Always use a rubber - ride a bike

Riding in the Dark

The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;
Morn came and went—and came, and brought no day,
And men forgot their passions in the dread
Of this their desolation; and all hearts
Were chilled into a selfish prayer for light.

Lord Byron

For weeks now I have been getting up in the dark, cycling to work in the dark only to return in the dark. When I started this winter comuting, it all seemed a bit of a novelty but as the days have got shorter its becoming a real test.

To make matters worse the black cloak that comes with the setting sun has definitely got darker.

I am fine with the dark....honest but am not too keen on the four miles stretch along an isolated country lane.

Its amazing how your imagination plays games with you.

Although I am certain that the rustle I heard in the undergrowth is only a rabbit, once my imagination has processed it I am off...........

Pedaling as fast as my legs will pump into the darkness in certain belief that there is some cycle chomping goblin chasing me.

The other thing that gets me is when a cars headlights suddenly illuminate the road in front of me.

I either count the seconds until I believe he will undoubtedly hit me from behind or look into the illuminated area ahead for mad axe man that has just escaped from the sanatorium.

Both scenarios show a spike of my heart rate on my 'post cycle' Garmin reading.

To try and combat my nocturnal fears I have bought some more lights.

I now have several.

Helmet - front and rear lights

Coat - front and rear lights

Handlebars -Light shining straight ahead and light shining onto kerb ahead of me.

Two rear lights and LED lights strapped on my ankles.

I guess If I do get knocked over the driver will say 'He was blinded by the lights'

As I write about darkness I am reminded about a different darkness that often fills peoples lives.

The darkness associated with bereavement, separation, illness and poverty.

One of our Mules Taylor Bartholemew has had such a darkness which hangs like a shadow over her

At the age of 3 1/2 she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common type of leukemia in children under the age of 15, and progresses rapidly, affecting immature white blood cells (lymphocytes).

When she was sick, her doctor performed immediate injections into her spinal column, which were coupled with blood transfusions from her mother as the donor to replace the damaged blood. She spent weeks in isolation in hospital and then several months in isolation at home as her immune system had been destroyed.
After two years of oral and intravenous medications, and weekly blood tests, she had completed her treatment.
By the age of 5, she beat ALL (just in time to start kindergarten BALD!!)

She is now in her TWENTY SECOND year of remission!!! and is as fit as a butchers dog.
She is a regular rider of the Travels with my Mule Team but also rides for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT) Charity.

She is an inspiration to many myself included and it makes getting up in the dark all the more easier.

Next year she plans to complete a 100 miles sportive around Lake Tahoe to raise money for TNT.
We (Mule Team) all think she is an absolute star.

If you want to support her for this event follow this link = Taylor

The Answer my friend is blowing in the Wind

The last few weeks have seen little activity in the rotation of my bicycle wheels however there has been some movement in my waistline which is starting to develop its own circular shape.
If I dont apply the brakes soon i will have my own unique tubular shape.
The lack of cycling has had nothing to do with dedication but more to do with climate.

Each day I watch the weather forecast and despair.

Nature seems to be in some sort of competition with itself to blow all of the leaves off the trees in record time.

I don't mind cycling in the Rain and there has been plenty of that. Nor do I mind cycling in the wind within reason.

1-20 mph not a second thought

20-25 mph without rain I'm still on board

but 30 mph + in the dark is no fun, and fool hardy.

This past week we have had 30-60 mph winds all week with heavy rain.

If that is not bad enough, amongst the precipitation there is an assortment of deciduous offerings.

Do you know a wind blown Horse chestnut leaf can cover your whole face and resemble the texture of a flying bat.

Having said all that I have not been a total wimp.

Last week I actually did 130 miles.

On one of the mornings I set off to work in the dark accompanied by a work colleague Anne.

She managed to get a puncture about a mile from work.

Coyly she looked at me proclaiming that she did not know how to rectify the problem.

Her excuse being that she never cycles alone and would rely on her cycle partner husband to 'sort it out' .

Although she had a spare inner tube, she had no tools.

I arrogantly proclaimed that I my pit stop procedure was akin to that of the Formula 1 Red Bull team and that we would be cycling again in the same time that it might take to apply some lipstick.

My ego was soon as deflated as the tyre, when I realised that my own tools were on my road bike. This particular bike being cosily resting at home.

It was then that natures rejects came to my aid.

Looking for divine inspiration I spied a couple of well shaped twigs which along with a ten pence piece was able to be used to strip the offending tyre from its wheel.

For my gallant efforts I was later presented with a fine bottle of 'Chateaux neuf de pape' from Anne.

It came as no surprise that on subsequent journeys I endeavoured to lead Anne over the toughest terrain praying for further punctures.

Although the weekdays weather has been poor the weekend has been great and I have managed to get out and record the rusty scenery.

Rainy Days and Mondays

It seems an age since I last wrote my blog..... and in fact it is
I went away on a course for three weeks and when I returned last weekend winter had finally arrived as well as a few extra (Unwanted) pounds due to my lack of activity.

Last Monday I set off to work with great expectations all be it in completer darkness.
My shorts had been replaced by long johns, my fingerless gloves by gauntlets and my bandanna by a woolly hat. The overnight temperature had caused an icy sheen on the road and my chest to hurt as I breathed in the cold air.
On the first corner I was lucky to keep my bike upright and the enjoyment was frozen out by the need for total concentration.

Starting in the dark and cold and returning in the dark and cold ........ well it is just grim and I am not really enjoying it.

