Inspiration is one of those elusive things; it can’t be touched and can be as ephemeral as an English summer’s day. However, we are increasingly hearing the word as the London 2012 Olympics approaches and I myself think back to the day when I was inspired by watching […]
From the other side of the Atlantic, Mary Reynolds has written a review of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie for Examiner.com; “With a dry British wit (and some very wet days), Andrew Sykes tells of his amazing bicycle journey from Reading, England to Brindisi, Italy. […]
The Rhine Cycle Route (or as it has been recently rebranded, the Eurovelo 15) has a sexy new website. Can a website be sexy? Actually, not going there… It’s worth a look (and you won’t feel obliged to delete your Internet browsing history after having been there…). The […]
You’ll only enjoy this video if you were born before 1980…
Just received an email from a guy called Ross who is passing through Reading with his wife on a cycle trip in a few weeks’ time. He has contacted me via Warmshowers.org, just as Kate Clabby did a few weeks ago. I’ve been to the WarmShowers website to […]
I’ve shamelessly stolen the headline from an article on The Guardian website so I won’t do much else here other than link to their story. But not before I equally shamelessly nick their photo… Quite an achievement (this guys cycling feat, not my theft…)
… I’ve just finished watching another series of The Apprentice; it was, once again, very entertaining. Congratulations. It’s fun watching the ‘best young business brains in Britain‘ (as the narration sometimes reminds us) trying to persuade you to hand your £250,000 over to them. The only person who […]
Her Majesty doesn’t appear to be the most enthusiastic of cyclists – this picture of her in Hyde Park as a young girl seems to be the only one I can find of her on, well, three wheels – but I won’t hold it against her. Cyclist or […]
I note with equal amounts of respect and jealousy that Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com has this week, to his credit, become very rich indeed by selling his website. I have never seen my own little corner of the world-wide web as a money-making venture (although let it be […]
“‘Never judge a book by its cover’ to which I would add: ‘nor its title’. I embarked on this book a little wearily but was quickly won over by Andrew Sykes’s engaging, self-deprecating style. His account of his transformation from daily cycle commuter to trans-European long distance cyclist […]
What a cool way to store / display your cycling pride of joy. Reggie? Where are your old drop handlebars?
If you go down to your local newsagent today, you’re sure of a big surprise. Well, a nice little one at least. A couple of months ago, I was interviewed by a journalist called David Motton who writes for Britain’s top-selling cycling magazine, Cycling Plus. He was in […]
…of Wembley stadium after extra time & penalties! It’s amazing how quickly one side of a 90,000 seater stadium can empty once the final whistle is blown.
A few posts ago, I mentioned how Sally Gunnell was pitting herself against Chris Boardman in a race to the Olympic Park at some point last week… Well, they did just that, Gunnell on foot, running, Boardman on a bike, err… cycling. As shown in the video in […]
So, the Olympic flame has arrived. And so, it seems, have the sceptics. Or at least they have crawled from out of their hiding places to appear in the columns of newspapers, on our TV screens & through our radios, on Twitter, Facebook and every other possible orifice […]
I do like this music… I hope they use it for the Olympics when they start in July.
Another five-star review of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie; “Looking for something different I stumbled upon Crossing Europe on a Bike called Reggie and found it surprising and inspiring. The book works on a number of different levels. As a travelogue, the author takes […]
An email has arrived from Jack who fancies cycling around Europe… He writes in blue, I write in red. Well, I am a teacher, albeit one with a sniffly nose today. And on the day that Francois Hollande becomes the French president, it does give this post a […]
Dogberry is a bicycle… ridden by his owner, Richard, an actor of stage & screen.
