Month: June 2021

white bicycle road sign

What Does Being A Cyclist Say About You?

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Yesterday I went out for a walk and I happened to bump into a chap called Ian. He was cycling an eBike and we stopped to chat next to a large hole in the road that had been dug to repair (I imagine) the deep sewer. Such was the size of the hole that it had required the closure of the road. Marvellous! I love road closures. Gone were the cars racing up and down Saddleworth Road in Greetland near Halifax; peace and tranquility had returned, albeit temporarily to the valleyโ€ฆ As we gazed into the hole, we set the local cycling world to rights. The dangerous pinch points on Stainland Road should go; a cycle lane installed along the roadโ€™s entire length (especially in the upward direction); car parking banned on the tight cornersโ€ฆ Our chat made me feel better about our car-dominated world.

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 036 – Maike Brinksma โ€“ The Amazon Of Europe Bike Trail

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Maike Brinksma is an athlete, academic, environmental activistโ€ฆ and cyclist, from The Netherlands. In the summer of 2021 she will be one of the first people ever to cycle the โ€˜Amazon of Europe Bike Trailโ€™. She talks to the podcast about her plans to explore the riverine landscapes of the Mura-Drava-Danube UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. She also reflects on the joys of being a Dutch cyclist. (Or is she?) Plus: Caroline Burrows, the Bristol-based Scottish poet and cyclist, recounts her experiences of cycling to work in her short story โ€˜False Flatโ€™.

Episode 036: Maike Brinksma – The Amazon Of Europe Bike Trail

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Maike Brinksma is an athlete, academic, environmental activistโ€ฆ and cyclist, from The Netherlands. In the summer of 2021 she will be one of the first people ever to cycle the โ€˜Amazon of Europe Bike Trailโ€™. She talks to the podcast about her plans to explore the riverine landscapes of the Mura-Drava-Danube UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. She also reflects on the joys of being a Dutch cyclist. (Or is she?)ย Plus: Caroline Burrows, the Bristol-based Scottish poet and cyclist, recounts her experiences of cycling to work in her short story โ€˜False Flatโ€™.

EuroVelo 19: The Meuse Cycle Route

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I cycled a bit of this way back in 2010. It was an impressive, if rather damp, section of the route to southern Italy, my version of the EuroVelo 5. The EuroVelo 19, coming in at around 1,000 km is a manageable length and takes in cycling through three countries; Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Hereโ€™s a new video from the European Cyclistsโ€™ Federation to promote the route.

The Cycling Europe Monologues: “If Someone As Inept As Me Can Do It, So Can You”*

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In recent episodes of The Cycling Europe Podcast you have been able to listen to a diverse range of monologues that have been recorded by listeners to the podcast who have a story to tell. And the four that have appeared have been rather good. Laura Massey-Pugh kicked things off in episode 32 with her plans to break the world record for cycling around the globe on a tandem bike; in episode 33 Robin Watkins reflected on his cycle across Czechia a few years ago; Laurence Warren spoke about cycling on Austria in episode 34 and in the most recent episode – number 35 – Simon Garland looked back rather comically on his experiences of cycling the length of the Rhine.

Cycling Route 66: Under The Sun

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If you live in the north of England, you donโ€™t have to travel far to get to Route 66. The other Route 66 that is; the cycling one. In my part of the north – West Yorkshire – itโ€™s the Calder Valley Cycleway and follows the Rochdale Canal. With friend Craig, I spent much of today cycling in a loop from home to Ripponden, up the hill to Batings Reservoir and then down the other side of the Pennines to Littleborough where we hooked up with the Rochdale Canal.

Cycling Focus Switches To The Tour De France

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With one of cyclingโ€™s three Grand Tourโ€™s now behind us in 2021, it is time to look ahead to what is on the horizon and with the Tour De France back in its more familiar timeslot this year, we cannot look much further than events in and around Paris this month. After the 2020 edition of the Tour was threatened by the still ongoing threat of COVID-19, it was eventually staged across August and September and although it had a rather difficult look and feel to it, there was no shortage in drama.

Bike And Boot Hotel, Scarborough: The Film

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A few months ago I made a special episode today The Cycling Europe Podcast that was all about cycling-friendly accommodation options. The podcast featured interviews with people about WarmShowers, the YHA, wild camping and the Bike & Boot Hotel in Scarborough. The hotel has just released a video about their establishment on the Yorkshire coast and itโ€™s rather good. Lights? Camera? Action!

