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…
With a puncture in the Oxfordshire countryside… 🙁
“I read this book as I want to ride Lands End to John O’Groats so I’m reading anything I can on long distance cycle rides. This is a great book…one of those that make you tired because you end up reading late into the night! I was also delighted to […]
How about that for the name of a bicycle bell! You may recall that last week I was bemoaning the quality of bells fitted to modern-day bikes in my post A Bell Of A Problem: Hornits, Pings & Brings. The ‘bring-bring’ bell I bought from Evans in Reading […]
“I sat down one winter evening and bought this book after hearing good things and reading other reviews about this cycling trip. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the book cover to cover (or as best as you can with a Kindle). As much as I applaud the […]
Look at all these people in the Princes Street branch of Waterstones in Edinburgh. They are mingling excitedly for the arrival of something… What could it be? The new Harry Potter? A famous celeb? No? What? Are you sure? It can’t be… can it? Yes it can… Good […]
“I enjoyed Good Vibrations, a nice easy read, well written and witty account of an epic journey. An unassuming account written as seen. Observations I could associate with, and shows what a great experience can be had travelling through the different cultures of Europe. The book gave me […]
“I have just finished reading ‘Good Vibrations – Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie’ by Andrew P. Sykes (@CyclingEurope on Twitter) and what a thoroughly enjoyable read it was too I must say. It tells story of Andrew and Reggie’s six-week journey along Eurovelo route 5 from their […]
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A reminder that in two-weeks’ time, I will be at Blue Door Cycles in Upper Norwood, South East London (SE19) to chat about Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie. If you get reading now, you should have made it to Brindisi by Wednesday 15th February […]
‘Specialized Guy’ describes himself as follows on Twitter; ‘Qualified Cytech mechanic. In 2011, I cycled 12,000km. From 1st April, 2012, I will be embarking on a European WWOOFing & EuroVelo cycle touring adventure.‘ So clearly he is into his bikes & touring. He goes by the Twitter name of @Specialized_Guy and […]
The third and final instalement of my cycle from Matera to Cisternino is now available to read on The Puglia.com. It recounts how I meet my friends Basil & Liz after nearly a month of cycling from southern England to Brinidisi. Enjoy the extract and then read more […]
Were I ever to become the Prime Minister of this country (which admittedly is a long shot as I don’t belong to a political party and Prime Ministers recently have been getting younger and younger), the second thing I would do is to ban people from designing things […]
Another 5* review for the collection on Amazon.co.uk; I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I decided to embark on this cycling trip from my armchair, but found almost immediately that I was absorbed in tales of highs, lows, comedy and adventure that kept me engrossed for […]
Here’s a novel twist of organised cycling; Bike2Basics. The name gives little away about what this sibling threesome do, but of the two brothers and one sister, it seems to be the latter who is in charge & she has contacted me with a bit of information about […]
I take my hat off to Thunderthighs who has taken his, err… my route one step further along the road to Brindisi with part 3 of his route map from Strasbourg to Bellinzona. Here is the link. Amazing!
Click on the picture to go directly to the Waterstones Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie page 🙂 Or on the last link. (Shut up Andrew.)
