The Social Side Of EuroVelo

In the ten years that CyclingEurope.org has existed in this little corner of the worldwide web, one major thing has changed online; social media has taken over, or so it sometimes seems. Not that I’m complaining. It’s a great way of keeping up-to-date with others around the globe […]

Hera Van Willick: Pedal

“Forty-three countries down, Hera Van Willick rides her bicycle across continents, fully self-supported. This is her journey and what she has learned along the way.” On Saturday evening I went to my local arts centre – indeed the arts centre where I spend much of the working week […]

Cycling Europe: Spring Cleaning

As spring approaches… (it was snowing just now here in the Pennines), a fresh look for the website and social media. The return of a few familiar images all taken before and during the cycle from Tarifa to Nordkapp… …combined to give a unified look across this website, […]

Return To The Rhine In 2019?

Welcome to Andermatt… Alas I’m not there at the moment. Although if I were, I dare say it wouldn’t look like it did in August 2010 when the picture above was taken. I suspect it might be somewhat whiter. I was, of course, en route for southern Italy […]

The End Of Winter?

I’m sure it will bite back soon but in this spring-like weather, can there be a better alternative to getting out on the bike? I doubt it… Today’s ride took me along the Calder Valley to Hebden Bridge… …over Oxenhope Moor in the direction of Haworth and then […]

Bridleway Cycleway?

This bridleway is at the start of one possible route that I can take to travel from home into the centre of Halifax. I’ve just walked the route on this beautiful morning and I couldn’t help thinking why I haven’t used it more on the Cannondale. The CAADX […]

The Butterfly Effect: UPDATE

Following on from the previous post, it appears to be ‘update Sunday’… Here’s another, reflecting upon the reaction to my post of a few days ago: The Butterfly Effect. Before reading on, you may want to hop back to that post to read what I said at the […]

Yorkshire 2018: Mea Culpa…

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet up with the cyclist and journalist Rob Ainsley over a coffee in Halifax. I mentioned Rob a few weeks ago here on CyclingEurope.org and it was good chatting to him about his ‘Yorkshire Ridings’. More details of his cycling exploits are […]

The Return Of The Two-Wheeled Commuter

Sunday 13th January 2019. No, I haven’t got the date wrong. I know that today is Wednesday 9th January but my mind is focussing upon the 13th. Here’s the forecast: Looks OK for January, no? Now, when the Cycling Europe Podcast returned for its second series of four […]

Peaceful Inspiration On Screen

Continuing from the general theme of recent posts, looking forward to cycling (or other) exploits in 2019, trying to put aside the concerns of ageing, this entry in the ever-increasing canon of CyclingEurope.org introduces you to an inspirational film from Lynnea Salvo. If the name is familiar, it […]

Cicerone: 50 Years Of Adventure

Welcome to 2019 and let’s kick off by talking books. I’m sure I’m not alone in having a small section of my bookshelves that looks like this: Sandwiched between some dictionaries and a satirical updated Enid Blyton take on the impending horror that is Brexit, a small collection […]

Happy Christmas From Halifax

Bearing in mind Halifax once looked like this… (did you watch?), tonight’s seasonal son et lumière was pretty spectacular. First up was The Minster… …then Square Chapel Arts Centre (where I happen to work)… …and finally the Georgian splendour of The Piece Hall. Happy Christmas!

Seasonal Cycling

I remember cycling from the southern tip of Spain to the northern tip of Norway back in 2015 – my third crossing of Europe by bike – and coming to the conclusion that however wonderful the experience was (and it was usually just that), I had inadvertently sacrificed […]

The Bicycle Film Festival Returns….

Episode 003 of The Cycling Europe Podcast was film-themed. One of the participants – Harry Bunnell – has alerted me to the upcoming Bicycle Film Festival in London, the details of which are below. Before you read, you might want to catch up on that podcast from November […]

Yorkshire 2018: Mea Culpa…

Yorkshire 2018 never happened. It was my great plan to cycle all of the National Cycle Network routes in Yorkshire during the calendar year 2018. If you are seen as an optimist even by those at the positive end of the thinking spectrum, you might point out that […]

My Secret Space

Autumn trees, fields and colours in my ‘secret space’. Well, it feels that way as I have never met anyone whilst walking or occasionally cycling along its path… The best thing of all? It’s only two minutes from my front door (if I walk quickly).

