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bike week

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UK and Europe
Published
15 June 2005
Last activity
18 June 2005
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davek
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7
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  1. Went along to the Globe this morning for the bike week breakfast,
    enjoyed a delish bacon roll and heard some speeches that were
    interesting despite an element of preaching to the converted about
    them. Looking forward to seeing the pictures - all those cyclists in
    the theatre auditorium in the rain must have been an interesting
    spectacle.

    Anyway, the real reason for this post is to comment on the general lack
    of publicity and awareness of bike week. I've seen a number of posters
    on bus shelters around London recently, but very little besides - and
    unless you are already cycling in London or using the bus, chances are
    you won't have picked up much of a clue about what is going on.

    When I arrived in work this morning, I mentioned where I had been to a
    colleague, and she was very interested, so I pointed her in the
    direction of the bike week website - unfortunately, she has already
    missed most of the events in her area. OK, so now I realise /I/ could
    have made more effort to let her know in advance - obviously word of
    mouth is very important for this kind of thing...

    So, let's hope that we get some good press coverage for this year's
    events and make sure we all do our bit to help promote bike week next
    year! Obviously, this comment isn't directed at those of you who
    already put in sterling efforts to promote bike week and cycling
    generally, both in London and elsewhere, and congrats to those involved
    for this morning's do, despite the weather.

    d.

  2. I think many of the events with which I've been involved have had less
    participants than hoped. Some were my fault :-(
    Bike Week has left me a tad tired...

    It went like this:

    Saturday 11 June: Dr Bike in West Hampstead. We had a steady stream of
    clients but were not as busy as we were last year. One lad had a bike
    with no brake levers...

    Sunday 12 June: TfL BikeFest and partner's ride to Trafalgar Square. Few
    Camden Cyclists turned up as I initially had the date wrong in our
    newsletter. I didn't see as many people in the Square as before and
    there was less to do than last year. Thankfully, there was little
    booming music and the freebie bags are *excellent*!

    Monday 13 June: Camden Cyclists' monthly meeting with John Adams as
    guest speaker. Huge turnout, good talk, free food...

    Tuesday 14 June: Barnet Cyclists' Dr Bike at the Pentland Centre in
    Finchley: Pentland put us on a windswept terrace, away from the other
    stallholders on 'Green Commuter Day'. Papers get blown away despite
    hefty tools placed on them. Only two clients. Excellent barbecue lunch
    by the lake.

    Notice my nose is going red...

    Wednesday 15 June: Camden Cycling Campaign Cyclists' Breakfast by the
    side of British Library. Event starts off overcast. Heavy rain follows
    soon after. I sit under gazebo sheltering from the worst of the
    precipitation. Gazebo periodically dumps pints of water at its edges.
    Despite rain, uptake of croissants, muffins, cereal bars, flapjacks,
    bananas and drinks is good. Get several passers-by to join LCC. Large
    Barnet Cyclists' delegation visits en route to Liverpool Street & day
    trip to Colchester. Rain stops just as we pack up.

    I really must change my clothes now as I've been sitting on a very wet
    chair...

    --
    Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
    Edgware.

  3. in message <[email hidden]>,

    davek (') said:

    Anyway, the real reason for this post is to comment on the general
    lack of publicity and awareness of bike week. I've seen a number of
    posters on bus shelters around London recently, but very little
    besides - and unless you are already cycling in London or using the
    bus, chances are you won't have picked up much of a clue about what is
    going on.

    Tell me about it. The Forestry Commission just got round to telling my
    club and my LBS about an event they're holding at Kirroughtrie on
    Saturday, yesterday. Fortunately, we're running an event ourselves
    which passes through Kirroughtrie, so we'll make an appearance, but
    more publicity would have been nice.

    --
    [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

    -- mens vacua in medio vacuo --

  4. davek' of urlhttp://groups.google.com/url said:

    Anyway, the real reason for this post is to comment on the general lack
    of publicity and awareness of bike week.