A new review for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie; “I loved this book, you felt like you were travelling along with him, funny in parts and very inspiring to just decide to ride to Italy from the UK, I hope some day I am […]
From YouTube; “We’re uniting a million voices to improve the future of biking. Join us by signing the pledge for better biking at http://www.peopleforbikes.org. Take the Peopleforbikes.org pledge: “I am for bikes. I’m for long rides and short rides. I’m for commuting to work, weekend rides, racing, riding […]
CyclingEurope.org has just carried out its very first interview! It’s with a couple of cyclists who are planning to do something rather special and who are an inspiration to the rest of us. I’m sure you’ll hear and see their names a lot more over the next couple […]
Another positive review on Amazon.co.uk for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie; I read this book on a recommendation and was not disappointed. The diary type narrative fully illustrated the vagaries of such an extraordinary challenge but with sufficient information on the adventure for me to […]
My home town of Reading is only thirty minutes or so from central London on the train and over the next couple of months, I will be very grateful for that small quirk of geography as I will be up in the capital quite a bit. First off […]
My eBookshelf has three new touring-related publications, one of which mentions me! From left to right, the first two – The Bike Touring Survival Guide & Bike Touring – come from the Travelling Two stable and the first of those – the survival guide – is only a free […]
I first wrote something about this documentary – On Hannibal’s Trail – back in October 2010 when it was shown on the BBC HD channel. At the time, Middle-Age Cyclist Darrell (that’s his website by the way, not me being presumptuous) commented as follows; It is a great […]
You’re probably wondering how this is going to end. A few days ago I found something on the Internet that intrigued me. It was on a site called Bikely.com. The site is a route bank for cyclists; you can register and upload your route for others to benefit […]
And, unfortunetly, a bigger road for the cars…
Well, sometimes it can be. Last night, after polishing off a plate of pasta that could have provided a decent foundation for a detached house in the home counties, I slumped onto the sofa to consult Twitter. @Shelagh Fogarty, Five Live presenter & uber-swimmer had tweeted the following message; […]
“This book is an entertaining read not just for serious cyclists or occasional cyclists (I am in the latter category) but also those who travel – using the word in its old-fashioned sense – and will recognise many of the difficulties but also joys that the author came […]
…of 2012. And a directly cycling-related one at that! In my quest to achieve 4,000 miles cycled this year (see previous post), I have just knocked out the first 23 on a little jaunt down the Thames to Wargrave, north (still in the direction of the Thames) to […]
…of 2011. There will be much more in 2012 no doubt. We shall see. In the meantime, an end of year portrait of the bike that I call Reggie and a few moments to think about the year ahead. I’ve been on Twitter tonight and lots of people […]
While I was browsing the Cyclepedia app (see previous post), I came across a reference to the Rohloff Speedhub. It’s a gear-changing mechanism that I have never seen but which has fascinated me since I watched Mark Beaumont’s documentary about cycling the Americas. He used one. It is, […]
“In 1815 an Indonesian volcano erupted, changing the climate and affecting crops as far afield as Northern Europe. The resulting famine was severe, with Europeans forced to eat horses – a main source of transportation – for sustenance. To tackle the resulting transport problems, Baron von Drais created […]
Just got an email from London 2012 regarding my application to be a volunteer during the Olympics. I had an interview back in November and more recently I have been contacted regarding my driving licence so I am expecting some news at some point… Here’s what the email […]
I always find these lists fascinating. It’s the mathematician in me I think. Others may find them less riveting so if that’s you, you may like to move on… They cover what is now, most of 2011 (only around 40 hours to go). The top page is fairly […]
I am in bed. The bed is too short. This makes it difficult to sleep. It isn’t my normal bed; it’s the bed in the attic of my brother’s house where I have been staying for the last few days over Christmas. It’s cold and the rain is […]
My niece Annabel has a new bike; a BMC Streetfire (2009) purchased second hand from a director of Cycling Scotland. She’s named it Beatrice. What kind of nutter would give their bike a name?
I’m about to escape the south for the frozen north (well, Yorkshire) for a few days. I’ll be tweeting but probably not blogging so have an enjoyable festive season. Happy cycling ! P.S. If you discover that Santa has brough you a Kindle, iPad etc… on the 25th, […]
I get so envious when I read about people who are planning really big trips like this. Puts my own efforts to shame. Perhaps one day… In his own words: “My name is Chris Gruar, and in April 2012 I will begin my charity cycling trip from England […]
Another 5* review for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on Amazon.co.uk; “I really enjoyed the relaxed affable style of this author, making his points eloquently without ever being stuffy or superior. Sykes has an endearing almost vulnerable quality which makes his observations very witty; on […]
I won’t let the fact that the person behind this website – Amaya Williams – has blocked me on Twitter (why?) prevent me from praising her website. And her ambition to ‘cycle every country on the planet’. It’s a refreshing twist upon the cycling around the world trend. […]
The new film will be called The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey and the first trailer has just been released. These two shots from that trailer remind me of my cycle to Berceto, high in the Italian Apennine mountains where I stayed at an idyllic camp-site near the […]
Dear Mr Sykes – I’m too full of respect to refer to you as Andrew – I’ve just completed reading your “Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie” and thoroughly enjoyed it, well done, not just for completing the journey, but also the book. You are […]
Reggie, my eponymous bike is going strong, especially after his three-figure Christmas refit at AW Cycles earlier this week (it’s worth paying for the parts and labour just to get him gleaming again). Alf Grant, a prospective UK to Italy cyclist who I met for a chat in […]
And it’s a real shelf, not a virtual one! Can you spot it in this photo taken in Waterstone’s Reading Broad Street branch?
