Padded Shorts » Fitness

Changes in the air

extra — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:28:11 +0000

Well I have now read two articles in the Daily Mail which is about cycling where cyclist are not being put out to hang. No they are rather good articles and articles that is normally seen in the Guardian or CTC’s Cycle, what is happening?

I tend not to read the Daily Mail as it tends to may my blood boil with the one way hatred toward cyclist. I don’t know if this one made it to print or is only online. But this article, Cycling through grey days on a family holiday to Cornwall, is a rather nice little story about a family’s holiday where they use bicycle as a part of it.

And no where it it does it say the usual thing about cycle as the Daily Mail normally put to print.

Just did a quick search on their website and there are more cycling related stories and none seems to be normal drivel, I think we are turning them :)

LINK : Cycling through grey days on a family holiday to Cornwall by the Daily Mail

Bicycle lawn mower

extra — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:25:03 +0000

I can remember years ago where I was cutting grass for my folks, neighbours etc to get some pocket money.

I enjoyed doing it at my grandparents since granddad always kept the lawn mower sharp and well oiled and my grandmother would always “pay” me well in cake and food :)

Where else where I really had to work hard, to earn my keep, and push erm struggle the mower around the lawn as they were never well kept.

Yes it is showing my age since it was back when motor lawn mowers was unheard off.

Though I wonder if this contraption would helped with the struggle at least it would have made more fun.

LINK : lawn mower tricycle doesn’t makes lawn mowing any more fun
LINK : bike lawn mower hybrids make lawn upkeep more fun

Skyrides dates

extra — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:56:58 +0000

The dates are out, ok I’m a bit slow to post them.

While Team Sky’s professional road-racing team aims to take on the world, Sky Ride aims to get more people of all ages and abilities out on their bikes – and that means you!

:: Ealing, west London (July 18).
:: Bath and Southampton (July 25).
:: Manchester (August 1).
:: Middlesbrough and Redbridge, north-east London (August 15).
:: Glasgow (August 22).
:: Leicester and Bradford(August 29).
:: Blackpool (August 31).
:: Mayor of London’s Sky Ride in central London (September 5).
:: Birmingham (September 12).

LINK : http://www.goskyride.com/

Beauty and the Bike : update

extra — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:48:10 +0000

I blogged about the Beauty and the Bike last year, now there is a little update about this fantastic project in Darlington.

Beauty and the Bike

Bike week 2010

extra — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:41:05 +0000

There had been some confusion about when the Bike Weeks when be in 2010. I think that bikeweek.org.uk have now set it in stone, 19-27 of June 2010.

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.

Cycle snacks

extra — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:28:18 +0000

The Spanish inventor Pep Torres invented a cycle vending machine. Where you have to cycle to get a treat, e.g. you have to burn some calories before you can eat your candy.

Even the Times call this the The Human-Powered Vending Machine and put it in its top 50 best Inventions of 2009.

Absolutely a great idea though the only problem I have with it is that if I wanted say M&Ms before getting on the bicycle. I’m pretty sure that after a “bike ride” on it, I’m not up for just M&M’s I want more – like cake or a fry-up :)

LINK : treehugger.com – human powered christmas vending machine

Beauty and the Bike

extra — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:43:44 +0000

Now this is a great project and a very uplifting short film, Beauty and the Bike.

If they can get teenage girls to start to cycle again in Darlington, why not elsewhere here in the UK. They are right teenagers all over Europe use the bicycle to get around. When I grew up there was no chance in hell of getting a lift from my folks, on your bike son, was the answer. Best part of it was the independence I had from my parents, I could go where I wanted to go and when I wanted to do so.

This is an 8 minute version of our 55 minute documentary Beauty and the Bike. The film follows two groups of young women from Darlington and Bremen. Between them, they discover what makes – and stops – teenage girls from cycling

I love the idea of getting more young teenagers onto their bicycles again, it made me smile.

There was a few problems with this film, they showed one cycling on the pavement, not good. And she clearly didn’t know anything about her gears, since she was standing up when starting her journey, forgot about the little thing called “setting your pedals” before you start. They also kept going on about cycling lanes and a bit of paint, that is not the answer.

We need to give them some cycle training, not just the teenagers in the short film but also the adults who talked about paint and other road users. And generally some better awareness about cycling, though Darlington is way ahead of other cities and towns in the UK.

