A Mariner's Tale from the river bank......

Not much of a life then!!

Commemorative plaque - Duck's Walk - Richmond

Space for Cycling Protest Rides - July16th & September 2nd

I was slowly getting around to posting some of the pics of two London Cycle Campaign Protest Rides I joined this summer but following the depressing news of more cycling fatalities in London over the last week, I thought this an opportune moment to catch up. 

Both these rides were held on weekday evenings after work and the first on July 16th was organised only a few days ahead but still managed to attract 1500 cyclists to Russel Square who took part in a slow, peaceful protest ride down to Lincoln's Inn Fields via High Holborn and Kinsgway. This ride was to mark a silent commemoration of a cyclist who had died after being struck by a lorry in Holborn earlier that week.

Meeting point - 6.30pm 16th July - Russell Square

Some pretty strongly worded messages here

The thing that struck me most as we set off was how much support and enthusiasm pedestrians appeared to show us, particularly tourists! Probably not the case for driver's and cabbies attempting to negotiate what became a traffic standstill around Holborn.  

1500 bike bells can make a lot of noise!

Slowly does it through onto High Holborn

The ride that happened on September had been publicised for a number of weeks in the lead up to Monday September 2nd. It was blessed with a beautiful warm and sunny evening. This time LCC had worked hard to prepare banners and signs available free to those coming along. It was a very red event with lots of people including myself wearing red cycling gear and adorning their bikes with LCC banners. This ride was to coincide with the debate on cycling infrastructure in Parliament that evening.

This time the meeting point was Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank. an orderly queue had to be organised before we set off as around 5000 cyclists converged on that area! 

Eyeful. getting ready for the ride....

...and still they come. This one could take a while getting started. 

The TV crews were out covering the event for London News and I even spotted 'Traffic Droid'  and said hello.   

It''s Traffic Droid' all kitted up! 

TV Crew 

The ride took us down York Road round and across Westminster Bridge and past Parliament at a slow crawl. 

Bike DJ

Long shadows on Westminster Bridge

Approaching Parliament

Big ones, small ones..........

Conveniently placed Dr Bike in Pimlico on the return journey


As a sort of postscript to this I thought I would include a good example, in situ, of exactly what we are fighting for.........here's a good (or should I say bad) case of 'where's my space gone'......bad design in the King's Road. Paint on the road isn't good enough!

London can be a beautiful place but why is it such a struggle keeping safe on it's roads? Time for change!

Chiswick on the river at dusk

Scenery and sadness on a November morning..........

Commute Ride - 13th November 2013

The dank weather of recent days receded during the night to allow the first hard frost of Autumn. Once the sun was up above the morning mist my cold commute ride became filled with deep reds and golden yellows set against a deep blue cloudless sky. 

Bushey Park 

I consider myself very lucky to haves some relatively traffic-free paths and roads en route to work, though I have spent a good deal of time and trial searching these out and they often take me out of the way, adding extra miles to the journey. Not all cyclists have such spaces available and the lot of those who face the daily battle in parts of central London is one that must take a deal of courage and dedication. 

Sadly it hasn't been a good week in central London for cyclists with four fatal collisions in a week. When will this end? This morning a woman was involved in a collision with a lorry at the notorious Bow roundabout. 

   

Every cyclists who commutes on a bike in and around London deserves a safer and more pleasant journey. Can all those drivers out there imagine what it might be like if we commuting cyclists got back into our cars to come to work??!!

I had considered an all road route through Brentford up to Ealing this morning after muddying up my bike a treat yesterday along the G.U Canal tow path, but the Autumn sunshine and colours 'off road' were too lovely to resist. 

This is what cycling should be about.......not the battle for space and struggle for survival that it often seems to be. 

Frosty Bushey Park

School kids crossing the park on two wheels - Safely!

Gold & Blue  - Grand Union Canal near Boston Manor Park

 

 

Farnham 50......Again - Charity Bike Ride 7th July 2013

Weekends were generally very busy during the summer, with regular club rides on Sunday mornings and other 'events' to tempt cyclists who relish a challenge.

After a rather slow Farnham 50 in 2012 (unselfishly riding at a friends pace), I was determined to give myself the challenge of doing this ride in 3 hours. Last year's ride never really warmed up for me, not helped by cool temperatures and the odd shower. This year the contrast couldn't have been greater: very warm, dry and still with the temperature at midday hitting the 29 degrees marker. Over this lovely but moderately lumpy route, it was clearly going to be a tough one in such heat.

Taking only one stop of about 3 minutes for replenishment of water and some delicious home made  flapjack, I managed (in actual riding time) 3 hours and 2 minutes. Quite pleased with that.  

Weirdly coincidental was the fact that my rider number was.......


                                       

Met, briefly, some friends who were doing the 25 mile circuit.   

Me and Steve shortly after starting in Farnham. Look at the state of those roads!

The Farnham Ride web site states that ''A total of 973 riders entered the 2013 Farnham Charity Bike Ride, 180 more (23%) than 2012. The new 16-mile route proved very popular attracting 162 riders, whilst 340 opted for the challenging 50-mile route''

Just a week after returning from my London to Paris ride, it seemed appropriate to get a similar finishing shot upon the return to Waggoner's Yard!

A great day was made complete at the post ride BBQ in the garden of a friends house. Frequent trips were made from Garden to lounge to watch Andy Murray fight his way to Wimbledon victory.