It’s not just WordPress!
Yes, it does appear to have one. I spotted this fading sign a couple of weeks ago and took a picture when I passed the ally, leading off of West Street earlier today. I hasten to point out that the establishment no longer exists :(. A little bit […]
There is some dreadful design in Britain. No. That’s wrong. There is a lot of dreadful design in Britain. It’s the endless obsession with doing everything with a ‘best value’ hat on. Central government, local councils, companies. They are all guilty. ‘Best value’ is of course a nonsense […]
We are often encouraged to ‘go Dutch’ when it comes to improving our cycling habits, but a new report from the European Cyclists’ Federation would imply that we should ‘go Danish’ instead. By doing so, we could help the EU achieve a quarter of its target for reduction […]
The ‘site stats’ section of the administrative pages of this website can be a fascinating place to spend a few moments. Alas, only for me… I noticed yesterday that someone had arrived here after having searched the term ‘9781849142137 synopsis’. That number is the ISBN for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe […]
It’s been a funny old day. I wandered into Reading just before lunch with a simple plan; check whether Good Vibrations has yet arrived on the shelves of Waterstones in Reading (answer: not yet, but I did leave it displayed on the customer in-store computer for all to see) […]
The Guardian have Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on offer; only £7.99 with free postage & packaging to anywhere in the UK!
I do hope I haven’t caused some kind of diplomatic incident by posting the video entitled Why Are Cyclists Using Video Cameras? on the blog yesterday. It was picked up from CyclingEurope.org as a point of discussion on the forum of the Dutch website De Wereldfietser or in English, […]
In these days of email, Facebook, Twitter, online bank statements, it is a rare event that anything arrives in your physical letterbox that is remotely exciting. But today, I got something that was! Amongst the erroneous bank statements (addressed to a former lodger), union rants & home insurance […]
I have similar encounters to this guy a lot less regularly, mainly due to the fact that I normally cycle to work at 6am. (Yes, I am an idiot.) However, on the occasions when I do cycle during rush hour, I have to say that it’s a regular occurrence. […]
…because it is now snowing on WordPress! Apologies to the software designers for slightly exaggerating the effect. A temporary change of background to a festive blue until the season of joy comes to and end with the snow in January. 🙂
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about how the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) had revamped its websites – http://www.ecf.com, the Eurovelo ‘planning’ website http://www.eurovelo.org & http://www.eurovelo.com, aimed at punters like you and me. Now this latter website has yet to get off the ground (I remain hopeful), […]
A couple of months ago, the editor of the Freewheeling France website approached me with a view to me contributing an article about the Eurovelo network specifically in France. I did, and the article has now appeared! In fact, it has been split into two articles; one about the […]
Great video. Makes me feel very jealous as I sit here in dreary Reading in the south of England. What an adventure! Here’s their website. It’s a good work out for your French (and Spanish). Might show the kids at school next week… Interestingly, their route does what […]
Just noticed that there is another great review on Amazon for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie, this time from a cycle shop in Launceton, Cornwall; “A truly inspirational read. I spend all day, everyday working on bikes similar to Reggie, and yearn to go […]
Beijing, China: A bicycle repair man awaits customers inside a storage box on his tricycle. Courtesy of The Guardian Online.