The Koga (Signature) WorldTraveller Bicycle: Reviewed

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A few weeks ago a woman contacted me on social media and pointed out that her husband was holding back on buying a new bike until I published a review of the Koga WorldTraveller bicycle that I purchased back in the early summer of 2019. I have to admit that I have promised a review on several occasions but never actually got around to writing one. Well, finally, here it is. Much to the relief of the husband concerned…

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 035 – Cycling Europe In 1908-09 / Simon Garland – EuroVelo 15

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In June 2020, The Cycling Europe Podcast dedicated the whole of episode 21 to the epic early 20th Century European cycle of the American Maximilian J. St. George. After discovering the podcast, Tim & George, both grandsons of Max got in touch, as did Juniper, great grandson of Maxโ€™s travelling companion Varnum Parish. Varnum not only rode with Max for several months but wrote his own diary. The podcast talks to Tim, George and Juniper about their ancestorsโ€™ travels in Europe. Plus: Simon Garland takes a comical look back on his EuroVelo 15 cycle along the route of The Rhineโ€ฆย  ย 

Episode 035: Max & Varnum – Cycling Europe 1908-09 / Simon Garland – EuroVelo 15

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In June 2020, The Cycling Europe Podcast dedicated the whole of episode 21 to the epic early 20th Century European cycle of the American Maximilian J. St. George. After discovering the podcast, Tim & George, both grandsons of Max got in touch, as did Juniper, great grandson of Maxโ€™s travelling companion Varnum Parish. Varnum not only rode with Max for several months but wrote his own diary. The podcast talks to Tim, George and Juniper about their ancestorsโ€™ travels in Europe. Plus: Simon Garland takes a comical look back on his EuroVelo 15 cycle along the route of The Rhineโ€ฆ

The Koga E-WorldTraveller Bicycle

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I don’t have a great deal to say about this but the Koga E-WorldTraveller bicycle shown here is basically an e-bike version of Wanda, my Koga WorldTraveller Signature. Give me another 20 years and I might be investing but there are more and more eBikes on the road and it’s not just the older generation. I see quite a few younger people cycling them and it no longer seems incongruous. Better a young person on an eBike than in a car!

Cycling The Outer Hebrides: The ‘Ready-To-Pounce’ Plan

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So… the Outer Hebrides. I have posted two articles recently about my proposed cycle along the Hebridean Way and, after a nice ride over the Pennine moors this afternoon, I am in the mood for adding a little flesh to the bones of my plan. It’s all weather-dependant of course. I have no wish to travel to the north-western corner of the British Isles if the outlook is not looking that great (I learnt my lesson the hard way back in the ‘summer’ of 2014…) but, whenever I do decide to go, I need to be able to pounce with a plan!

Hot Or Cold Shower After A Bike Ride?

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It is one of cycling’s greatest conundrums; greater even than the matter of deciding who is the all-time best cyclist. Or what is the most challenging climb? Or where is the most spectacular ride in the world? The question in question is… A lovely relaxing hot shower after a ride or an energising cold one? For most of us it’s a matter of personal preference, but there are also powerful health arguments for each approach.

Coming Soon: The Return Of The Max And (Now) Varnum Show

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A major follow-up episode to the Maximilian J. St. George episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast will be published on the weekend of the 12th-13th June, exactly a year since the publication of the original podcast and almost 113 years since Max set off from his home in America on June 15th 1908. The new episode will be number 035 and will include interviews with Max’s descendants as well as new information about a certain Varnum Parish…

Shapeheart: Magnetic Phone Mount

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Shapeheart is the brand that has invented smartphone accessories with a detachable magnetic sleeve! A unique patented magnetic system that holds strong, whatever your activity, and a sleeve compatible with all smartphones. The Shapeheart bike (and scooter) mount allows you to attach your smartphone to your handlebars in a few seconds and be guided by your GPS. No need to take your phone out of your pocket to find your way around.

EuroVelo: The State Of The Network Address

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Like Chris Packham of Springwatch fame, I love a good graph or visual that says something in one glance that would take a thousand words to explain. And the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) – the Brussels-based organisation that is responsible for the EuroVelo network have just produced its first ever ‘Route Development Report’. Basically, it’s a ‘state of the nation’ address but limited to the EuroVelo long-distance cycle routes rather than the less important topics such as education, health and defence…