    In St Anne's square in Manchester on Saturday afternoon there were lots of
    stalls, a Doctor Bike session, youngsters doing fancy tricks and someone on
    a Pedersen.

    Audrey planned to take the family on a Bike Week ride on Saturday, but it
    turned out the website was wrong and the ride was actually on Sunday.
    Fortunately she found out in time, and left me an answering machine message,
    which I found 20 minutes before the start. So it was change into bike
    shorts while munching the last of my piece of toast and cycle to the start
    at twice my normal speed.

    The ride was a pleasant little pootle out to Styal and then around the lanes
    at the back of the airport. Sadly it didn't attract many newcomers who
    don't normally go on these rides - precisely 2, being Audrey's partner and
    her son. Everyone else goes on the monthly rides anyway. Audrey had a good
    workout, as she had Owen on the trailer bike. I have to admit that only
    doing 22 on Sunday felt distinctly short - that's become a trundling around
    town doing oddments of shopping and errands distance that isn't long enough
    to qualify as a 'ride'.

    One good thing to come out of it is that we've found a third person to join
    our rides who cycles at our very slow pace. Having 3 of us means that on
    weekends when 1 person being unable to make it still leaves the other 2 to
    go for a ride, so we should all get out more often.
    --
    The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. - Voltaire
    Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
    Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>

  5. Steph Peters said:

    I have to admit that only
    doing 22 on Sunday felt distinctly short - that's become a trundling around
    town doing oddments of shopping and errands distance that isn't long enough
    to qualify as a 'ride'.

    So how is the training going? We are missing the updates amidst the
    noise.
    If 20 miles now 'barely counts as a ride' you must surely be thinking
    about the 100..

    ...d

  6. "David Martin" <[email hidden]> of http://groups.google.com

    Quoted message said:

    So how is the training going? We are missing the updates amidst the
    noise.


    No, you didn't miss the updates, because we missed the rides. A succession
    of weekends where Audrey had another commitment, then I did, then one
    weekend there was a gastric bug doing the rounds in Manchester which got
    both of us meant a lot of not going out. Hence the importance of having
    found a 3rd person.
    Weekend before last was group ride out through Adlington and Pott Shrigley
    into Lyme Park the back way. So we've got up to a 36 mile ride with hills,
    and that's those nasty Peak District steep type hills. Only had to walk the
    hill that was a track though - managed to ride the road ones.

    Quoted message said:

    If 20 miles now 'barely counts as a ride' you must surely be thinking
    about the 100..


    The 'barely counts as a ride' comment is in the context of it seems like a
    normal distance to do by bike for transport purposes, as opposed to going
    out for the sole purpose of having a ride. Also my average weekly mileage
    measured over the last 6 weeks has crept over 50 miles, so I'm doing more
    all round.

    We are still definitely intending to do the 100k. I may cycle to and from
    the start which will make it 70 miles, but that's going to be it. Or if it
    turns out to be 50 miles (web site isn't exactly clear) then we'll start and
    end at Audrey's which will make total for the day into 100k. Longest ride so
    far is still only in the mid 40's - but that felt a good deal easier than
    the hilly ride to Lyme Park.
    --
    The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. - Voltaire
    Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
    Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>

  7. davek said:


    JohnB said:

    So in the Winchester area at least I'd say the Week has been successful.
    I do hope it continues.

    That's good to hear.

    I wouldn't necessarily say it has been /un/successful in London - just
    not as successful as it might have been. (This based on canvassing
    round my office to find out who was aware that there was even such a
    thing as Bike Week, ie no-one.)

    There's also a good half page report with loads of pics in this week's
    local rag.

    For a pic of the sailor singing "Join the Navy" to a yound triceist see
    the 'News' page on:
    http://www.hampshirecycletraining.org.uk/

    There are rumours that Winchester City Council may want to cut costs and
    the Week may be under threat :-(

    John B

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