The sad news is that it is only in the use US for now so everyone elsewhere have to wait. I do hope that the many men and woman at that big G are working hard on the cycle routes where you live.

LINK : biking directions added to google maps

LINK : http://maps.google.com/biking

EAST 2010, running from 4 to 9 of March 2010 in London, which will take people on a tour of east London venues by bike.

Explore East London by bike and enjoy free gigs along the way as part of London’s East Festival.

Grab your bike and spend the afternoon cycling around East London, stopping off to watch bands along the way.

The Cycle East tour takes in free gigs at a range of locations in East London. If you don’t have a bike, you can walk or take the bus between venues.
Cycle East Performances

Cycle East performances start at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm and last about one hour. All events are free.

You can’t book in advance, so make sure you get there early if you want a good spot!

Sounds like fun.

LINK : East 2010 – Cycle East London, 4-9th of March 2010

route – http://tinyurl.com/reclaimtheroad-route
We’ll be finishing up at the Shortwave Cinema in Bermondsey Square, where there will be refreshments and entertainments.

Join us for this fun celebration of women and cycling. All are welcome, even, no especially– if you never cycled before. There will be bike available to rent for £12 per day.

To sign up and for more information, go to: http://tinyurl.com/reclaimtheroad

LINK : Annual LCC women’s ride takes place in March

Join us on the 5th of June on this great adventure crossing over the whole of greater London, as always the more people that join the better so pester your friends. Roll, pedal and cruise your way from ground to ground touching the edges of the M25 London’s true rim, you are guaranteed to see parts of London you have never seen before.

LINK : 2010-06-05 Kick Ball Pedal Bike – 150 miles, all football stadiums within the M25

This year it is sponsored by EdF and they have set up a team called Team Green Britain.

Get greener together
You can only do so much on your own. Working together as a team, we could help Britain reduce its carbon footprint by 2012. And have a lot of fun doing it.

See you on your bicycle if not before then doing the bike week, happy riding.

The Firefly bicycle light uses a passive Infrared sensor to detect vehicles approaching from behind – the closer they get the brighter it shines. Its other clever trick is that it uses a set of white LEDs to illuminate the rider’s back and the road beneath the bike.

I take it that this is to be used at night, but if other road users fails to see you with your normal rear light in normal your riding position. Then they will still fail to see you with this on. Its up there with the laser light I talked about a few weeks ago.

I totally agree with them that the way New York are “promoting” cycling in their ad Look, is just wrong and is very linked to car-centric fearmongering and this will NOT get more on their bikes.

The others they list on copenhagenize are brilliant and will get people cycling for sure. Especially the one from the Hungarian Cyclists Federation, I did not understand Hungarian but I do understand what they are saying with this add below.

I made laugh out loud and really made me want to go out on my bicycle, even though it is damp and grey here today. See that is what cycling promotions is all about.

As copenhagenize says Hungary really got the cycling promotion spot on.

Come on chaps and chapettes make some fun adds for cycling because cycling is fun and great and good for you. It far out weights the bad things that could happen to you while cycling, like swallowing a fly because you are smiling so much, sun burn ok only in the summer or eating too much cake which is a hard thing to do while cycling.

M/S of a lady on an old-fashioned ‘hobby horse’ bicycle, she is wearing a long dress and bonnet. C/U of the bottom of the bicycle, there are no pedals so she has to use her feet. M/S of a man on a smaller bicycle also propelling himself with his feet.

Next we see a machine from 1839, the handlebar was carried in an iron fork and wooden wheels were propelled by pedals and cranks fitted to one of the axles. Various shots of this bicycle. Then came the Velocipede in 1861, it has four wheels and is made from metal and wood with front driving and rear steering, various shots of this bicycle.

BIRTH OF THE BIKE

LINK : British Pathe – The birth of the bike

One man in Oxford, Pete Dungey, has been tirelessly ridding Oxford of its potholes by filling them up with primroses. What a great idea it is and I will make the normal city scape look so much better. Though I don’t think it will be such great idea since I’m sure it wouldn’t last long.

The guardian have a nice article about it here.

But if you should have a pothole on your route, please use the http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ it does work.

The main trick to cycling in the snow is pretty much the same when it comes to “normal” cycling.

1/ Don’t brake when you turn, do that before. And don’t slam on your brakes you will only skid.
2/ Cycle at a speed where you have control of your bicycle. Don’t cycle above your skills.
3/ Keep the momentum, not racing, but keep the bicycle going.
4/ Look ahead and around you, so you know what is going around you so that you can plan your route.
5/ If your bicycle is drifting/sliding the wrong way let it do so, don’t fight it, you will get where you want to go soon enough.
6/ Cycle in a lower gear than normally, you will have better control of your bicycle
7/ Have lower pressure in your tyres or even fit wider tyres.

These are only some pointers but above all – take easy and take care. And you will arrive at your destination with a smile on your face and before people in cars or on public transport. Today I took extra time to go 9 and a bit miles but because of the gridlock I made good time.

Oh I forgot one extra point, be prepared to get hit by a snow ball at any time. For some reason cyclist in the snow is a prime target for anyone carrying a snow ball. They must think that we are nuts and therefore needs snow ball in our back.

BTW: if you cycle in an area where they salt the roads, it is a good idea to give your bicycle a quick wash after your ride.