This website doesn’t always live up to its name, CyclingEurope.org. I’ll ignore the fact that I’m just a budding author & traveller (& teacher) and not by any stretch of the imagination an organisation. I’m talking about the ‘Cycling Europe’ bit. This post, however, certainly ticks the boxes […]
This may be worth looking out for next week for all us Games Makers (or anyone else!) who want to make sure we get to our shifts on time during the Olympics & Paralympics during the summer. I do hope the bike (presumably ridden by Chris Boardman) wins. […]
I have never used the ‘re-blog’ function before so not sure how this works, but here’s a fun post by Isobelandcat about how to be kind (or not) to people you are writing about in your book. Anything that mentions me in the same paragraph as the master […]
There are some great cycling logos around and about; I just came across another this morning while browsing; it’s the one in the bottom left hand corner of the montage above. I suppose the best cycling logos have a recognisable bike somewhere within them (although I’ll agree with you […]
What bike is? As I type, friend Sally is pedalling the streets of London on a Boris Bike. She has beaten me to it! I must have inspired her with my tale of cycling to Italy for it is the very same Sally who advised me where the […]
As you can see, I’ve given up not using exclamation marks. Sorry Isobel. I will however continue to use them carefully and only when needed. I’m not sure one was actually needed in the title to this post but there you go… So, to Warmshowers, the site that […]
I’ll let you into a secret; please don’t tell anyone. Here goes… When I post reviews of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on here, I occasionally edit them ever so slightly so as to give them a seamlessly positive tone (and to be honest, […]
I received an email on Friday from someone called Kate, a travelling cyclist who was planning on making Reading a stopover en route from London to Oxford. She’d found my contact details on WarmShowers, the social network for cyclists looking for and offering accommodation. I used the site […]
A sad end to the life of a once great Trek bike. Not mine I hasten to add but kindly fly tipped close to where I live with a collection of other chuckle. Chuckle? Yes, you did read that right. Chuckle, noun (uncountable): a collection of waste items […]
Well, actually it was Huddersfield Town 2, Yeovil 0. But fear not; I’m not about to start giving a classified check of the League 1 results every Sunday morning, As mentioned a few posts ago, my brother (and several hundred other people) cycled from Yeovil to Huddersfield in […]
My cousin is a teacher of English language in Portugal. He works for the British Council in the beautiful hilltop city of Coimbra some 40 kilometres from the Atlantic coast. I’d certainly recommend it as a place to visit. Anyway, away from my travel advice, you’d think he’d […]
You really can’t fault the marketing arm of London 2012. They seize upon any opportunity to remind us all that in only a few months (probably better to now say ‘few weeks’) the Olympic Games will be upon us and I’ll be strutting my stuff as a London […]
On the BBC’s Countryfile yesterday afternoon, the weatherman shown here explained how April 2012 had been very wet indeed. He used this graph to explain that in southern England since January 2010, there had only been three months that had received above average levels of rainfall. Of those, August […]
“Just finished [Good Vibrations]… and thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought lots of memories of my experience of cycling touring even though mine was no where near as ambitious… Many of the cycle touring books I have read have been about people selling up and hitting the road for years on […]
I’m used to working long days; I do it five days a week, but yesterday’s visit to London for the Games Maker training was exceptionally long. I set off from Reading at just after 5am and trundled from station to station across Berkshire and through the western suburbs […]
It didn’t take long! Here is my new key for the Barclays London Cycle Hire Scheme… Roll on Saturday!
“Andrew Sykes’s enthusiasm, determination and wry humour come through in this entertaining read. It will suit both armchair dreamers and two-wheel travellers considering their own possible adventures… Andrew’s trip from England to the toe of Italy during his summer break from teaching has the feel of a minor […]
Time to catch up with a few of the cyclists who I have been following or I will be following over the coming weeks and months. There are quite a few… First of all my brother, Matthew, who is cycling with quite a few other supporters of Huddersfield […]
Have you ever used the Barclays Cycle Hire bikes in London? The ‘Boris bikes’? Me neither (well, unless you just answered ‘yes’ to the question I pose…). On my fairly frequent forays into London I regularly walk past the docking stations and consider having a go but then […]
“This guy deserves a pat on the back; well written and thought about and kept me on the edge of my seat on what was going to happen next. I do recommend this book; you won’t regret [reading it].” ‘sifi’, Amazon.co.uk review of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on […]
Another 5* rating on Amazon for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie; “I’m sure I heard Andrew on The Bike Show podcast giving a rough outline of his trip. It was such a good podcast I noted the title down & bought the book on […]
Now, let me first say that the video below is extremely aspirational and in no way (unfortunately) reflects the life that I lead. But I am a real sucker for a good bit of advertising and a great piece of kit. I picked up Reggie earlier from A.W. Cycles […]
Films like this should still be shown at the cinema before the ‘main feature’. An encouragement to anyone to drive safely when you see a cyclist. Great little film. Did it bring a tear to your eye?
I have received an email from Monica. Hi Andrew Next year starting 29th March I will be cycling from Lisbon to Athens using the Eurovelo Route 8, raising money for Camfed. I am organising the trip myself and spotted your website. All advice, large or small gratefully received. […]
After having finished writing, directing & editing yesterday’s award-winning* advert for Good Vibrations, I cranked up the video camera yesterday, called in a few favours with my mates Seb, Dave, Boris & Kate, fuelled up the helicopter & knocked off the London 2012 Spring Update! (*Best CyclingEurope.org advert for […]
Earlier today I made my way back down south after having spent the weekend in Yorkshire. Arriving by train in the capital I passed through Kings Cross station. I used to be a frequent visitor to Kings Cross when I worked in London about twenty years ago but […]
Michael Palin clearly needs a bit of publicity (see where his books are in the previous post) & I’m happy to give him a some… Comic genius.