“I bought Good Vibrations for myself for Xmas but alas have started to read it already and it is now responsible for too many late nights reading when I should be going to sleep. It’s hilarious and a great read.” Sue
CyclingEurope.org now has its own bookshop! You can visit it via the link at the top of this page or by clicking on the picture here. It has a limited number of titles on sale consisting of some books that I would consider to be my favourites. If you […]
Most of the Kindle sales of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie have so far been within the UK – 90% of them. The remaining 10% is made up mainly from sales via the Amazon.com site. These could be in North America or, quite frankly, […]
A few weeks ago, I noticed that a certain @Chris_Boarland had started following me on Twitter. It’s often intriguing looking at who follows who on Twitter. As I type I have 417 followers (that’s probably enough for a decent sect!)… but a fair number of those are just ‘people’ trying […]
Another busy day on the shameless marketing treadmill of life. Waterstones in Broad Street Reading now have a copy of Good Vibrations in the shop. Great! Well, perhaps. It’s there because I delivered it this afternoon for them to look at. If you remember, I’ve already submitted a copy […]
This little picture makes me so happy… Good Vibrations is in stock at Amazon! No longer a message that says that any prospective reader needs to wait ‘4 – 6 weeks’. There is only one thing that would make me happier and that is if Good Vibrations: Crossing […]
The forums on CTC, BikeRadar etc… may have many thousands of followers, subjects & posts but none of them have a specific category for the Eurovelo routes. The new European Cyclists’ Federation’s website now does! Click here to register and start posting (so far, I’m the only one […]
Great things are happening in Europe… The Greeks are on the verge of bankruptcy, Silvio Berlusconi has decided to call it a day, the Eurozone is in turmoil… And the European Cyclists’ Federation has a new look website! Not before time. It moves the ECF from being stuck […]
Ahh…
This is the second attempt at writing this post today. The first time, on hitting the ‘publish’ button, it disappeared into the ether of cyberspace never to be seen again. Fingers crossed. Good Vibrations has an exciting new spine! When I originally ‘built’ the cover of the book […]
Fear not; my marketing campaign for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie continues a pace. It is my current mission to get the book onto the shelves of a bookshop. So far I have proof that Good Vibrations has made it as far as Iain Harper’s […]
Iain Harper wins the prize for being the first person to send me a picture of their new copy of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie. Here it is in good company alongside Iain’s collection of cycling-related literature. Do you think he has placed Mountain High […]
This flight over Britain reminds me of the Tour de France animations that get released every year to showcase the route of the big French cycle race. I think I’d like to live in animated Britain; there is no litter, the sun is shining and most importantly, the tacky tourist […]
Things happen quickly in the publishing world! Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie is now available to buy in paperback from Waterstones and from Amazon (nearly!). Breaking Breaking News: And WHSmith!!
If you get a mention in the acknowledgements section of Good Vibrations (Chris, Sally, Claus, Simone, Paul, Iain, Jim, Marcello, Basil & Liz, Alain and Mark), your complimentary copy of the book is about to start its journey to your letter box. Please let me know when it arrives. […]
It is, of course my old colleague Basil. How you must have chuckled at the thought of a random Italian finding the poster for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie… He’ll soon be receiving his complimentary paperback copy of the book as it is now […]
Just outside Westferry DLR. After my Olympic interview earlier this evening at the Excel Centre (impressive!), I went to meet my friend Paul and spent a good amount of time hanging around watching the many cyclists of London zooming up and down the road outside the train station. […]
Imagine how good they would look on the black shelves of Waterstones…
David Gander who runs Prêt à Rouler, a bike hire shop in South-West France today gets a free advert on CyclingEurope.org. He pointed out earlier today that all the links on the Eurovelo 5 page – the posts I made when I was cycling south – were not […]
‘bikes4two’ has written some nice comments about the book on the CTC forum called ‘Eurovelo 5 information‘; Hi Andrew, Just bought the e-book as I’m in the early stages of planning a trip for me and Mrs bikes4two on our tandem. I’m in trouble already in that I […]
How does it look next to Bill, William, Peter and the rest? My typeface is slightly smaller than most of the others and the pages thinner… UPDATE: I have modified the text size which makes it easier on the eye and also a slightly fatter book on the […]
Lucas Brunelle has just followed me on Twitter. I checked out his website; you should do the same. Here it is. I just watched his video filmed in London. My God! The guy is obviously on some kind of suicide mission on a bike but it doesn’t half […]
A few days I posted a video about the wisdom of the Dutch in planning & building their cycle network. Now it’s the turn of my fellow Yorkshire folk to bask in the glory I am about to heap upon them. As I type I am sitting on […]