The full DVD is available from http://www.bikebeauty.org/ and there is other short movies there too.

They have even set up a little cycle club come bike rental called velodarlo for where you can hire Dutch bikes.

So come on, get on your bicycle – its cool, fun and freedom (from your folks :) )

Take the 2 mile bicycle challenge

extra — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:08:09 +0000

I fell over this article on Planet Green the other day, Take the 2 Mile Bicycle Challenge. Which states that 40 percent of everyday travel in the U.S. are trips of 2 miles or fewer, which got me thinking what about here in London.

I live in SW6 and within a 5 miles radius I got, to name but a few, Hammersmith, Hyde Park, Paddington, Gunnersbury Park, Clapham Common, Westminster, Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and even Covent Garden. And 5 miles you can easy do on your bicycle within 30min even when you use the not so direct route through a park or on quieter roads.

I did a little search and found this, Average distance travelled for various purposes, see page 5 for London details. Or click on the image to above to get a bigger screen grab of the .ppt file. I don’t know when this was made and for whom it was made.

But it can’t be far off, we have at least 4 High Streets within 2 miles for our front door. And as we all know the each of these High Streets have the same shops and honestly I don’t know how many
supermarkets/local/metro there are with that radius. We could easy walk to the nearest shop in less than 30sec and any bigger shops within 5-10min.

So why take the car? With some panniers you can easily do you weekly shopping on your bicycle. And don’t stop at the shopping, what about the trip over to your friends, post office or even work?

LINK : Planet Green – Take the 2 mile bicycle challenge

Start riding now

extra — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:20:19 +0000

Today I read this article over on the Telegraph, Copenhagen climate conference Danes launch campaign to get the world cycling.

And it got me wondering why the UK has such a hard time in get on their bikes. The first thing people over here think is that it is dangerous and it is going to get you killed. I’m sorry but you are wrong it is not, there I have said it.

Not only is it good for the little rock we call home…

“Switching from cars to bikes brings an immediate climate change gain and signals that lifestyles and thinking have finally got the climate change message. There are no technical, financial or logistic issues in this transport transformation; the only thing missing is the will to act and the time to act is now.”

…but it is blooming good for you, just look at me. Four years ago I struggled walking up one flight of stairs and I was the wrong side of 20 stone. But getting back on the bicycle I have now lost 5+ stones and feel so much better for it. And there is some truth in the saying “you will look 10 years younger if you cycle” because there are quite a few people who don’t believe me when I tell them that my next birthday is the big four oh. :)

Your first right of passage is pretty much when you learn to walk and in Denmark we kinda celebrate that with a set of wheels. As I grew up there was no point in me asking for a lift to my after school event. If I did I was just pointed towards my bicycle. And if I moaned that it had a flat it was answered with a “well fix it then”. Every new neighbourhood we lived in I learnt to know the area before me old folks, simply because I explored the area on my bicycle. Met plenty of new friends that way, because I was not restricted to the cul-de-sac we lived in. Back then Lego and Pong were the biggest things keeping us kids indoors, but it was never as fun and as exciting as jumping on your bicycle and going exploring.

It is not hard it is easy as long you follow these three simple steps.

#1 Get a bicycle, from your local bicycle shop, go and talk to them and they will get you the ride you need and want

#2 Even if you can ride a bicycle get some cycle training, because it will iron out all the bad habits you have.

#3 Go riding as .citycycling says it doesn’t matter what you ride just as long as you do, and have fun.

So come on get on your bicycle and let’s start the next revolution. And let it not be a motorised one.

Old boy racers get on their bikes

extra — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:03:21 +0000

So what is stopping you ?

“Every week on the roads around Glasgow a group of men aged between 65 and 89 take to the saddle, armed with a makeshift kettle and a lust for life.”

If these you lads can do it, you should be able to do the same or at least half their distance. Reading stuff like this, puts a smile on my face and a bit of shame since I shouldn’t moan and say I can’t be a…. If they so can I since I’m half their age.

“That may be, but it seems they’ll be a long time dying. And as I head home I wonder what will finish these men, what could ever stop them climbing on their bikes and cranking up the hills, into the wide blue, wherever the hell it takes them.”

I have found out what I’m going to do when I’m 65. The Baby :) of the lot, will probably still be around when I’m old enough to join and I do hope I’m allowed.

LINK : Herald Scotland – old boy racers get on their bikes