Click the picture to access the Apple iStore and download your copy of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie.
Today sees the infamous Paris-Roubaix cycle race… 260 kilometres from the Paris suburbs to the Belgian border. Rather them than me. Cobbles were a recurring theme as I cycled south along the Eurovelo 5 from London to Brindisi. It seems that any historic town worth its salt on […]
Having just read Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie Simon Barnes in Washington DC has added a review at Amazon.com; “The author tells a very funny story of his adventure, with Reggie his bike, as they ride from southern England to the south of Italy. […]
Ian Street has just written an extended review of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on his website Into The Orchard. Here is a snippet; “The book is simply broken down into daily chunks… and each day is littered with little vignettes and observations and […]
On his excellent website, IntoTheOrchard.com, Ian Street has just written about the Paris-Roubaix cycle race which takes place this coming weekend. He’s linked to a documentary that I’ll try to watch at some point over the next couple of days. It reminds me that I wrote about the Paris-Roubaix […]
I suppose it’s the time of year that long-distance cyclists worth their salt come out of relative hibernation and start setting off on great adventures. Apart from me… And that’s a fact that makes me a bit jealous of the three people who I am about to mention […]
Lots of people are using Instagram; it’s not difficult to see why. It’s a piece of picture editing software that comes in the form of an iPhone app and changes your photos from pristine digital images to retro pics from the 1970s. I’ve seen it in use on […]
Facebook friend and ex-Emmerdale Farm (it will always be a farm to me, despite its modern-day aspirations; Seth Armstrong would never have approved the change) actor Richard Moore has just contacted me asking about new bikes. It got me dreaming again and I headed off to the Koga website to […]
If you can remember back to early summer 2010, although I didn’t keep it a secret, my departure along the Eurovelo 5 from my home town of Reading to Brindisi in the south of Italy was low-key to say the least. I sneaked out of town early on the morning […]
It’s been the second busiest month at CyclingEurope.org since the move to WordPress back in January 2010. Thanks for visiting!
As you can imagine, it’s just like this when I cycle from Reading to Henley-on-Thames every day… I think I should really get one of the t-shirts for school. My street cred would go through the roof (but my career through the floor). Motherfucking Bike — Sons of […]
Give your Spanish a little workout by watching this video from Spain; can you figure out why he is being harassed by the police? If you can’t, read the story in English at Copenhagenize.com.
Dear Reader Three weeks ago we launched our map aiming to make Britain a safer place to cycle – and you have responded in fantastic fashion. Over 6,700 areas across the UK have been pinpointed, highlighting the roads you feel uncomfortable cycling on and the junctions which put […]
Well, the Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie page on Facebook does. What do you think? Aiming for 100 ‘likes’ before Easter. Can you help out? If you want to read the book before ‘liking’ (recommended!), click here for the paperback or here for the eBook. Thanks […]
A couple more top-rated reviews on Amazon this afternoon for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie; This entertaining, informative book inspired me to get out on my bike and ride, ride, ride!!! Read this if you love cycling, you will not be disappointed! Paul Lewis, […]
Here are a few, well, quite a few, quotes from the reviews that have been so far made about Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie. Click on the picture to make it a bit bigger (or strain your eyes and read the banner at the […]
Just found this online; “In 2012, brought together by the all-party Parliamentary cycling group, dozens of major UK cycling event organisers, charities, NGOs, industry manufacturers, retailers and other organisations with an interest in pedal power are collaborating to promote a ‘Summer of Cycling’. The campaign aims to provide […]
As a newly appointed London 2012 volunteer, I’ve got to be careful here not to say too much but I think I am on solid ground by making a comment about the new kit that was revealed this week for the British athletes taking part in the games… It […]
I am about to enter the high-brow world of literary criticism! Not only is Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike called Reggie the book of choice at next Thursday’s London Cycling Book Club – I’ll be there in person of course (see banner below for full details) – […]
For some reason (I know not why), this post has received considerable attention today. Was the original Radio 4 documentary repeated?
