainly no exception.
Knowing Addy's desire to get out at every opportunity, I have pretty much pandered to him to gain his affection.

Now we have a routine going I am starting to think that he might quite like me.
I also realise that he is far smarter than he appears, for such a youthful bike that is.
I think that there is a bit of a yin yang thing going on between us.
I look after him and he looks after me.

After work today, I completed 42 miles over the Wold Tops with lots of climbing.
It was a menacing evening with huge Cumulonimbus clouds bringing violent thunderstorms.
But it was beautiful all the same.
Cycling so high up I could see for miles.
The strong winds fluffed up the budding tress who in turn flirted with each other with tangled branches.
Occasional shafts of sunlight broke through the darkened clouds, like a spotlight on the stage. Highlighting natures own spring starlets and shinning a path through another storm.
I loved it.
I felt like I got a last minute place as an extra, in an extraordinary epic called 'Nature'.

With my increased exercise and diet combination, I was feeling, fitter, slimmer and .......younger.
A bit like Benjamin Button. I remember watching the film on the plane back from Houston.
I Loved that too, although I am not to sure that a certain F. Scott Fitzgerald would have shared my views.
It tells the story of somebody who is born old then grows younger.
Its an interesting concept and one I would certainly sign up to.
Its a shame that when your a bit older, when your at your wisest, smartest and most financially secure. You are also less likely to be physically able and energetic.
How I would have loved to have been young and wise.
The film also stared Cate Blanchett who is my favorite actress.

During the film there is also a reference to a man getting struck by lightening 7 times.
As I was being chased by the storms this evening, I too thought I might be joining this exclusive club, but Addy looked after me.
He guided me through the wind and hail back into the sanctuary of Beverley.
As he gets older, I am seemingly getting younger......When we meet in the middle we will be awesome double act.