The Freedom Of Movement Tour

Following on from the previous two posts (“I Have Made No False Promises On Brexit – I’m Free To Tell You The Truth” and “Stick To Cycling Content”) which focus upon the ludicrous car crash that is Brexit, I’ve been pointed in the direction of the Freedom of […]

“Stick To Cycling Content”

Two days ago I posted the text of a speech given by former Prime Minister John Major. He was speaking about the folly that BREXIT. It is sad, and a little ironic, that we live in a world where many current politicians are so terrified of offending the […]

Walking To Work / Autumn Sunlight

The sunlight yesterday was beautiful. It was the early morning / evening sunlight of summer for a full twelve hours and I took advantage by walking some of the way to work in Halifax. It also afforded me the opportunity of working in RAW for the first time. […]

The Tour De Yorkshire: Hors Catégorie!

The host towns and cities for the 2019 edition of the Tour de Yorkshire were announced yesterday… …and two things should stand out. Firstly, that ‘Hors Catégorie‘ classification (or, as Sir Gary managed to mangle it into, ‘whore’s category’ which is surely a ranking system used for a […]

National Poetry Day: The 10.19

The 10.19 from Bradford to Leeds It’s a train, not a bike But for the sake to National Poetry Day Let’s imagine That I’m cycling Speeding down the superhighway (That they have built) Except, I’m told It’s a bit of an obstacle course for cyclists Perhaps the train […]

Cycling UK: Too Close For Comfort

As someone who experiences close passes almost every time I ride my bike, I hope you don’t mind me sharing this letter that’s just arrived from Cycling UK… “Dear Andrew, Support our campaign to help end close passes today! As cyclists, we all know that horrible feeling of a […]

Cycle 300: Update

An update on my efforts to cycle 300 miles in September for Cancer Research UK. Date Time Miles Climb 9/12/2018 31:42:00 5.22 231 9/12/2018 28:43:00 5.31 168 9/11/2018 45:03:00 7.24 279 9/11/2018 25:38:00 4.97 151 9/9/2018 57:06:00 9.68 315 9/7/2018 28:00:00 5.33 168 9/6/2018 2:42:50 31.71 788 9/5/2018 […]

Welcome To… Fort William

There’s enough in and around Fort William – the local town to Ben Nevis – to keep the average man occupied for a day. I’m an average man and it has kept me occupied until 4pm. The campsite is at the foot of Ben Nevis itself… …and I […]

Happy 10th Birthday CyclingEurope.org!

This website is in celebratory mood… Much of what you can find online is ephemeral; here today, gone tomorrow and, often, that’s no bad thing. I note, in passing,  that the list of antonyms of ‘ephemeral‘ include words such as ‘permanent‘, ‘perpetual‘ and even (goodness!) ‘eternal‘. Well, CyclingEurope.org […]

Tristan Bogaard: “Why We Cycle”

“In this video we explore what makes us want to cycle – and encourage you to start your own bicycle tour. It’s possible! Back in June and July of 2018, my girlfriend Belén and I cycled the famed ‘Pamir Highway’, through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. During our trip we […]

Is Las Vegas A Good Place For Bikers?

By Marc Martorell Cycling is more than getting from one place to another and even more than a sport. Committing to this way of life is a deliberate choice, so no wonder people want to take their bikes everywhere they go. Even in the most industrialised regions of the […]

The Artwork Of L’Eroica

“L’Eroica could only have been born in Tuscany. It’s a matter of soul,  land, white roads, landscapes, of genuine food and wine, of culture and passions, of history and of Bartali. Now world-renowned for the special people it involves and for the values it upholds, Eroica encapsulates the very essence […]

August: The Month Of Hiking

One morning last August I made an impromptu decision to head off to the Dales and hike up the three major peaks of Yorkshire: Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. I did so over the two days of August 20th and 21st. I’m hoping to do something similar this August […]

Bespoke Bicycles: Self-Building?

In the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about my list of requirements for a bespoke bicycle that I would dearly love to have built before I travel to cycle the length of Japan in 2020. I have yet to write down a definite list – perhaps […]