Thankfully my work came to my rescue......with late nights and vehicular requirements I only had to complete 3 one way trips and 1 return commute completing a paltry 68 miles.
I know I need to do more but this sobering realisation will need to be phased in.
There is one big positive though my new bike
My new winter tourer does make this process less painful, its stable and comfortable yet still retains some integrity as a road bike.

There are also other positives.......I can now start looking at my Christmas wish list.
With the increase in the popularity of cycling there is so much out there.
Ventoux http://www.ventoux-wear.com/ have a great site with so real cool shirts I particularly like this one.
With the Travels with my Mule Team expecting to grow bigger and stronger next year I need a helmet to go with the red,white and blue livery

I found this helmet on the Sustrans web site

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

They also have some funky lights that just clip on to your bars and have a full range of colours to match your bike Finally cafepress do hundreds......yes hundreds of cycling T Shits
Cafepress

http://t-shirts.cafepress.co.uk/bicycle

Hopefully this week will see an improvement in my cycling mileage and to keep me motivated I will start identifying rides for next year.

Bike quango 'Cycling England' to be abolished

Campaigners 'despondent' at the damage they say the decision will do to cycling provision around the country


The rumours that Cycling England would be amongst the logs on the government's "bonfire of the quangos" were confirmed last week with the release of the long-awaited (and dreaded) list from the Cabinet Office.

Next to the cycling quango were the fateful words:

No longer an NDPB [Non-Departmental Public Body] - Abolish body. We have announced a Local Sustainable Travel Fund and will explore ways of marshalling expert input on cycling issues, including to support the Fund

As quangos go, Cycling England is not exactly profligate. It has three permanent staff and overheads of £200,000 - a tiny fraction of its annual budget of £60m. Over three years it has spent £140m.

Malcolm Shepherd, the chief executive of Sustrans, a charity that promotes sustainable transport said the quango has done valuable work. "Cycling England has been a crucial conduit for funding which has touched the lives of millions of people by making it possible for people to cycle for everyday journeys."

He and others are worried that the Local Sustainable Travel Fund will not have the same focus. The government has not yet decided how much money will be in the fund and what restrictions will be put on how it can be spent.

"The new Local Sustainable Transport Fund must not be a smokescreen for wider cuts to the spending that gets people cycling, walking and using public transport," Shepherd added.

Explaining the new fund, the transport minister Norman Baker MP who has responsibility for cycling said:

"We want to give more power and more flexibility to local authorities as we strongly believe that they know best what is right for their communities."

"As there will no longer be a dedicated cycling pot of money, but instead a much broader fund, we feel that Cycling England is not the right way to continue to incentivise and encourage local authorities and others to stimulate cycling."

So what is at stake? The money dished out by Cycling England fits into 3 broad categories. Around a third goes to the cycling towns and cities programme - which has provided funding for local cycling provision in places across the country from Aylesbury to Morecambe.

Around a third went to funding Bikability - a scheme for teaching safe on-road cycling that is the successor to the old cycling proficiency test. It trained 300,000 children last year. According to the Department for Transport, responsibility for the programme will now move back to Whitehall.

Kevin Mayne at the cycling organisation CTC, who is on Cycling England's board said that would be a disaster. "Bikability is a scheme that works on a 'Big Society' basis. Whenever it has been managed [outside government] it has moved forward. When it has been managed by DfT it has stood still...We can be more flexible, we don't have to seek ministerial approval for everything and we have low overheads."

The third tranche of funding is a mish-mash of smaller programmes and nascent schemes that were being worked up for national implementation. Bike 'n' Rail, for example, is a scheme to improve bike facilities for rail passengers. The danger, says Mayne is that schemes such as this will be lost. In the process around £20m of funding for the voluntary sector is at risk.

"It doesn't matter what label to put on it. It matters where the money goes," said Mayne, "At the moment one can't help but be pretty despondent. But ministers still have a chance, if you like, not to wreck this."

Courtesy of the Guardian Newspaper

Way of the Roses

For the next three weeks my cycling is going to be limited as I am attending a course in Manchester. That means travelling to and throw across the country, taking in the Pennines.

About ten years ago when I had more hair, less weight and and empty cycle shed the cycling seed was first planted. I borrowed a bike to complete a charity cycle ride from Morecombe to Hornsea cycling across the Pennines from the west to the east coast of England.

Last month. I recall it took in some breathtaking scenery, killer climbs and splendid watering holes.

Last month the National Cycle Network celebrated its 15th anniversary by adding a new challenging route to its ever-expanding network of over 12,600 miles the Way of the Roses

from Morecombe to Bridlington.

The Way of the Roses transforms 170 miles of roads and cycle tracks into a spectacular new 'coast-to-coast' leisure route for cyclists and walkers in the North of England. Starting on the west coast in Morecambe, Lancashire, and finishing on the east coast in the seaside resort of Bridlington, Yorkshire, the route passes through magnificent landscapes and past great points of interest along the way including:

Morecambe with its recently restored art deco Midland Hotel and famous seaside state of comedy legend Eric Morecambe
The Yorkshire Dales National Park
The Forest of Bowland
Nidderdale
The Lune Valley
Coldstones Quarry near Pateley Bridge
The Yorkshire Wolds
The historic cities of Lancaster, and York with its famous Minster
Ripon with its magnificent Cathedral
Fountains Abbey - a world heritage site (National Trust)
Beningborough Hall on the outskirts of York
Burton Agnes Hall - an Elizabethan stately home in East Yorks
Flamborough Head - a Special Area of Conservation - and an RSPB nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs, where there are puffin and gannet breeding colonies in the summer.

As I already think of next years itinerary this route is already being penciled in for early June.

Who knows I may even be able to attract a few American Mules to take part.