Another top-rated review on Amazon for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie; “This is a must read for anyone who [rides] a bike. I found it to be very inspiring, it makes you want to get out and ride your bike (no matter what the weather […]
Matthias Pleyer, organiser of the London Cycling Book Club which will be discussing Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie in under two weeks’ time (more info on club’s website), has just asked me to answer some questions for the website. His final question was as […]
I do hope C. J. Boarland has read more than just the one cycling book; “Best cycling book I’ve read to date. Having decided to embark on my own mid-life cycling adventure this year I was looking for a book written for the ordinary guy who aspires to […]
I finally received an email from the London 2012 Olympics this week about whether or not I had been successful in my application to be a ‘Games Maker’ (or volunteer). It was good news; “Congratulations! Following your interview to be a London 2012 Games Maker, we are delighted […]
There’s a new kid on the block to rival Reggie and the other Ridgeback Panoramas out there: the Raleigh Sojourn expedition tourer. I haven’t ridden it, but the people at Road CC have and here’s what they have to say; “Raleigh have gone upmarket in the do-everything tourer market […]
“First time I have downloaded an eBook. Very enjoyable read. eBook does not have photos, but they can be found through the book’s website [and Facebook page]. Invaluable route planner for anyone wanting to cycle this route…” ‘benmac’, Amazon review
I received an email from Pete in New Zealand earlier this week. He is a man with a great, or should I say ‘grand’ plan. He explains that he is soon to move back to Europe from down under and will be living near Turin, Italy on his return […]
Lawrence Dallaglio is back on his bike again and this time he is cycling the Eurovelos 5 & 8, kind of… The cycling challenge is called “The Dallaglio Flintoff Cycle Slam” and the official website describes the endeavor as follows; “Between April 23rd and May 18th next year […]
Should you be thinking of cycling in France (OK, perhaps not at the level of the three guys here but…) and wondering what the difference is between the three kinds of cycle route in the title of this post, Maggie Lacoste of Experience France by Bike has just […]
I received the following very nice email earlier this week about Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie: “I’ve just finished the vibrations and ‘good’ they were. I really enjoyed reading about your travels and thoughts on the way (and before). Apart from the obvious success […]
Thought it was about time the video of my commute home from Henley-on-Thames to Reading got another airing. It was made back in 2009 and I am thinking about doing a remake with my new Biologic iPhone 4 mount for Reggie’s handlebars (as discussed a few days ago in […]
Another two ways to get hold of your copy of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie – Kobo & Lulu (and coming very soon to Apple’s iStore!).
Cycling really is becoming mainstream. And fashionable. The full range can be seen on the Levi’s® website. (This is such hot-off-the-press news that the link isn’t yet active! You heard about it here first!!)
As I have mentioned before, I don’t often invest in iPhone or iPad apps on a whim. The last time I paid up for something it was the excellent Cyclepedia which is a thing of great beauty & design. However, earlier this week, just as I was getting ready for […]
Another 5* rating for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie: “This book would tempt any cyclist (and non cyclist!) who has not been away on a tour to pack up the bike and pedal off. Andrew Sykes sums up the beauty and freedom of having two wheels […]
I’m so glad that it is now March. It seems that someone has told the people who control the weather to turn off the fridge and as a result we are slowly shuddering into what feels like the very first days of Spring. Saying such a thing does […]
“Just finished reading [Good Vibrations] at 4am… I found the whole context of the book to be in the real world, from the planning, or lack of [it], the meeting people and the comments on the places he visited and people he met. As someone who is too old to […]
Following my ‘Bus W*****s in Bristol & Reading’ post of a few days ago, I finally have a response from one of the ‘customer champions’ of Reading Buses. Before you read what she says, you may want to read the original email I sent to the bus company. […]
Stop this now! No more ‘In Praise Of…’ for a while 🙂
I let the bell speak for itself…
I am at risk of being contacted by The Guardian newspaper if I keep using this ‘In praise of…‘ title, but this post and the next are going to do so anyway! Blue Door Cycles was the cycle shop I visited on Wednesday evening to talk about my trip across Europe as […]
The above expression was coined of course by The Inbetweeners to great comic effect but what follows is at the other end of the spectrum of mirth. A Bristol bus driver has been sentenced to 17 months in prison afer using his bus as a weapon to knock a […]
That was fun. It’s a good job that time in the real world, outside the studios of radio stations, doesn’t go by as quickly as it does inside those little sound-proofed rooms. We’d all be in our graves before we were out of the maternity ward. Fifteen minutes […]
Well, The Bike Show is available online so compared to Reggie’s five seconds of fame last Friday on BBC South Today, my thirty minutes on Monday evening surely compares quite well, no? Three ways to listen; if you live in central London the show is broadcast on 104.4FM, […]
Over the last few days, I have been crawling out of bed in the morning like a groom after his stag night. Not that I’ve been drinking the night before. Far from it. It has simply been the knowledge that Friday was the final day of term and […]
A message from my brother…
